Tampa Bay Therapy

Nancy Gallant is an experienced psychotherapist who has been practicing independently in Saint Petersburg for 29 years. She specializes in individual psychotherapy, couples therapy, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She is bright, funny, and compassionate ... and effective.

Nancy's intellectual background is diverse. She received her Master's degree in psychiatric social work from Columbia University in New York City. She continued her post-graduate study at the Yale Child Study Center, one of the psychoanalytic departments in the country. She then completed her therapist training the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. She continued adding to her therapeutic arsenal by studying Imago Therapy with its originator Hartville Hendrix and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) with its founder Francine Shapiro. She is also a big fan of Milton Erickson.

Individual Psychotherapy

I treat individuals for a wide range of psychological problems:

  • Depression Anxiety
  • Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Bipolar Disorder

At times in our lives, stressful experiences come along that cause us to have flare-ups of old, recurring conditions or problems we haven't encountered before. It's helpful to be able to talk to someone who can diagnose and treat those problems -- someone who's had a lot of experience, who's kind, who's not judgmental.

Sometimes the problem concerns a spouse or family member. In these cases, it's helpful to talk to someone who understands couples and family dynamics.

I believe that my clients and I become a team.

If you're motivated, and you show up, I'll help you do the rest.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Re-Processing)
TREATMENT FOR TRAUMATIC MEMORIES

I'm excited about EMDR because it allows me to help people in ways I wasn't able to with talk therapy. People naturally don't like to talk about upsetting memories. Once I deem it safe to go back to those memories, it may take an incredibly short time –often one to two sessions–to drain the disturbance out of the memory. When that happens, people start to feel more positively about themselves.

WHAT IS EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a method of psychotherapy that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. To date, EMDR has helped an estimated two million people of all ages relive many types of psychological stress.

WHAT KIND OF PROBLEMS CAN EMDR TREAT?

Scientific research has established EMDR as effective for post traumatic stress. However, clinicians also have reported success using EMDR in treatment of the following conditions:

  • Panic attacks
  • Complicated grief
  • Dissociative disorders
  • Phobias
  • Pain disorders
  • Eating disorders
  • Performance anxiety
  • Stress reduction
  • Addictions
  • Sexual and/or physical abuse
  • Body dysmorpic disorders
  • Personality disorders

*Taken from www.emdr.org

HOW DOES EMDR WORK?

No one knows how any form of psychotherapy works neurobiologically or in the brain. However, we do know that when a person s very upset, their brain cannot process information as it does ordinarily. One moment becomes "frozen in time," and remembering a trauma may feel as bad as going through it the first time because the images, sounds, smells, and feelings haven’t changed. Such memories have a lasting negative effect that interferes with the way a person sees the world and the way they relate to other people.

EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information. Normal information processing is resumed, so following a successful EMDR session; a person no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind. You still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting. Many types of therapy have similar goals. However, EMDR appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Therefore, EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new and less distressing way.

WHAT IS THE ACTUAL EMDR SESSION LIKE?

During EMDR, the therapist works with the client to identify a specific problem as the focus of the treatment session. The client calls to mind the disturbing issue or event, what was seen, felt, heard, though, etc., and what thoughts and beliefs are currently held about that event. The therapist facilitates the direction movement of the eyes or other dual attention stimulation of the brain while the client focuses on the disturbing material, and the client just notices whatever comes to mind without making any effort to control direction or content. Each person will process information uniquely, based on personal experiences and values. Sets of eye movements are continued until the memory becomes less disturbing and is associated with positive thoughts and beliefs about one's self; for example, "I did the best I could." During EMDR, the client may experience intense emotions, but by the end of the session, most people report a great reduction in the level of disturbance.

DOES EMDR REALLY WORK?

Approximately 20 controlled studies have investigated the effects of EMDR. These studies have consistently found that ENDR effectively decreases/eliminates the symptoms of post traumatic stress for the majority of clients. Clients often report improvement in other associated symptoms such as anxiety. The current treatment guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies designate EMDR as an effective treatment for posttraumatic stress. EMDR was found effective by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, the United Kingdom Department of Health, the Israeli National Council for Mental Health, and many other international health and government agencies. Research has also shown that EMDR can be an efficient and rapid treatment.

Information taken from EMDR International Association Website (www.emdria.org)