EMDR + IFS Therapy
What Is EMDR Therapy?
When we experience something traumatic, the way the brain processes the memory can get disrupted, causing it to remain more accessible and, therefore, more distressful and emotionally intense. When flashbacks occur, we feel like we are reliving the event. This vivid recollection of the memory causes our nervous system to trigger the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response to protect us.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a technique that helps us address these troubling memories by engaging both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously. This process—known as bilateral stimulation—allows the memory that’s gotten stuck to shift into the long-term memory bank, where it is no longer as accessible.
Since psychologist Francine Shapiro initially developed this breakthrough therapy in the 1980s, EMDR therapy is now practiced worldwide and recognized as a successful treatment for Post-Traumatic
What Is IFS Therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a powerful, evidence-based approach that helps you understand and heal the different "parts" of yourself. These parts often develop as a way to protect you from pain or past experiences, but they can sometimes create inner conflict or distress. IFS therapy views the Self as inherently wise and capable of leading the healing process. By building a compassionate relationship with your parts, you can release burdens, reduce emotional suffering, and restore balance. Unlike traditional talk therapy, IFS therapy fosters deep self-awareness and healing by allowing all parts to feel seen and understood.
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What EMDR Therapy Sessions Look Like
“EMDR is an eight-phase treatment method that includes history taking, client preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation.” [2] In the desensitization phase, the client will focus on a target memory identified as a source of trauma or fear. While they simultaneously engage in bilateral stimulation—through eye movements, cross-lateral finger tapping, hand pulsators, or binaural sounds—both hemispheres of the brain will be activated, thus easing the way traumatic memories are stored. By mimicking R.E.M. sleep, eye movement therapy helps the memory become unstuck and get filed into the part of the brain where it no longer feels as though the client is reliving the past.
Before starting EMDR, the client and therapist will build rapport and establish trust. Throughout sessions, clients will have a dual awareness of past and present. If their body reacts as if they are reliving the memory when undergoing EMDR, the counselor will remind them that they are safe and instruct them in grounding techniques to help them stay present. By developing attunement with their client, the therapist can adjust the tempo of bilateral stimulation to ensure sessions don’t become too overwhelming.
What IFS Therapy Sessions Look Like
In an IFS therapy session, we work together to identify and explore the parts of you that hold pain, fear, or limiting beliefs. Rather than trying to get rid of these parts, we approach them with curiosity and compassion. Sessions involve guided self-inquiry, mindfulness, and visualization techniques to help you access your Self—your calm, confident, and compassionate core. IFS therapy can be seamlessly integrated with EMDR therapy, where we engage protective parts before processing trauma, ensuring a gentler and more effective healing experience. Sessions are client-led, meaning you move at a pace that feels safe and right for you. The goal is to unburden parts weighed down by past experiences and create more internal harmony.
Who Can Benefit From EMDR Therapy?
EMDR therapy can effectively treat adults of all ages who suffer from trauma related to early childhood experiences, such as bullying or physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) associated with war veterans and first responders. Incorporating EMDR into therapy can also help address the underlying fears associated with anxiety disorders—such as panic attacks, phobias, and social anxiety—along with grief, religious trauma, and disturbing memories that cause depression.
After completing EMDR therapy, clients often report a significant reduction in unpleasant emotions such as shame, fear, sadness, and anger, in addition to decreasing the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Further, somatic symptoms associated with trauma—such as muscle tension, headaches, and stomach upset—usually recede after EMDR counseling.
With EMDR, negatively held beliefs that have impacted a client’s sense of self can shift to healthier core beliefs. Examples include “I'm not good enough" shifting to "I'm fine as I am", “I'm unlovable” shifting to “I am worthy of love”, or “I’m not safe” to “I am safe now”. Once a traumatic memory is neutralized and no longer causing distress, clients can gain a healthier perspective that fosters self-compassion and a more hopeful outlook on life.
As an evidence-based treatment commonly practiced worldwide, EMDR therapy is endorsed by mental health organizations such as The World Health Organization, The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, The American Psychiatric Association, and The American Psychological Association [3]. According to the EMDR institute, 84-90 percent of single-trauma victims no longer have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after only three 90-minute therapy sessions. [4]
Who Can Benefit From IFS Therapy?
IFS therapy is beneficial for anyone struggling with anxiety, trauma, PTSD, depression, self-criticism, or emotional overwhelm. It is particularly helpful for those who feel stuck in patterns of self-sabotage, struggle with inner conflict, or experience difficulty setting boundaries. If you find yourself reacting in ways that don’t align with your values or desires, IFS therapy can help you understand why and create meaningful change. This approach is also ideal for individuals who have experienced relational trauma, childhood wounds, or chronic stress. By integrating IFS therapy with EMDR therapy, we can ensure that protective parts feel safe before processing traumatic memories, leading to deeper and lasting healing. Whether you are navigating grief, identity struggles, or relationship challenges, IFS therapy can provide a path to self-acceptance and emotional relief.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is recognized as an evidence-based practice with growing research supporting its effectiveness. The National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) has acknowledged IFS for its positive impact on mental health outcomes. Studies have demonstrated that IFS helps reduce symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other trauma-related conditions. Research published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma has highlighted how IFS fosters emotional regulation and resilience. Additionally, IFS is increasingly integrated into clinical settings, showing promising results in improving self-compassion and reducing internal conflict. As an evidence-based treatment commonly practiced worldwide, IFS therapy is endorsed by mental health organizations such as the National Center for PTSD, the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). By addressing the underlying emotional burdens of protective and wounded parts, IFS provides lasting healing. Its effectiveness, combined with EMDR, makes it a powerful approach for trauma recovery and personal transformation.
Why IFS and EMDR Therapy Work So Well Together?
IFS therapy and EMDR therapy complement each other beautifully because they both honor the mind’s natural healing process. EMDR therapy is highly effective at processing traumatic memories, but when protective parts resist reprocessing, it can feel overwhelming. IFS therapy helps by building trust with these parts first, ensuring that they feel safe and heard before engaging in EMDR’s bilateral stimulation. This collaboration reduces resistance, making EMDR therapy more effective and less distressing.
With IFS therapy, we identify and work with protective parts before activating painful memories, preventing emotional flooding. Instead of pushing through defenses, we invite these parts to collaborate, creating a sense of safety and empowerment. As a result, EMDR therapy becomes a smoother and more integrated process, leading to deep and lasting healing. This combined approach is especially useful for those with complex trauma, dissociation, or strong self-protective mechanisms. By merging IFS therapy and EMDR therapy, we honor your system’s pace, making trauma processing not just effective but also compassionate and transformative.
Why I Love EMDR + IFS Therapy
I fell in love with EMDR therapy and IFS therapy at a time when I was struggling with intrusive memories from the past. EMDR treatment combined with IFS treatment was transformative for me. Ever since, I have been passionate about providing the same healing to my clients that I experienced. As an EMDR-certified therapist and IFS therapist, I have been helping individuals since 2016 and have extensive experience using rapid eye movement therapy with parts work. I currently use RemotEMDR, the leading platform for online EMDR therapy. Utilizing this interactive platform makes online EMDR counseling and IFS counseling just as effective as in-person sessions.
Witnessing the positive changes my clients have made with EMDR therapy and IFS therapy has been so rewarding. They often report that after EMDR counseling and IFS counseling, the targeted memory feels more distant and less distressful and clients have a better relationship with their own protective parts. By diminishing the impact these traumatic memories have on their physical and mental health, clients can improve daily function and foster their resilience. Addressing deep-seated phobias allows them to overcome fears that may have sidelined them for years, such as driving or flying.
For clients who have hit a wall in traditional talk therapy and are looking for a different approach, EMDR and IFS allows the brain to tap into its natural ability to heal itself. What’s more, for those who would prefer not to verbalize the details of their trauma to their therapist, EMDR and IFS can be just as effective. As long as they can access the memory internally, they need only share what they feel comfortable disclosing.
In my experience, a holistic and collaborative approach that integrates physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being—by incorporating other practices such as expressive arts, hobbies, social sports, acupuncture, meditation, yoga, or tai chi—is the key to client success. Further, I often collaborate with other providers—such as psychiatrists, nutritionists, primary physicians, other therapists, and/or life coaches—to ensure my clients receive optimal, coordinated care at no extra cost.
Find Out How EMDR Therapy and IFS Therapy Can Help You
Trauma doesn’t have to negatively impact the rest of your life. If you would like to find out more about online EMDR therapy and IFS therapy with me, please call 720-935-1702 or visit my contact page to set up a free 15-minute consultation today. For your convenience, my services are all online.
[1] https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/recent-research-about-emdr/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3122545/
[3] https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/recent-research-about-emdr/
[4] https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/
