IFS | SE | EMDR
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS is a radical and paradoxical way of approaching therapy. For some clients, it is unlike anything they have tried before.
While some treatments encourage you to try to control your thoughts and emotions better, IFS encourages you to have conversations with them. This is because we believe the personality is naturally split up into “parts.”
"You can think of parts as little people inside you. Each has its own perspective, beliefs, feelings, memories, and motivations. You may have heard of the "inner critic" and the "inner child," the most famous of our parts. But these are simple concepts that only begin to touch the richness and complexity of our inner life. Our inner family may include a lonely baby, a wise mentor, an angry child, a stern mother, a calm mediator, a magician, a happy animal, a closed-off protector, and so on." - Jay Earley
Learn More about IFS Therapy
For a full demo (between two experienced IFS therapists), check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqIhczaF9W8
Read this chapter from the seminal book, The Body Keeps the Score.
Check out this article (Weekend University), or this longer and more in-depth article (Medium).
Check out the first chapter of “Introduction to Internal Family Systems” here.
Read a transcript of an IFS session.
Listen to an Interview with Richard Schwartz on IFS and relationships.
Check out Instagram (The Ordinary Sacred; Brookedbyka); there are also several IFS podcasts (The One Inside).
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
Somatic Experiencing is a form of therapy that aims to help individuals resolve the physical and emotional effects of trauma. It was developed by Dr. Peter Levine, a psychotherapist and researcher, and is based on the idea that trauma can cause a disruption in an individual's natural ability to regulate their nervous system. This can lead to a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms, including anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and difficulty with relationships.
During Somatic Experiencing sessions, we will work with you to help gradually process and release the stored physical tension and arousal associated with your trauma. We may use various techniques, such as guiding you through body awareness exercises or specific types of movement. The goal of Somatic Experiencing is to help individuals develop a greater sense of self-regulation and to reduce the intensity of their symptoms.
I am trained in Beginning Modules (1, 2, and 3) and use SE as a supplement to my other primary approaches.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Developed in the 1980s by psychologist Francine Shapiro, EMDR is a structured therapeutic approach that involves prompting the patient to briefly revisit traumatic memories while concurrently undergoing bilateral stimulation (such as tapping, audio tones, or eye movements). The theory is that eye movements or other stimulation can jump-start the body’s natural methods and finally digest the memories properly. The therapist will also help the client to identify and change any negative beliefs that may have resulted from the traumatic event. The goal of EMDR is to help the client to process the traumatic event and move forward with their life, rather than being stuck in the past. It has been found to be effective for many people in reducing symptoms of trauma and improving overall well-being.
I am fully trained in EMDR and use it as a tool to supplement other approaches.
Emily Dickinson