Therapy can feel mysterious, especially if you’re just starting. With so many different approaches, like Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), it’s natural to wonder how it all comes together to help people heal. This beginner’s guide will walk you through these therapeutic techniques and how they can bring insight, relief, and growth.
Therapy involves more than just talking about your life; it’s a unique space where you can explore your emotions, thoughts, and experiences with the guidance of a trained professional. It’s a collaborative process, tailored to help you achieve goals like self-understanding, emotional healing, or coping with challenges. Different types of therapy offer various ways to approach these goals, and sometimes a blend of methods, like the ones I use, can be especially effective.
As trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk, in his best-selling book “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma”, describes it:
“We can now develop methods and experiences that utilize the brain’s own natural neuroplasticity to help survivors feel fully alive in the present and move on with their lives. There are fundamentally three avenues: 1) top down, by talking, (re-) connecting with others, and allowing ourselves to know and understand what is going on with us while processing the memories of the trauma; 2) by taking medicines that shut down inappropriate alarm reactions, or by utilizing other technologies that change the way the brain organizes information, and 3) bottom-up: by allowing the body to have experiences that deeply and viscerally contradict the helplessness, rage, or collapse that result from trauma. Which one of these is best for any particular survivor is an empirical question. Most people I have worked with require a combination.”
This quote provides a valuable framework for understanding how different therapy types work together to address healing. Let us dive into each one.
Have you ever felt like you have conflicting parts of yourself? Maybe one part wants you to take a risk, while another feels scared and holds you back. IFS is an approach that views the mind as made up of different “parts” with their feelings, beliefs, and motivations.
How It Works: In IFS, we identify these parts and work on understanding their roles. Some parts might be protectors, trying to keep you safe, while others may carry pain from past experiences. Together, we can help each part find a healthier role and build a more compassionate relationship with ourselves. This process fosters “Self-energy,” a calm, wise, and compassionate part of you that can lead and heal your inner system.
Who It’s For: IFS can be especially helpful if you experience inner conflict, struggle with self-criticism, or feel that certain parts of you are “stuck” in old patterns. You can find inner balance and peace by learning to understand and work with these parts.
Emotions don’t just live in our minds; they’re also stored in our bodies. Somatic therapy connects mind and body, helping you release emotions and stress that might be trapped physically. This approach involves noticing sensations and tuning into your body’s natural responses.
How It Works: Somatic therapy may involve guided breathing, grounding exercises, or gentle movement to help you notice and work with body sensations. It’s about becoming more attuned to your body’s signals and learning how to regulate your nervous system. This can be especially valuable for people who have experienced trauma or chronic stress, as the body often holds onto these experiences in ways we may not fully realize.
Who It’s For: If you feel anxious, disconnected, or overwhelmed, somatic therapy can help. By grounding yourself and working through physical responses, you can process emotions and learn techniques for calming and centering yourself in the moment.
EMDR is a structured therapy designed to help people process traumatic memories and reduce the distress they cause. Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR uses guided eye movements or tapping to help reprocess memories.
How It Works: EMDR involves recalling a painful memory while following specific eye movements or receiving bilateral stimulation, such as tapping. This process helps “unstick” memories frozen in time, allowing the brain to process them in a way that reduces their emotional impact. EMDR doesn’t make you forget; instead, it allows you to feel differently about past experiences.
Who It’s For: EMDR is especially effective for people dealing with trauma, but it can also help those who struggle with anxiety, phobias, or difficult life experiences. It’s an evidence-based approach that can provide relief relatively quickly, often within a few sessions.
Emotions are at the heart of how we experience life, and EFT is an approach that helps clients understand, process, and express their emotions fully. EFT allows clients to explore deep feelings in a safe, supportive way to foster self-acceptance and connection.
How It Works: EFT often involves exploring your current emotional experiences and looking at underlying feelings that may not be immediately visible. You gain insight into how emotions shape relationships and self-perception through guided exercises. This deep emotional processing can help you feel more connected to yourself and others.
Who It’s For: EFT is beneficial for individuals who have difficulty managing or understanding their emotions and those working through relational issues. By getting to the heart of emotional experiences, EFT can bring clarity and healing to past and present challenges.
I use an integrative approach in my practice, combining IFS, Somatic Therapy, EMDR, and EFT based on each client’s needs. These methods complement each other well—IFS helps you understand your internal landscape, Somatic Therapy grounds you in your body, EMDR allows you to process and reframe difficult memories, and EFT helps you fully experience and make sense of your emotions.
For example, a session might begin with somatic grounding techniques to help you feel present. From there, we might explore inner parts using IFS, noticing where you feel these parts in your body, and, if a traumatic memory arises, work with EMDR to help process and release it. EFT might be woven in to help you fully understand and process the emotions connected to these parts and memories.
Starting therapy can feel intimidating, but it’s truly a courageous and positive step toward growth. Remember, you don’t have to have everything figured out before coming to therapy. Our work together will be about uncovering the path that’s right for you.
If you’re curious to learn more about any of these methods or wonder if therapy could be right for you, reach out! Therapy is a personal journey, and finding an approach that feels comfortable and effective for you can make all the difference.
Therapy isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience, and every journey is unique. Whether you’re looking for deeper self-understanding, relief from distress, or tools to manage life’s challenges, there’s a therapeutic path that can help.
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