IFS & Somatic Therapy

Sometimes we understand why we feel or behave a certain way and still find ourselves repeating the same patterns. We may react more strongly than we want to, become overwhelmed, shut down, or find that insight alone hasn’t been enough to create lasting change.
 

Internal Family Systems (IFS) offers a compassionate way of understanding these patterns. IFS recognizes that we all have different “parts” of ourselves—parts that protect us, parts that carry painful experiences, and parts that may sometimes seem to be in conflict with one another. Rather than trying to get rid of these responses, we become curious about what they are protecting and help create new possibilities for how we respond.
 

Somatic therapy brings attention to another important part of our experience: the body. Trauma and chronic stress can shape not only how we think and feel, but how our bodies respond to the world around us. By noticing physical sensations and patterns of activation or shutdown, we can begin to recognize what happens inside us when we feel overwhelmed, threatened, or disconnected—and develop greater capacity for regulation, safety, and connection.
 

Together, these approaches allow us to work with longstanding patterns and the effects of trauma in ways that go beyond insight alone.
 

My approach integrates IFS, somatic and polyvagal-informed therapy, and EMDR, drawing on over 20 years of clinical experience in trauma treatment. I am IFS Level 1 trained, and I tailor our work to each person, always respecting their pace and what feels manageable.