How Does Therapy Heal?

Our brains contains nerve cells called neurons. Neurons send information throughout different areas of the brain, the spinal cord and the entire body, acting as the “information messengers” of the nervous system. Each time a group of neurons fire together, we strength the experience and strengthen that neural network (messaging system) in the brain. So for example, if we live in trauma or are reliving the trauma all the time, we’re reinforcing the trauma networks in the brain, essentially strengthening the trauma network. Because of this, I won’t ask you to describe your trauma in detail or play out the trauma, as we do not want these neural networks to be reinforced and get strong.

Instead, we will take advantage of something called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to form and organize new connections in the brain. These same neurons fire when we have new experiences! When we live in new ways, we reinforce the new networks in the and even grow new neurons (neurogenesis). We can reinforce neural networks that are not related to the trauma (ones related to compassion, comfort and safety instead), grow new neurons related to health, and rewire the existing neural networks of trauma and reorganize them into a healthier form.

With EMDR and IFS, we deconstruct the neural networks related to trauma and reconstruct new neural pathways in the brain to promote mental health! We believe in EMDR that using very fast bilateral stimulation (bilateral meaning across both sides of the body) and going into a traumatic memory, that we are taking apart the network around trauma and creating a new network around health. In IFS, we use body sensations to identify the network related to the trauma or wound, identify how the different protective mechanisms are serving to help, and create new neuropathways around the compassion, attunement and understanding.