Aug 25
Talk therapy can be a valuable resource, but what happens when you’re all talked out and still feel your body is holding onto trauma? This is where teacher’s assistant Lara Connolly found herself after years of trying talk therapy and never feeling like it was quite enough to help alleviate her physical exhaustion and stress. It wasn’t until she tried EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), a form of psychotherapy designed to alleviate the distress caused by traumatic memories, that she finally started to feel her body come back to life.
Looking back, Lara can see how much shame and rejection was stored in her body after a lifetime of having untreated ADHD and how significantly it had been impacting her emotional regulation and physical health. Lara not only took the steps to heal her trauma, but she also made real changes to her lifestyle that provide more balance and prioritize joy; her dedication to living an authentic ADHD life is truly inspiring and I’m delighted to bring you this conversation.
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"[EMDR] has really been the final layer of assistance with my RSD to process those trigger points, those memories, all those times when I felt rejected, to process them and help let go of that pain so that I’m not so triggered by the next smaller thing that happens now. It’s helped with my emotional regulation so much."
- Lara Connolly
"The reason I knew [EMDR] was working was things that would trigger an emotional response from me, that trigger was gone and I could step back from it and step away from a situation in a way that I previously would’ve reacted."
- Lara Connolly
"Empathy is a huge part of who I am and part of my ADHD picture, I thrive on helping people."
- Lara Connolly
- Lara discusses her background in law and her current interests in researching her family history and learning Irish and Te Reo Maori.
- Lara struggled with emotionally regulating herself as a parent, particularly when dealing with her child's OCD behaviors.
- Lara shares her experience with ADHD and how it impacts her work as a family lawyer, including her empathy and desire to help families.
[21:01 - 41:38] Childhood, and EMDR Therapy
- Lara's school reports described her as an enthusiastic contributor who talked too much, with a need to give others a chance to contribute.
- Lara discusses her experiences with ADHD and how it affected her in high school.
- Lara discusses how EMDR therapy helped her process and let go of PTSD related to her ADHD and empathy.
- Lara discusses her experiences with ADHD and how it affects her memory and sensory processing, including her love for live music and yoga.
- Lara struggles with accepting her own diagnosis of PTSD, feeling that she doesn't deserve it compared to her clients who have experienced true trauma.
- Lara reflects on her experience as a parent volunteer at her daughter's school, including her connection with teachers and the autistic twin students she supported.
