Internal Family Systems (IFS)

IFS is a therapeutic intervention that explores the many parts in us that make up who we are. IFS is like the movie Inside Out. We all have various parts that are there to protect us, including joy, anger, anxiety, jealousy, sadness, etc. As adults, these parts can also look like a workaholic part or caretaker part. These parts were created at different points in our lives to protect an inner child, or exile, from pain. There may have been a time in your past when you felt let down and so an independent part may have been created to protect you from every needing to rely on anyone and potentially feeling that pain again. IFS focuses on healing these wounded parts by approaching them with compassion and curiosity so that we can cultivate trust between them and the Self—the confident, compassionate, whole person that is at the core of every individual. IFS can be useful for those hoping to better understand themselves and their triggers and for reparenting their inner child.

Somatic Therapy

Somatic therapy aims to connect the mind and the body. Just because the trauma is over or you’re not around it anymore, doesn’t mean that your body knows it’s over. The body keeps the score, as they say. Oftentimes we are stuck in a loop—old patterns die hard. In the past these patterns—such as freezing or disassociating during confrontations, running away or avoiding difficult feelings or people, or people pleasing—helped us cope and survive whatever challenges that were happening back there back then. These coping strategies became so engrained in us, now we don’t even notice when they’re happening. Somatic therapy helps us break unwanted and unbreakable patterns by allowing us to complete the cycles that never got completed. This happens by going inside and into the body. We work on honing your interoceptive skills to connect what’s happening around you with what’s happening inside your nervous system. Somatic therapy relies very little on talk therapy and more on allowing yourself to feel and just be there with your emotions and body. Somatic therapy can help you get better at feeling.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is an intervention that is commonly used to treat depression and anxiety. ACT incorporates elements of mindfulness and can be helpful for people struggling with ruminating thoughts. ACT is all about honing the observing self and being able to observe thoughts and feelings and allow them to come and go while also increasing one’s distress tolerance and capacity for feeling negative emotions. By developing the skill of observing your thoughts, you can then choose to detach from thoughts that aren't serving you and act on the ones that align with your values and bring you toward the life you want to live, which ultimately relieves suffering in and around you. 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is a widely recommended and evidenced based intervention used to treat PTSD symptoms and help people overcome their traumas. EMDR replicates the eye movements that occur when you're in REM (rapid eye movement), in which your eyes are darting back and forth. This stimulates the left and right brains and allows them to communicate, which is why we do a lot of problem solving in our sleep. Sometimes, due to wear and tear, we experience a block that prevents the left and right brains from communicating and fully processing our trauma. EMDR allows clients to process traumatic memories in session using eye movements. After treatment, clients feel empowered and are free to create new narratives of the painful memories.

Moreover, trauma doesn't always have to mean having to go through something violent and intense like combat or rape. Trauma is a normal response to an abnormal event. If you feel like you're experiencing a disconnect between your head and your heart, EMDR is a great avenue to explore.