ONLINE THERAPY IN WASHINGTON STATE & California

EMDR Therapy

Blending Internal Family Systems (IFS) & Somatic Experiencing (SE)

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What Is Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy?

  • A structured/manualized therapy that encourages the patient to briefly focus on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories.

  • Helpful for anxiety, phobias, and PTSD, but the evidence based is most helpful for PTSD and trauma.

  • Second line treatment for PTSD. First time is PE or CPT, which means the evidence based suggests this is most helpful and is widely studied for PTSD treatment.

What Does EMDR Help With?

  • PTSD and single incident traumas

  • Adverse life experiences and childhood traumas and neglects

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Addiction and substance use

  • Eating disorders

In my practice, I use EMDR for PTSD, childhood trauma & neglect, anxiety, and depression.

There are other therapists who can help you with addiction, substance use, and eating disorders using EMDR.

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Benefits of EMDR

  1. Short-term (for single incident trauma like a car accident or sexual assault/rape); about 14-16 weeks of treatment.

    1. Longer for complex/development/childhood traumas and neglect.

  2. No homework assigned outside of session

    1. Other modalities like CPT requires journaling/writing outside of session

  3. Less verbal processing compared to other modalities like CPT

  4. Can be blended or integrated with other modalities like somatic therapies, IFS, ego states, etc.

  5. Can be helpful for clients where CPT or PE hasn’t worked effectively prior.

Difficulties & Risks With EMDR

  1. Therapists who do not have adequate training to adapt treatment for clients with dissociation and/or complex traumas. They can invalidate you and/or push you too far outside of your window of tolerance.

  2. Those who tend to dissociate often and have structural dissociation must learn to connect to their bodies, sensations, and emotions before engaging in BLS with EMDR, as this can create adverse reactions like feeling all emotions, sensations, or remembering experiences all at once which can be terrifying and overwhelming.

    Those with a history of complex traumas and have protective parts where EMDR processing stalls and plateaus.

  3. Emotional flooding and feeling overwhelmed

  4. Nightmares and sleep issues/disturbances

  5. Therapy hangover and fatigue

  6. Irritability and emotional changes

What to Expect With EMDR With Me

  1. Takes adequate skills/tools and preparation.

    • One foot in the past, and one foot in the present.

    • Ability to self soothe and regulate emotions when overwhelmed

    • Some clients need more attachment focused skills/tools rather than general skills/tools due to childhood traumas and neglect

    • Strong therapeutic relationship where you can tell your therapist your dislikes and likes (e.g. “I need to stop processing. I’m overwhelmed right now and need to use my container”)

  2. Not a quick fix. It’s just another tool for trauma processing and healing.

    • There are many ways to heal from trauma. EMDR is one way. It may work for you. It may not.

  3. Takes time and patience.

    • Slow is the fastest way to healing.

    • Pushing through processing without adequate skills and preparation is a recipe for disaster.

  4. Complex, contextual, and requires adaption and flexibility

    1. Depends on the client and where you’re at

      1. Have you tried EMDR prior? Was it helpful? Harmful? What occurred? What didn’t occur?

    2. Depends on the client and what you need

      1. Some clients need a lot of skills and tools

      2. Some clients need to build a strong relationship and this takes longer due to past history of mistrust, lack of control, and/or powerlessness

    3. We might take a break from EMDR processing

  5. Normalizing what comes up

    1. Most of my clients have complex trauma so traditional EMDR won’t be effective and needs to be adapted

    2. This might mean: 1) Protective parts (e.g. fear, anger, grief, thinking, self-like parts, manager parts) coming up during BLS preventing processing, 2) Not knowing, being vague, and dissociating at times, 3) Fear of healing and getting rid of parts that have helped you survive (e.g. secondary gains), 4) Trauma repetition/compulsion and the Karpman triangle roles (e.g. rescuer, victim, persecutor)

EMDR with IFS & SE

  • EMDR helps with reprocessing certain memories, experiences, and events using bilateral stimulation (BLS) such as eye movements, tapping, or hand buzzers which reduces the intensity of the traumatic experiences/events.

    IFS helps with protective parts that usually carry fear, guilt, and shame that may prevent EMDR processing

    • A thinking or self-like part may come out wanting to understand what is happening all the time

    • A part holding shame may be fearful of being rid of after a lifetime of helping you survive

  • SE helps with the sensations and physiological responses that may get stuck or incomplete due to trauma.

    • This could include: fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and fright.

