I recently did a day-long EMDR therapy intensive/retreat with Celeste and recommend the experience whole-heartedly. I had contacted Celeste because I had already discovered EMDR and knew how amazingly effective it can be, and she far exceeded the already high hopes I had with her insight, skill and the safe energetic space she creates for doing that work.
When I found Celeste, I was in therapy already, seeking to heal from traumas, neglect and family dysfunction I had experienced in childhood. I was struggling with issues of anxiety, patterns of self-neglect and isolation, and frequent, horrible nightmares. I was aware of the links between those challenges and my childhood, but had so far felt like my unhealthy mental and emotional patterns, as well as my fears, were out of my reach to actually change. I was really amazed by how much I was able to process in the one day of EMDR I did with Celeste, and how profoundly healing that work was for me. Talking with her to identify the targets for EMDR, I felt completely safe to reveal extremely painful memories, and we were able to find and work on what I feel were the true roots of the anxieties and other unhealthy patterns I had been stuck in. I also found my mind linking those original targets to more recent traumas and distressing patterns in my adult life and my current relationships, which was an unexpected blessing of more healing than I had even hoped for. I became more aware of the wounds I had been suffering and hiding away from myself, while at the very same time healing them, processing and gaining the valuable lessons from them.
Since working with Celeste, the traumatic childhood memories that we targeted in therapy no longer cause me to feel nausea, shame, pain or overwhelmed like they had before. I have not had a single nightmare or even a stress dream since the intensive. I have been noticing with deep gratitude that the situations and issues which had been triggers for me before are not triggering anymore, and I have found myself responding from a place of calm and strength to situations which were previously overwhelming me into stress or shut-downs. I know already that the intensive has been a catalyst for positive change in my life, as I have suddenly found myself prioritizing my own well-being in ways I had previously been ignoring, or pushing aside. I am now course-correcting with new clarity, self-love and follow-through. This feels very new to me, but at the same time so natural and imperative, like it’s my new instinct. I have also noticed a huge growth in my internal ability to process, and a deeper connection to, and understanding of, my self. I really cannot express enough my immense appreciation for the healing I experienced in working with Celeste, and the benefits I feel rippling through my life and relationships now.
The entire experience of the retreat was very nurturing and supportive, and was set up very mindfully to accommodate a perfect pace for the work, and to include good food, a wonderful massage, and even an astrology report, which especially resonated with me. The holistic care I felt in that day was in itself profoundly healing for me, and has set a tone for me moving forward in caring for myself. The full-day intensive format was tremendously helpful in allowing me to process so much in one enclosed day-long ‘moment’ without interrupting the many connections and understandings that unfolded throughout the day. We were able to work on each target and uncover the many interconnected memories and patterns with plenty of time to fully follow each thread and heal what we found.
I very highly recommend Celeste and particularly the intensive/retreat she has designed to anyone seeking to heal and to make profound positive change in their life, relationships and self.
LW, Williams, Oregon
After the death of my father I found something out about him that was not him. When I discovered it, it was like you gave a kid a glass full of orange drink, but you drink it and find out it is the most sour, horrible thing that existed and then every time I saw something orange all I could see is the horrible, ever. My world came down. His whole life was a lie, and it made me believe that mine was too. I felt like a hurt little girl inside and that little girl had seen my dad as Superman. I felt like 5. And that 5 year old girl was so very hurt and so very angry. I was always crying with fury whenever I thought of him. I could not even speak of him without crying.
Now that I have done the work with Celeste I don’t have that heavy cloud of fury on me anymore. It was fury, and betrayal, and disappointment, and sadness. She saved me. I have returned to normal. Now I can see that it was his mistake, not mine. I forgave him and now I let it go. I could not have let it go when I was still holding that all that anger, that rage. That thing cannot touch me anymore. She gave me the chance to get peace back in my life again.
SM, Medford
Celeste’s calm and supportive presence allowed me to feel comfortable while we set to work on challenges I have experienced in my life. We dug into intensely personal and deep places and I was able to stay with the process as Celeste guided me through it. I walked away feeling cleansed and ready to move forward in my life with more success than I had before. I can’t thank Celeste enough for the opportunity to move through these challenges. I can honestly say my life is better since working with her.
LS, Fountain Hills, AZ
“Celeste, when you told me about EMDR and that you see miracles happen, I thought you were so full of it. I just thought it was a line of bull. When you’ve never had one happen, why would you believe that? But now I just had my own miracle. I thought this was a weight that I had to carry the rest of my life. A miracle just happened. A weight just lifted and it’s gone. This is going to change my life.”
TA, Southern Oregon
