Internal Family Systems -Informed EMDR Therapy
Deeply address issues stemming from childhood, complex trauma, and relationships - including your relationship with yourself - with IFS-Informed EMDR Therapy.
Are you tired of carrying around the weight of your past?
Embark on a self-discovery journey to break free from childhood trauma, attachment wounds, or turbulent relationship experiences.
“Is what happened to me really trauma?” Sometimes, the experience we go through is clearly what we’d easily identify as trauma - a life-threatening accident, abuse or assault, for example. Trauma can take on subtler forms, too. Any pattern of experience that was invalidating, frightening, or hurtful - a narcissistic parent, a parent struggling with alcohol, inconsistent parenting, bullying, a toxic partner, as some examples - can cast a shadow over every aspect of your life. Unresolved childhood, attachment, or relationship issues can affect your self-esteem, your ability to connect with others, and even your own sense of identity. The pain might be hidden, but its impact is real.
You've probably tried various therapies and solutions, searching for that elusive peace of mind. But traditional therapies often fall short, focusing on surface-level symptoms instead of addressing the underlying causes. It's like putting a band-aid on a wound that needs profound healing.
Imagine therapy that doesn't just skim the surface but reaches into the core of your being, guiding you towards profound healing and lasting change.
That’s where integrating an IFS-informed approach comes in.
What is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic approach that dives deep into your psyche to unlock profound transformation.
It acknowledges that within each of us resides a “family” of subpersonalities or “parts. Some parts hold your trauma, while others protect you from feeling that pain. IFS guides you through a journey of understanding, connecting, and healing these parts, allowing you to release the grip of childhood, attachment, or relationship trauma. Unlike traditional therapies, IFS recognizes the complexity of your internal world. By working with your parts, we'll embark on a holistic journey that embraces all aspects of your being. IFS helps shed layers of pain, uncovering your authentic self that's been waiting to shine.
How does IFS work?
Together, we'll begin to identify the different parts within you. Some parts might carry pain, fear, or trauma, while others act as protectors, shielding you from feeling overwhelmed. This process of understanding your internal landscape is crucial for your healing journey.
We'll work on building a healthy relationship with your parts. Instead of rejecting or ignoring them, I'll help you approach them with compassion and curiosity. This creates a dialogue that allows these parts to express themselves.
Many times, the source of our pain lies in our past – in childhood experiences, attachment dynamics, or past relationships. I'll guide you through exploring these origins to gain a deeper understanding of where your parts' pain originates.
Through guided techniques, we'll create a space for you to communicate directly with your parts. This dialogue allows you to uncover their stories, fears, and needs. It's a profound process that often brings very personal insights and emotional release.
As you build a trusting relationship with your parts and provide the support they need, healing starts to unfold. The wounded parts gradually release their burdens, and the protectors can relax their grip, allowing for true integration and transformation.
The beauty of IFS therapy is its focus on lasting change. By acknowledging, healing, and integrating your parts, you'll experience a shift in your internal dynamics. This often leads to improved relationships, self-esteem, and an overall sense of well-being.
Throughout the journey, you'll discover a newfound sense of empowerment. You'll no longer feel controlled by your negative patterns. Instead, you'll have the tools to engage with life from a place of self-awareness and choice.
My role is to guide you through each step of this transformative process. I'll provide you with tools, insights, and unwavering support as you navigate the complexities of your inner world. Together, we'll unlock the doors to healing, growth, and a brighter future.
What would integrating an IFS-informed approach with EMDR look like?
When tough childhood experiences, attachment dynamics, or complex or relationship trauma are part of the picture, an IFS-informed approach supports healing and strengthening of the psyche that’s needed to be able to handle processing difficult experiences and trauma. As such, much IFS work takes place before and in preparation for processing any trauma.
Wounded parts that carry the pain that needs to be processed may be difficult to access initially, and protected by other parts that perceive any attempts to change anything - including facing and processing old trauma - as potentially threatening and in need of resisting. IFS work will address this in initial parts of treatment. Uncovering and establishing a strong authentic self as an empowered leader in the personality structure, capable and drawn to making intentional healthy choices, may be needed to propel the healing process forward.
When ready for EMDR processing, integration of an IFS-informed approach continues as part of the process, rewriting roles for parts to play that are healthy and adaptive.
Can IFS-informed EMDR therapy be done online?
Yes. As with stand-alone EMDR, many people really like doing IFS from the safety and comfort of their home, since they can have supportive and objects, people, or pets nearby. Online IFS-informed EMDR therapy works just as well as in-person IFS-informed EMDR therapy.
How do I know if IFS-informed EMDR therapy would be a good fit for me?
IFS-informed EMDR is a GREAT fit for you if you struggle with your relationship with yourself. If you have a strong self-critic or if you’re aware that you’re often protecting yourself from conflict, pain, and/or vulnerability, IFS-informed EMDR can be helpful to you to not just understand why you talk to yourself the way you do, but ultimately allow that inner critic to take a backseat.
IFS-informed EMDR is also appropriate when you struggle in your relationships with others. If you have trust issues, have trouble showing up as your authentic self in relationships, you’re a consistent people-pleaser, have trouble prioritizing your needs versus those of others, or have trouble committing or connecting in more than superficial ways, you’d probably be a good candidate for this integrative approach.
IFS-informed EMDR therapy would be a good fit for individuals with complex trauma (C-PTSD), attachment trauma, and relational trauma.