    • Feeling frozen or shutting down

    • Wanting to run out the door and flighting

Common Changes With EMDR Therapy

✔️ Decrease rigid and unhelpful beliefs like “I am bad” or “I am responsible for everything and everyone”

✔️ Decreased levels of Shame and greater ability to notice when Shame is in the room/present

✔️ Learn practical skills and tools to manage overwhelm and stress

✔️ Become more comfortable in your body (safety, power, control)

✔️ Increased self esteem and self-efficacy (e.g. greater ability to talk in front of others, less social anxiety, confidence, starting a business, switching jobs)

✔️ Increased knowledge and awareness of one’s limits and personal needs (e.g. saying no when you don’t like something, saying yes when you want to do something)

✔️ Increased motivation

✔️ Greater ability to notice effects on others (e.g. less sarcastic, more honest, more kind)

✔️ Increased self awareness and insight (why I do what I do)

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Healing Is Possible

There is hope.

I am an EMDR basic trained therapist (not EMDR certified).

I’ve also completed advanced trainings and consultation in EMDR with complex trauma, attachment issues, and multicultural issues.

I enjoy working with survivors of childhood trauma, emotional neglect, grief, and attachment/developmental trauma.

I’ve worked with many survivors of childhood, attachment, and developmental trauma who now have more peace, joy, freedom in their lives.

I work with survivors of trauma who are now parents who want to parent healthier children and break the cycle of trauma.

I work with therapists and social workers who are wounded healers.

I work with professionals who feel exhausted, overwhelmed, burnt out, and want to take better care of themselves.

Reach out today to schedule a consultation.

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Still Have Questions?

    • Click here for referrals from EMDRIA

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  • Yes, but it needs to be modified for the client and where they’re at.

  • IFS Informed

    Those who take our online courses in the IFS Learning Hub, attend our annual conferences, or participate in workshops from IFS Trainers, may represent this level of education by saying they are IFS Informed. This means you may take on an IFS lens in your work; while this is not what an IFS Trained or Certified therapist would do, it brings an awareness of the multi-mind model to one's discipline as scope of practice allows. This may be through your own inner exploration or by supporting others to build an awareness that their mind is naturally multiple.

    Examples may include helping others build relationships with parts, embody the 8 C's of Self-leadership, and/or map their inner worlds.

    Within the IFS Informed designation, those who have explored advanced applications of the model by participating our Continuity Programs will have a more substantial basis for IFS work than those who have attended a conference, workshop, or taken the Online Circle alone.

    IFS Trained

    To label oneself an IFS Trained therapist or practitioner, graduating from Level 1 Training is required at a minimum.

    Full use of the model, including all components and steps of the unburdening process, is taught in Level 1 Training with up to 100 hours of supervised experience from Lead Trainers to help guide you through the process.

    Completion of Level 1 Training also allows you to apply for Level 2 and Level 3 Trainings and/or serve as a Level 1 Program Assistant. Level 1 graduates may also choose to be listed in the IFS Institute Provider Directory and register their candidacy for IFS Certification, if desired.

    IFS Certified

    IFS Certification is a multi-step, multi-year process with a number of prerequisites. You can view the entire Certification path and policy on our website.

    IFS Certified therapists and practitioners have certain rights and responsibilities of use over IFS Intellectual Property within the framework of IFSI's policies and with respect to IFSI's trademarks.

    Those who are IFS Certified may embark on a path toward becoming Approved IFS Clinical Consultants or Trainers. For additional information visit: https://ifs-institute.com/trainings/ifs-certification

    • Some clients benefit from brief therapy (1-4 sessions) or short-term therapy (3-6 months) for a single issue.

    • Other clients benefit from long-term therapy (6-12 months+) for more complex issues.

    • We’ll end therapy when your goals have been met, your symptoms have decreased, you want space and time to integrate your learning, and/or at anytime you feel therapy isn’t helpful.

    • Some folks also like to pause and take a break, coming back when necessary.

  • I have 5 years of mental health therapy experience and 7 years of social services experience.

    The bulk of my training and experience has been in the realm and intersections of trauma, relationships, and culture.

  • You might cry. Many people do. And it's completely okay.

    Crying is a normal, helpful, and natural way for our bodies to release pent-up emotions. Crying is a way to let go of the pain, sadness, or frustration you may be carrying inside.

    By crying, you're actually taking a positive step towards healing.

    Or you might not cry. And that’s okay too.

  • While it's possible to work on your own personal healing, therapy offers different benefits that may be difficult to achieve on your own.

    Talking to a friend, reading self-help books, journaling, and scrolling through TikTok and Instagram are all tools. Therapy is another tool.

    Therapists provide:

    • Accountability

    • Support

    • An objective perspective

    • Structure

    • Confidentiality

    • Expertise, skills, and training

    However, some people never go to therapy and live full and complete lives.

    Therapy is only one way, but not the only way, toward healing, growth, and transformation.

    You get to decide if therapy will be an effective and useful tool on your healing journey.

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Start EMDR Therapy Today

Beginning therapy is the hardest step.

I’m here to make it as easy as possible.

I offer in person therapy in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood Mondays - Thursdays.

I also offer online therapy for residents of California living in Los Angeles as well as the San Francisco Bay Area.

SCHEDULE YOUR first session