EMDR vs. IFS: Which Trauma Therapy is Right For You?
EMDR vs. IFS: Which Trauma Therapy is Right For You?
I explore the differences and benefits of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy. Both approaches are effective in trauma treatment, but each has its unique strengths. I delve into how EMDR can help desensitize traumatic memories by engaging both sides of the brain, while IFS offers a more holistic approach, focusing on connecting with your core Self and healing internal parts. Whether you're dealing with trauma, anxiety, or relationship issues, understanding these therapies can help you decide which might be the best fit for your healing journey!
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] EMDR or IFS, which one is right for you? Let's dive in.
[00:00:09] Before we get into today's episode, I want to introduce our sponsor, Jane, a clinic management software and EMR. The team at Jane understands that clocking out from the clinic doesn't always mean you're clocking out for the day. Instead, it's often the start of charting on to the evening. With time saving features like Custom Smart Narratives, Chart Duplication, and Dictation, Jane helps you finish charting your patient or client notes during work hours, not after.
[00:00:33] And to save you even more time, you have access to Jane's chart template library that's fully stocked with pre made templates that have been generously shared by practitioners in the community. You can even customize them further with charting tools like side by side photos, check boxes, and range scales.
[00:00:49] To see how Jane can help you free up your evenings from admin tasks, head to the link in the show notes to book a personalized demo, but if you're ready to get started, you can use the code [00:01:00] John at the time of signup for a one month grace period applied to your new account. EMDR stands for eye movement, desensitization and reprocessing.
[00:01:09] It's basically a brain therapy that helps memories go into long term storage by stimulating both sides of the brain. This was discovered decades ago when the founder was walking through the park and she noticed when she was thinking about something difficult, her eyes went left or right, which happens to mimic REM sleep.
[00:01:27] When your eyes. Go back and forth like this. We know there's something about that that is important for restoring homeostasis. They made the connection between that and memory consolidation and that memory consolidation basically stops when a trauma or an upsetting event is happening. This is how EMDR came to be.
[00:01:47] EMDR is a phase oriented treatment. It's a protocol, so I think of it more like a technique than like a bigger psychotherapy model like IFS. Like I said, EMDR is really good at helping the brain [00:02:00] do what it's trying to do, but what it couldn't finish doing during the trauma. What does EMDR look like? So when you work with an EMDR therapist, they're going to do a lot of history taking preparation, help you create a calm, safe state that you can kind of return to, whether it's with visuals or working with your body, they're going to kind of map out the traumas that you're planning to hit with the EMDR.
[00:02:20] Then when you start a session, they're going to have you focus on a difficult part of the memory. Then they're going to stimulate both sides of the brain with bilateral stimulation. That can be moving the eyes back and forth. with their hand with a light bar, tappers that you hold in your hand, maybe a combination of both.
[00:02:37] You can do auditory bilateral stimulation. You can even tap or do what they call the butterfly hug. And thankfully all this can be done online and the results are generally just as good with online EMDR as they are with in person EMDR, but that's really a preference thing. In my opinion, EMDR is best for kind of taking the sting out of trauma.
[00:02:55] IFS, on the other hand, or internal family systems therapy, I think is a much [00:03:00] more complete model and it's good both for trauma and just for everyday life stuff like anxiety, depression, relationship issues, dealing with perfectionism, etc. And IFS, we basically hold that we have a core self that is characterized by traits like calmness, being centered, connected, creative, courageous, persistent, playful things like this.
[00:03:24] And so basically the idea is that self is the ultimate goal is to access more self or self energy. Self energy is kind of like your heart energy. It's kind of like accessing wisdom and love inside of you and bringing that to parts of you that are hurting or pissed off or perfectionistic, or that really like to drink, et cetera.
[00:03:43] It's one of the most gentle models I've ever encountered in my 15 years as a therapist. It's really like taking a stance on people in general and on humanity, seeing us as parts. That tend to get polarized often because of trauma. And that ultimately we have a core [00:04:00] self that is wise and loving and knowing and that people just get blended or kind of eclipsed by their parts.
[00:04:07] So parts tend to eclipse self. And the goal in IFS is generally to help people access self, in other words, unblending, and then bringing. That self to parts of us that need it different types of parts We have what ifs calls protector parts like parts that are again Perfectionistic or that like to drink or an inner critic part is kind of a classic protector part and then we have exiles Which is kind of like your scared inner child who is stuck and frozen and lost and been kind of isolated Exiled from the system and that the protectors work really hard to protect.
[00:04:38] The whole model starts with us going inside and getting to know these parts and actually communicating with these parts. So rather than just guessing, well, I think my inner critic would say this. We actually get you connected to your inner critic and creating a two way street and a dialogue and a relationship.
[00:04:52] With that part. So again, it's kind of like inner child work, reparenting your inner child, securing a internal attachment so [00:05:00] that your external attachments can also improve and thrive. IFS is really a psycho spiritual model. There's a spiritual component to it, especially with the self energy, with self essence a connection to a greater healing energy that is around us at all times.
[00:05:15] So there is that, that element to it that I personally really like a lot, but it's also not for everybody. There's a lot more to learn about EMDR and IFS, which one is right for you. It depends on your preference. It depends on which of these sounds good. Ideally you would work with a therapist who is really well versed in either or both of these models like myself.
[00:05:34] And you can work together to decide which one is right for you. And it might just be a matter of trying out each one and seeing how it goes. I encourage you to just keep doing your own research like you're doing now. Be your own advocate as a therapy client and make sure you find a therapist where you feel comfortable with them and you feel like the relationship is really good, the vibe is good, and it's a good fit.
[00:05:55] Thanks for listening to another episode of Going Inside. If you enjoyed this episode, please like and [00:06:00] subscribe wherever you're listening or watching, and share your favorite episode with a friend. You can follow me on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok @JohnClarkeTherapy and apply to work with me one-on-one at JohnClarkeTherapy.com.
[00:06:12] See you next time.
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