Services

Counseling Services

• Individual Counseling: Courtney provides individual counseling for adults ages 18 and older and specializes in the treatment of anxiety, grief, and issues related to past trauma. Courtney can help you clear negative influences from the past so you can change the way you experience your emotions and regulate them more effectively. Instead of getting caught up in endless thought loops, she will show you how to utilize your inner resources to shift emotional responses, and clear any blocks that have been keeping you stuck.

• Rapid Resolution Therapy®: Courtney uses an approach called Rapid Resolution Therapy® which is a holistic treatment that often clears the root of a problem in one session, and is especially effective in healing issues related to grief or past trauma. Click here for more info on RRT.

• Hypnosis and Biofeedback: Courtney also offers hypnotherapy and biofeedback at your request which can be very effective in calming the body and mind and help you change self-defeating behavior patterns.

Rapid Resolution Therapy®

What is Rapid Resolution Therapy®? Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT) is an integrative and holistic approach designed to clear painful emotional responses, and is particularly effective in clearing anxiety and the negative effects of grief or past trauma. Unlike other approaches to trauma treatment which require the client to experience painful emotions while reliving the trauma, Rapid Resolution Therapy® clears the effects of trauma gently and painlessly. RRT was developed by Dr. Jon Connelly over his thirty years of treating clients with trauma. Courtney is a Master Practitioner in RRT and an Associate Trainer for the Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy.

Why does RRT appear to be more effective for treating trauma than other therapy approaches? Traumatic memories are stored differently in the brain. If you just “talk about the event,”it seems to keep activating the nervous system as if you are reliving the painful experience all over again. RRT involves use of guided imagery, metaphor, and calming techniques that empower you to talk about the event without emotionally reliving it. Clients who’ve used RRT often report feeling peaceful, energized, and uplifted after their session. They are amazed that the effect is lasting, and report significant decreases or complete elimination of anxiety attacks, nightmares, flashbacks, and chronic guilt/shame.

What is meant by “Rapid Resolution”? RRT dramatically reduces treatment time because the work is done at such a deep level, involving both the conscious and subconscious parts of the mind. So, rather than spending months or years in many hours of weekly talk-therapy sessions, people often find relief within their first session of RRT, and usually do not require more than 1-3 sessions to clear the root of a problem.

If you’re tired of traditional therapies that have yielded limited results, then this could be the method for you. Call 423-876-3490 or e-mail Courtney to schedule a free 10 minute consultation.

NOTE: Rapid Resolution Therapy® was developed by Dr. Jon Connelly. You can learn more about RRT by clicking here.

Free 1-hour Rapid Resolution Therapy® Online Training For Mental Health Professionals!

In this 1-hour online video presentation that Courtney and Dr. Connelly put together, you will learn:

• The key to resolving traumatic memories that other therapy approaches are overlooking
• Neuroscience findings that support RRT’s philosophy
• Multi-level communication techniques that reach both conscious and subconscious
• How to pinpoint the exact event to target and resolve

• Requirements: Due to the confidential nature of the material that the client in the video presents, we must restrict this course to mental health professionals.

Go to www.cleartrauma.com, click on the tab that says “Training Preview Video.”

Hypnosis

Courtney offers 60-90 minute hypnosis sessions for issues such as smoking cessation, weight management, overcoming fears and phobias, boosting motivation, and improving concentration. In addition, you will receive a personal audio recording of your hypnosis session that you can listen to at home to reinforce desired changes.

What is hypnosis? Hypnosis is basically evoking change by using language and sensory experiences the subconscious mind understands. For example, if someone says to you “Just relax.” Then, I’ll bet you wouldn’t relax that much. But, suppose I ask you to recall a beautiful, peaceful place, like your favorite outdoor scene. Then, I ask you to imagine it even more vividly recalling specific sights, sounds, and smells you would enjoy in this place. Within a few seconds of just imagining this scene, I’ll bet you would find your body relaxing. That is basically a hypnotic response.

Myths about hypnosis: People fear that they will lose control, not remember anything, or have spontaneous unpleasant memories. But, this rarely happens. You are in full control of the experience, and will only respond to suggestions that make sense to you and are in your best interest. Essentially, all hypnosis is “self-hypnosis.” I am only guiding and teaching you ways to get your mind and body to respond more in the way that you want.

Who are good candidates for hypnosis? The best candidates for clinical hypnosis are persons who are highly motivated to overcome a problem. Hypnosis cannot “magically” help you quit smoking or lose weight if you really don’t want to do these things. But, if you have a sincere desire to change, you are likely to do very well and find it rewarding.

Are there any risks in using hypnosis? Although hypnosis is generally a safe procedure with fewer complications than most procedures or medications, some clients feel increased anxiety about the process in general. But, this usually subsides as the client is reassured he/she is in full control, and realizes the experience is rather natural and not scary at all. Other affective responses can occur such as crying, or feeling light-headed or nauseated. Again, these experiences are usually transient and I will work with you to alleviate them if they occur.

Will hypnosis cause me to recall a memory that I may have suppressed? Spontaneous regression to a traumatic event or period of life is rare. If you wish to address a specific traumatic event, I will work with you on emotional strengthening skills prior to using any hypnotic intervention. Similarly, when I work with people to resolve a specific traumatic event, they remain fully conscious with eyes open. My clients are taught the Connelly Method of Rapid Resolution Therapy® which allows them to recall a memory while remaining fully, consciously, present without having to relive the event emotionally. It is often a relief when clients realize they have the ability to do this.

How does hypnosis work? Have you ever felt frustrated because you consciously knew you needed to change a certain way of thinking or acting, but couldn’t seem to get yourself to do it? While, the conscious mind is the part of our mind that we use to analyze things and make decisions, many other things are going on at a subconscious level. In fact, scientists estimate that only 10% of what we are thinking, doing, or feeling at any given moment is driven by conscious processes. The other 90% of what we are experiencing at any given moment is driven by subconscious processes. Subconscious processes are simply automatic processes going on below our conscious awareness.

The subconscious is not that scary or mysterious, it is our friend. For example the subconscious mind is regulating your breathing right now and beating your heart. The subconscious mind is also processing and monitoring sensory information like smells, sounds, and room temperature. Finally, the subconscious mind stores memories, learned behaviors, belief systems, and governs “automatic” behaviors and responses in order to free up your conscious mind to do other things. The subconscious is what helps you drive a car without having to think too much about it once you’ve learned the skills. It is literally your automatic pilot.

But, the subconscious mind may keep activating “automatic” responses that are no longer serving you. For example, it may be driving you to eat foods that were once comforting, but now are causing you to gain weight. Or, it may cause you to feel anxious whenever you are around anyone that reminds you of a mean teacher you once had. The subconscious thinks like a small child or animal, so we have to speak the language it understands to get it to change. That is all hypnosis is, using the language this part of your mind understands so it can change automatic responses.

Courtney Armstrong is certified by the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists. She has received several years of training in hypnosis from organizations such as the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis, The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM), and the Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy®.

Speaking and Training Workshops