How my journey began
Mikal Britt was born and raised in Long Island, New York. After graduating from Ithaca College in upstate New York, he moved to Los Angeles where he worked in the film & TV industry. With a naturally calm and compassionate personality, Mikal landed a summer job teaching filmmaking at a sleep away camp for kids on the autism spectrum. This job led to an unexpected ten year career as a behavioral therapist in which Mikal’s creative talents were being used to help others. Having realized his deeper calling, Mikal returned to school to earn his Master’s in Social Work from California State University of Los Angeles.
After 5 years working with families and individuals in community mental health, Mikal realized his goal of starting his own private therapy practice. Mikal promotes a modern approach to therapy that values self-awareness, optimism, and a trust that when motivated everyone are strong enough and capable enough to realize their own potential and solve their own problems. Mikal believes that connection and self-exploration can lead to self-improvement and discovery. Don’t be a character in the story of your life, be the author! Mikal challenges clients to get vulnerable and face the discomfort required to figure out why we do the things we do.
Mikal works with adults, young adults, and couples. Utilizing a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and active listening, he specializes in treating trauma, anxiety, depression, bipolar, ADHD, and attachment disorders.
Mikal lives with his wife and two boys in Los Angeles.
Methods
EMDR
I believe true liberation is freedom from our automatic behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Working with a trusted therapist helps to bring the shadow self to the surface. That is when the healing begins. But the degree to which a person can grow is directly proportional to the amount of truth they can accept about themselves without running away.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a powerful clinical treatment that focuses on connecting the mind to the body, since trauma is stored in the body, not the mind. EMDR uses eye movements (bilateral stimulation) as client’s focus on their traumatic memory and the negative self-belief associated with the trauma. After becoming desensitized to the traumatic memory, I help clients install a new healthier positive self-belief.
Childhood trauma is very common and yet most people do not think of themselves as trauma survivors. There is obvious trauma (experience or witness to physical and verbal violence) and less obvious trauma (neglect and emotional distress). But trauma is not about the event, but rather how one emotionally experiences the event. All trauma is valid and we should never compare traumas.
Trauma can look like codependent relationships. It can look like anger, nightmares, and hypervigilance. It can look like depression and anxiety. If you are ready to show up and do the work, all of it can be corrected, solved, and healed.
If you are interested to learn more, click the link below to schedule a consultation.