A deep yet gentle approach to learning what the real problems are and ways to transform them.
Fix the Foundation
Have you ever wondered what was going on beneath the surface? Have you ever wondered why you feel and act the way you do? Is this a common question – “How do I fix it?”
Humans are adaptable. When we are young, we learn to adapt to the environment we’re in. As we age, grow, and enter new and different environments, our old ways of surviving no longer serve us. Some ways we coped with difficult situations during childhood were dysfunctional and some of us grew up in dysfunctional families.
Some of the effects of the dysfunction are now biting us in the butt (or have been for a long time and we are just now ready to deal with ourselves).
Parts work is a way to address what we learned when we were young and to correct the dysfunction. It’s a gentle approach to transforming what we think, feel, and how we behave. Instead of layering on top of the dysfunction and trying to override old automatic thoughts and behaviors, we are working on a bottom-up approach. Fix the foundation!
EMDR and Parts Work Together
At times, within the dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors, there are strong emotions linked to memories (or just body sensations). I may use EMDR to help reduce the intensity of the emotions and sensations. Depending on several factors, we might use EMDR first and then blend in parts work or vice versa.
My training background is in the use of EMDR in combination with Ego State Therapy. I do have some basic Internal Family Systems (IFS) training and will use some of the concepts from IFS from time to time.
I have found that using Ego State Therapy has been instrumental in some cases to “cracking open” the problems and moving towards faster healing.
Ego State Therapy Resources
For more information about Ego State Therapy, here are some links to articles: