EMDR has been researched extensively since the late 1980s and is recognized as an evidence-based treatment for trauma by the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It is not a trend. For many people, particularly those who have tried talk therapy without lasting results, EMDR creates changes that feel genuinely different — not just insight, but relief.

No. This surprises a lot of people. EMDR does not require you to narrate your trauma in detail or relive it out loud. You will identify memories and notice what comes up in your body and mind, but the processing happens internally. Many clients find this is exactly what makes EMDR feel safer than talk therapy — you are not asked to perform your pain.

This is one of the most important questions to ask, and the fact that you’re asking it tells me something good about your self-awareness. EMDR is a structured protocol with built-in safety measures. Before any trauma processing begins, we spend time building your capacity to stay grounded when difficult material comes up. If you feel overwhelmed during a session, we slow down or stop. You are always in control of the pace.

Some people notice that emotions or memories feel more present between sessions, especially early in the process. This is normal and usually means the reprocessing is active. It is not a sign that something has gone wrong. We talk about this before we begin so you know what to expect, and you will have grounding tools to use between appointments.

Yes. Not everyone has clear, named memories of what happened to them. Trauma often lives in the body as sensations, reactions, and patterns rather than explicit recollection. EMDR can work with what your nervous system holds even when your conscious memory is incomplete. You do not need a clear storyline to heal.

It depends on what you’re carrying and how complex your history is. A single, more contained traumatic event may respond in fewer sessions. Complex or developmental trauma — the kind that built up over years of childhood — typically takes longer. Most clients begin to notice meaningful shifts within the first several months. We assess progress together regularly so you always know where you are in the process.

Yes, with the right preparation. Complex trauma requires a slower, more careful approach than single-incident trauma. A significant portion of our early work together focuses on stabilization — building your capacity to process difficult material without becoming destabilized. This phase is not a delay. It is the foundation that makes everything else possible.

You can receive both, woven together based on what is most useful in a given session. EMDR is particularly effective for processing specific traumatic memories. IFS helps you understand and build compassion for the parts of you that formed around those experiences. They work well together — EMDR clears the charge from the memory; IFS helps you make sense of who you became in response to it.

IFS is built on the idea that the mind is naturally multiple.  We all have different parts of ourselves that carry different feelings, beliefs, and roles. You might recognize a part that works constantly to keep everything under control, or a part that shuts down when things get hard, or a part that is deeply critical of everything you do. These parts are not problems. They developed for good reasons, usually to protect you from pain. IFS helps you get to know them with curiosity instead of shame.

In IFS, the Self is the calm, compassionate core that exists in every person — the part of you that can witness your own experience without being consumed by it. Trauma and difficult life experiences can cause parts to take over so completely that you lose access to that grounded center. A significant part of IFS work is helping you reconnect with your Self so you can lead your own healing rather than being pulled in different directions by parts that are still fighting old battles.

Yes, and this is one of the places where IFS does some of its most important work. That feeling – that you are broken, defective, or too much — is almost always carried by a part, not a fact. It developed for a reason, often because someone in your early life communicated that message directly or indirectly. IFS helps you find that part, understand where it came from, and gradually release the burden it has been carrying. Most clients find that feeling shifts significantly over time.

IFS is effective for a wide range of experiences including anxiety, depression, shame, relationship patterns, and identity struggles – most of which, on closer examination, have roots in earlier painful experiences. If you live with anxiety, there is almost certainly a part working very hard to protect you from something. IFS helps you understand what that part is afraid of and what it needs, which tends to be more lasting than trying to manage symptoms alone.