Trauma Therapy

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a unique form of therapy that helps you understand the different parts of yourself. We all have various "parts"—different aspects of who we are—that show up depending on the situation. For example, the part of you that is confident at work may be different from the part that feels more vulnerable or insecure at home. Similarly, someone struggling with addiction might feel like a completely different part of themselves takes over when they drink or use substances.

These parts aren’t just made up—they represent real patterns of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that have developed over time, often shaped by our life experiences. When we experience trauma, neglect, or pain, certain parts of us hold onto those feelings. These parts can feel stuck in the past, carrying the emotions or beliefs we formed when the pain first happened.

In an effort to protect ourselves from this emotional hurt, we may push these parts away, trying to bury or ignore the pain. To do so, protective parts step in, often showing up in ways like addiction, people-pleasing, anxiety, or even depression. These behaviors aren’t “bad” or intentional—they’re protective responses that developed because these parts are trying to keep us safe from deeper emotional pain.

IFS therapy helps us reconnect with these parts, especially the ones holding onto hurt from the past, and work through the emotions they carry. By doing this, we can help release the burdens of old pain, allowing those parts to heal and move forward. In therapy, we’ll guide you to explore your internal system of parts, helping you understand how they’ve protected you and how to release the hold they’ve had on your life. This process can help you become more present in your life, with less emotional baggage and more peace of mind.

The discovery of Brainspotting occurred in 2003 with a 16 year old figure skater who couldn’t master the triple loop. Dr. David Grand targeted the moment her jump went awry. Grand engaged her in EMDR therapy. While she tracked his finger crossing her visual field, her eyes wobbled and froze. He instinctively held her gaze at that point. A torrent of trauma material poured out for the next 10 minutes. Despite a year of weekly 90 minute sessions, new memories of maternal abandonment leading to parental divorce as well as countless sports injuries flowed out with intense emotion. Grand was struck by the fact that new material emerged that had not come out in a year of intensive treatment. But Grand was even more struck that issues that had been “resolved” re- emerged and processed through to a deeper level. The next day the young skater performed a flawless triple loop for the first time and she never had the problem again. 

Brainspotting works on the principle that "where you look affects how you feel." While most therapies engage the thinking part of the brain, Brainspotting engages deeper, emotional regions that store trauma. By focusing on specific eye positions, we can access and process these deeper areas, allowing the brain to heal itself. This approach helps people address trauma that might be stuck or unprocessed, leading to profound emotional healing and lasting change.

At its core, Brainspotting creates a safe, guided space for the brain to release and heal trauma, allowing you to move forward with more peace and less emotional baggage.