Samuel Lirones
Clinical Director
Licensed Clinical Social Worker #103532
You may be seeking therapy for many reasons. You may find your mind, emotions and body are responding to a past trauma. You may find that repeated negative messages you got in your childhood still limit your ability to trust and believe in yourself and others. You may need to learn new skills and unlearn old patterns to make the most of a relationship, or a job or, to be the kind of parent you wish you had.
After 15 years of working with children, teens, and parents in community settings, I learned about EMDR, a technique with the radical potential to give people freedom from trauma and anxiety quickly and effectively.
I have trained in and offer a variety of evidence-based techniques, including EMDR, ERP, FLASH, Ego State Therapy and IFS informed parts work. All of these techniques share a powerful underlying belief: People almost always have everything they need to heal already within them! The point of therapy is to help the client find those strengths and connect them to the parts of themselves that most need to feel strong, safe and loved.
As Clinical Director, I am privileged to assist the team at Pasadena EMDR and Trauma Therapy in providing therapy with an emphasis on compassionate, effective therapy based on research and guided by our belief in the strength and potential of our clients.
I strongly believe in community service and have volunteered for the last seven years as a counselor and mental health professional for a nonprofit organization supporting gender expansive youth and families affected by HIV
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of psychotherapy that has been found to be highly effective in treating individuals who have experienced traumatic events. This therapy uses a combination of eye movements, sounds, or taps to help the patient process and heal from traumatic memories. The theory behind EMDR is that the brain can become “stuck” in the traumatic event, preventing the individual from fully processing and resolving the experience. The eye movements, sounds, or taps used in EMDR are thought to stimulate the brain’s natural healing process, allowing the patient to process the traumatic event in a healthy way and link up with positive information.
During EMDR therapy, the therapist will guide the patient through a series of eye movements, sounds, or taps while the patient recalls the traumatic event. The patient is also asked to focus on any negative thoughts or emotions that come up during the process. As the patient processes the traumatic event, they may begin to experience a reduction in the intensity of negative emotions and thoughts. This can lead to an increase in the patient’s overall well-being and a reduction in symptoms such as anxiety and depression, substance use, anger outbursts, and chronic pain. EMDR is an evidence-based treatment and has been found to be highly effective in treating a wide range of traumatic events, including PTSD, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and verbal abuse.
Specialties
Attachment Therapy
Short term therapy for therapists
EMDR Intensives
EMDR for couples
Medical Anxiety
Flash Treatment
Trauma Therapy