Blog

How to Know If Your Teen Needs Therapy
Krista Bass Krista Bass

How to Know If Your Teen Needs Therapy

Wondering if your teen needs therapy? Explore when to seek help, how to know if its worth making the call, and how therapy can support your teen's emotional health and resilience.

Read More
When You’ve Tried Therapy and It Didn’t Help
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

When You’ve Tried Therapy and It Didn’t Help

If you've tried therapy before and left feeling disappointed, discouraged, or unchanged, you're not alone. This post explores common reasons therapy may not have felt effective, why the right therapist and approach matter, and how specialized trauma therapy and therapy intensives can create meaningful change when previous therapy experiences haven't helped.

Read More
Intensives for People Who’ve “Done a Lot of Therapy”
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

Intensives for People Who’ve “Done a Lot of Therapy”

Many people who seek therapy intensives are highly self-aware and have already done years of therapy. But understanding patterns intellectually does not always create emotional or nervous system change. This post explores why people can feel stuck in therapy and how EMDR therapy intensives can support deeper healing and integration.

Read More
Why Perfectionism Might Be a Survival Strategy
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

Why Perfectionism Might Be a Survival Strategy

Perfectionism is often praised externally while feeling exhausting internally. For many adults, perfectionism develops as a trauma response connected to attachment wounds, anxiety, and the need to feel safe or accepted. Learn how therapy and EMDR can help address the deeper roots of perfectionism with compassion and support.

Read More
Are EMDR Therapy Intensives in Dallas Worth the Investment?
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

Are EMDR Therapy Intensives in Dallas Worth the Investment?

Wondering whether a therapy intensive is worth the investment? This post explores common concerns about the cost of therapy intensives, how EMDR intensives differ from weekly therapy, and why focused trauma healing can be a meaningful mental health investment for long-term change.

Read More
Mental Health Awareness Without Toxic Positivity
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

Mental Health Awareness Without Toxic Positivity

Mental health awareness is important, but overly positive messaging can sometimes feel invalidating for adults navigating trauma, anxiety, or chronic stress. Learn what toxic positivity is, how it impacts emotional health, and what genuine therapy support and emotional validation actually look like.

Read More
What a Dallas Therapy Intensive Day Actually Looks Like
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

What a Dallas Therapy Intensive Day Actually Looks Like

Curious what a therapy intensive day actually looks like? This post walks you through what to expect in therapy intensives—from preparation and pacing to EMDR processing and post-session integration. Designed for adults seeking deep healing, therapy intensives offer a structured, supportive way to process trauma and anxiety at a pace your nervous system can handle.

Read More
Why You Feel Anxious When Resting (And How to Feel Safe Slowing Down)
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

Why You Feel Anxious When Resting (And How to Feel Safe Slowing Down)

This post explores why rest can feel uncomfortable or unsafe for high-achieving adults, especially those impacted by trauma or chronic stress. It explains how nervous system dysregulation contributes to anxiety during rest, offers relatable examples of how this shows up, and highlights how therapy support can help individuals gradually build capacity for rest, emotional safety, and sustainable nervous system regulation.

Read More
What Chronic Stress Does to the Body
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

What Chronic Stress Does to the Body

Chronic stress can quietly take a toll on your body and nervous system—especially for high-achieving adults navigating demanding careers, caregiving roles, or major life changes. Learn how stress shows up physically and emotionally, why it’s not a personal weakness, and how therapy for stress can support nervous system regulation and burnout recovery.

Read More
April Therapist Networking
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

April Therapist Networking

Dallas therapist networking event 4/17 hosted by Steady Healing therapy. Join us for a therapist walk and talk with a stop at White Rock Coffee nearby.

Read More
Why Divorce Can Feel Like Trauma
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

Why Divorce Can Feel Like Trauma

Divorce can feel more overwhelming than you expected — even when you know it was the right decision. This post explains why the end of a relationship can impact your nervous system like trauma, leading to anxiety, rumination, or emotional shutdown. Learn how divorce affects your sense of safety and stability, and how therapy can help you process what happened and begin to feel grounded again.

Read More
How Therapists Decide What Happens in a Therapy Intensive
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

How Therapists Decide What Happens in a Therapy Intensive

Many high-functioning adults are curious about therapy intensives, but unsure what actually happens during extended sessions. How does a therapist decide what to focus on? Will it feel structured—or overwhelming? In this post, I walk you through how trauma-informed therapists thoughtfully assess your goals, nervous system capacity, and history to design an intensive that feels intentional, flexible, and emotionally safe. If you’ve been feeling anxious, stuck, or shut down, understanding the planning behind a therapy intensive can help you approach this option with more clarity and confidence.

Read More
Why Recovery Sometimes Takes More Than Physical Care
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

Why Recovery Sometimes Takes More Than Physical Care

Injury or surgery doesn’t just affect the body- it can affect your nervous system, identity, sense of safety, and trust in yourself. Yet most recovery plans focus almost exclusively on the physical needs: range of motion, strength, post-op timelines, and milestones in physical therapy.


This blog shares from two different helping professionals who support folks pre and post surgery and in recovery from injuries. Dr. Michaela Soules PT, DPT is a dedicated physical therapist and certified life coach who created Soul Strength for one purpose: empower clients to successfully navigate their recovery after surgery or life-altering injuries. Michelle Spurgeon, LCSWS is an EMDR therapist who can support clients pre-surgery or in recovery to create effective coping plans, heal from medical trauma or strengthen their inner-self for recovery.

Read More
Why Can’t I Think My Way Out of Anxiety or Trauma Triggers?
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

Why Can’t I Think My Way Out of Anxiety or Trauma Triggers?

Many of the clients I work with already have a deep understanding of their patterns. They can trace reactions back to childhood experiences, past relationships, or major losses. They’re not lacking awareness.

What they’re missing is a way to help their body feel something different, not just understand it.Approaches like EMDR help access the parts of the brain where these reactions are actually stored. Rather than endlessly rehashing the story, we work with how the experience lives in your body and nervous system—so it can finally update.

Read More
Therapist Networking & Connection Hour
Michelle Spurgeon Michelle Spurgeon

Therapist Networking & Connection Hour

Join us on January 16 from 1:00–2:30pm for an afternoon of connection with fellow therapists in private practice. Snacks and sodas will be provided, and the focus is on genuine conversation—not awkward icebreakers or forced networking.

Read More