Essays on psychotherapy, trauma, dissociation, relational work, and the questions that come up in the therapy room — written by James Nole, LMHC.
Clinical hypnosis therapy is a legitimate, evidence-based tool used by licensed clinicians to support healing from trauma, anxiety, and chronic pain. Seattle therapist James Nole, LMHC, explains what clinical hypnosis is, how it differs from stage hypnosis, and who it can help. Offering in-person sessions in Pioneer Square and telehealth throughout Washington State.
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Most couples don't come to therapy because they stopped loving each other — they come because they feel stuck. In this post, Seattle couples therapist James Nole, LMHC, introduces PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy), a research-backed model developed by Dr. Stan Tatkin that goes beyond communication skills to address what's actually happening in your nervous system during conflict. If you and your partner keep having the same fight, this is worth reading.
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Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers is more than an album — it's a portrait of a person doing the hard work of healing. Seattle trauma therapist and musician James Nole breaks down how Kendrick navigates intergenerational trauma, a savior complex, shame, infidelity, and ultimately, the radical choice to prioritize himself over the weight of everyone else's expectations. If you've ever felt the pull between caring for others and caring for yourself, this album — and this post — will speak to you.
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Another in my psychoanalytic blog series. This one discusses displacement, both inside and outside of analytic psychotherapy.
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Here is the newest blog in my defining psychoanalytic terms series. This one follows up my post on identification, honing in on idealization, and its role and some dynamics in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis.
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Check out the third installment in my defining psychoanalytic terms series of blogs. This one focuses on reaction formation, how you might spot it, and how it sometimes shows up in therapy.
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When emotions feel too overwhelming to face, the mind finds clever ways to sidestep them. Two of the most common — and most misunderstood — are intellectualization and rationalization. In this post, Seattle trauma therapist James Nole, LMHC, breaks down how these defense mechanisms work, why trauma survivors and high-functioning thinkers are especially prone to them, and what it actually takes to move from understanding your pain to feeling and healing it.
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Here is the first in my series where I define psychoanalytic terms for anyone interested. I hope that it is informative, and please let me know if you found it helpful. My understanding of these concepts is also evolving, thus this may be subject to updates or further entries to clarify or change.
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Why forced gratitude is not a healthy emotional or mental health practice.
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Here is the newest blog in my series on psychoanalytic terms and phrases. This one is all about identification, and how it shows up in our lives and in psychotherapy.
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This post focuses on transference in psychotherapy, and is the newest installment in my psychoanalytic terms series.
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Learn how Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) targets traumatic shock at the brainstem level, offering a path to healing for Complex PTSD and trauma that hasn't responded to other therapies.
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Here is the integration paper that I composed for my Master’s degree. This is the Master’s Thesis of our existential and phenomenological psychology program at Seattle University. It focuses on the role and nature of hope and hopelessness in psychotherapy.
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You may be familiar with dissociation, but the word has a specific meaning in the field of psychotherapy. Here is an article on what dissociation is from the perspective of a therapist who focuses on trauma.
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Here I discuss the importance of Courageous Speech and Disciplined Spontaneity in therapy.
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Repetition is an important aspect in therapy, and is a part of the process of working through to healing.
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Here is an important aspect of therapy, worth exploring.
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Both the past and present are important aspects of exploration in therapy. Here is a blog post focusing on both and how they show up, and how they are held in the therapeutic space.
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Here I focus on deep listening and affective attainment in therapy.
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Here is why intent is important in psychotherapy for both the therapist and patient.
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Here is a blog about the core competencies in relational psychotherapy.
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Read here to understand the key aims in psychotherapy.
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Here’s a blog post about chronic illness and chronic pain and how it impacts patients.
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This blog discusses anxiety and how therapy can help to address it.
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This blog discusses depression, how it might manifest, and how we can address it in therapy.
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The therapeutic stance is a crucial component in therapy, and here I discuss this concept.
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Check out this essay on the emergence of existential psychotherapy.
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This topic is near and dear to me. I hope that it provides something of value to you or someone you know.
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Here I discuss grief therapy and counseling.
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Here is discuss trauma and my perspective on it in therapy.
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Check out this thought piece on self-compassion, and getting back to the root of its meaning.
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Here is what the therapeutic process looks like.
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This is an introduction into what relational psychodynamic therapy is, and what this style of therapy looks like— and what kind of transformation one can expect as a patient.
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Here is a piece on acceptance, and it’s importance in our lives and in therapy.
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Here is a blog on loneliness and its effects on a person.
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James Nole joins a panel on mental health and art at the Glass Art Society's 2022 Tacoma conference. Learn more about the presentation.
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Suicide remains one of the most silenced topics in our culture — and that silence often makes things worse. In this post, Seattle trauma therapist James Nole, LMHC, writes from both personal and clinical experience to open a more compassionate conversation about suicidal ideation. Rather than shying away from the complexity of why someone might reach this place, he explores the pain, isolation, and meaning beneath it — and what it looks like to truly listen to someone who is suffering. Resources for support are included at the end.
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What does a trauma therapist actually believe — and what brought them to this work in the first place? In this interview, Seattle therapist James Nole, LMHC, shares his personal journey from despair and vision loss to finding healing through therapy and ultimately becoming a therapist himself. He talks about his existential and relational approach, what he specializes in (trauma, Complex PTSD, grief, and relationships), and what clients can expect when they walk through his door. A rare, honest look at the person behind the practice.
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We're taught to fight depression, fix it, or push through it — but what if that's only part of the story? In this post, Seattle therapist James Nole, LMHC, invites a different kind of curiosity: what if depression is also trying to protect you? Drawing on personal experience and clinical insight, James explores how depression can serve as armor during hardship, a signal that something needs to change, and — when left unexamined — a fortress that keeps growth at bay. This isn't an argument in favor of depression, but an invitation to see it in a more complete light.
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