Good Nature

In either of those cases above, here’s a part of the issue. Our modern culture is very cognitive based. Our society tells us that the mind and body are separate things, and that mental health is a mind issue. Hence why mind based therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are so popular, and sometimes the “default” training in therapy graduate training programs.

 

The reality is the mind and body are very much connected. Not only does the body store our emotions, but it also stores what is called “implicit memory”, or body memory. A simple example we talk about in society is muscle memory- when you learn to ride a bike or dance moves to a certain song, our bodies remember what do to with a bike or that song even years later. To go with a metaphor here, our bodies are like a hard drive, storing data from all the way back to our prenatal development, and much of this data is considered unconscious memory (in other words, memory we can’t consciously recall). Cognitive or mind based therapy work can only treat what we consciously remember, which is extremely limited in comparison to our vast unconscious memory.

 

So in come therapy modalities that can actually tap into this mind-body connection. Between the two of us, we offer three different modalities that can help you do the deeper work- Compassionate Inquiry, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems:

 

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What is Compassionate Inquiry?

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Compassionate Inquiry (CI) is a dynamic somatic approach to therapy based on the work of Dr. Gabor Maté. This approach helps get to the root of mental health concerns by exploring how our current distressing perceptions are connected to unprocessed trauma stored in the body, and how childhood wounding continues to show up in our adult life. CI is influenced by other major therapy modalities and psychological theories, including but not limited to: Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, Attachment Theory, Polyvagal Theory, and Interpersonal Neurobiology.

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Both Angela and Rae offer CI sessions. Angela is certified in CI and Rae is fully trained.

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What is EMDR?

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EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a type of therapy used to help people heal from trauma and PTSD symptoms by focusing on traumatic memories while using bilateral stimulation (usually through eye movements or tapping). The use of bilateral stimulation accesses a part of the brain that cannot typically be accessed through traditional talk therapy. EMDR can reduce vividness of the traumatic memories being reprocessed.

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Rae offers EMDR sessions and is fully trained through the Institute for Creative Mindfulness.

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What is Internal Family Systems?

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Internal Family Systems (IFS), also known as parts work, is a therapy modality that moves away from the idea of "mono-mind", or the idea that the mind is just one entity. Instead, IFS sees our nervous systems as dynamic systems that hold multiple subpersonalities, or parts, that each have their own unique qualities and needs. Some examples of parts include professional parts, inner children, parts that seek substances for relief, the inner critic, and people pleasing parts. IFS can help reduce internal conflict (such as a conflict between a part that still wants to get high and a part that wants to get sober), release trauma stored by wounded parts, and move towards internal harmony.

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Angela offers IFS sessions and is Level 1 trained through the IFS Institute.

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All three of these modalities can help you access deeper memories or parts of yourself that you haven’t been able to access consciously. If you have any more questions about these modalities, please feel free to ask us! As a review, Angela offers Compassionate inquiry and IFS, and Rae offers Compassionate Inquiry and EMDR.