Feeling stuck despite years of talk therapy? Discover how EMDR, IFS, and somatic therapy help heal trauma, anxiety, and attachment wounds across Colorado.
Many people come to therapy after years of trying to “think” or “talk” or “insight” their way out of anxiety, trauma, depression, relationship struggles, parenting, or intrusive thoughts.
They’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, practiced positive thinking, have all the insight, understand why they feel the way they do and even know how they want to feel, show up, behave, and choose and yet it all still feels stuck.
That’s because lasting healing isn’t only about insight.
It’s also about helping your brain, body, and nervous system experience something different. We need to have embodied, felt safety to actually implement the insight and the changes we want to make.
This is why I integrate EMDR therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapy, and attachment-focused therapy.
Together, these therapies help us work with your thoughts, emotions, body, relationships, parts, memories, and nervous system so change doesn’t just make sense intellectually-it begins to feel true and become true. Even in beautiful Colorado, we still need help getting to those changes we want in our lives. I’d love to work with you to achieve those goals you’ve so carefully outlined.
People often ask me which therapy works best.
The answer depends on your whole self.
Rather than fitting you into one therapy model, I tailor treatment to your unique goals, experiences, and nervous system.
Sometimes we might use EMDR to process a painful memory. Sometimes a part of you might not feel safe enough to fully let go.
Sometimes we spend time getting to know protective parts through IFS.
Other sessions may focus on helping your body regulate through somatic techniques or exploring how attachment experiences continue influencing current relationships.
Usually, as each session unfolds we will weave in as we go because we follow your own nervous system and what each part of you needs.
These approaches complement one another beautifully because they address healing from multiple directions.
Instead of simply managing symptoms and piling on more coping tools that are more band-aids than deep healing, we work toward understanding and changing the underlying patterns keeping you stuck.
One of the questions I hear most often is:
“Do you use EMDR or Internal Family Systems or somatic or ?”
My answer is usually…
All of the Above.
Along with somatic therapy and attachment-focused work.
Because healing isn’t one-dimensional.
Sometimes your thoughts understand you’re safe…
…while your body still feels like danger is around every corner.
Sometimes your nervous system begins settling…
…but a protective part of you still believes you have to stay perfect, hypervigilant, or hyper independent to be loved. Or we can’t fully let go of that hypervigilance because it’s not safe.
Other times we’ve identified where a pattern began…
…but your brain hasn’t fully processed the experience yet and a part of you doesn’t believe it’s over.
Each therapy offers something different.
Together, they help create lasting change.
No matter what issues are bringing you to therapy, together we can find the path forward. Even the day to day in our lives can be incredibly difficult. Overwhelm can come from so many places along with depression, anxiety, loss and the events in our communities. Often times we are also struggling with past trauma or patterns we’ve noticed in our lives and it feels as if we are barely getting through the day. We may spend a lot of time trying to avoid uncomfortable feelings or thoughts in an attempt to feel better, but despite the effort, it’s not working the way we want.
Therapy provides a safe, accepting, non-judgmental place to explore these issues and make desired changes.
Together we can find that balance, reduce stress, feel empowered, process past trauma and find more joy. I use a variety of different techniques that may be different from other therapy you’ve had in the past that clients have described as healing and transformative. Explore some of those techniques here and on the following pages.
I provide virtual therapy for trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions and other issues for people in Colorado. EMDR, IFS and Somatic therapy for trauma, anxiety and depression can make a difference. Call now to find out more!
One of the things I love most about Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is how quickly it helps people stop feeling like they’re “too much” or somehow doing life wrong.
Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” we begin asking a different question:
“What part of me is showing up right now?”
Maybe part of you wants to go to bed early…
…while another part suddenly decides tonight is the perfect night to reorganize the pantry.
Maybe one part knows you deserve better in a relationship…
…while another part is terrified of leaving.
Or maybe one part wants to ask for help…
…while another insists, “I’ll just do it myself.”
If you’ve ever felt pulled in two directions or more at once, you’ve already experienced what IFS calls parts.
We all have them.
Some parts worry.
Some criticize.
Some overthink.
Some people-please.
Some procrastinate.
Some work incredibly hard to be as independent as possible.
Some want to throw a tantrum and scream in rage and overwhelm.
The beautiful thing about IFS is that it assumes these parts aren’t trying to make your life harder.
Most of them are trying to protect you in the only ways they know how.
Rather than fighting those parts or trying to silence them, we get curious about them.
As they begin to feel heard, they often don’t have to work quite so hard anymore.
I often combine Internal Family Systems with EMDR, somatic therapy, attachment work, and nervous system regulation because understanding why a part developed is only one piece of healing. We also want your brain and body to experience that the danger has passed.
If you’re curious about how Internal Family Systems works, what happens during sessions, and why so many people find it surprisingly compassionate and like a whole new way of living, I’ve written a much more detailed guide below.
We all have different parts of ourselves even if we haven’t thought of ourselves this way. If you’ve ever wanted to relax on the couch and watch a show but also another part of you chimes in that you have other things you should or could be doing, you have discovered two parts of yourself just in that one scenario.
If you have ever thought:
“Part of me knows I will feel better if I go to book club and socialize … and another part of me wants to stay home in my jammies and eat ice-cream”
Or maybe you’ve caught yourself saying:
Congratulations—you’ve already met some of your parts.
We all have them.
Internal Family Systems (IFS), sometimes called parts work, is based on the idea that our minds naturally contain different parts with different ideas about how things should be done or what would benefit us and often have different jobs. That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you or that you have multiple personality disorder. It’s simply one of the ways human beings organize experiences, especially when life has been stressful, painful, or overwhelming.
Some parts are planners.
Some worry.
Some criticize.
Some avoid.
Some people-please.
Some want to curl up under a blanket forever.
And some desperately want to try something new.
Usually, they’re all trying to help in the best way they know how.
One of my favorite ways to explain IFS is to imagine you’re in a boat with a whole crew.
Everyone wants to reach the shore.
The problem is that everyone has a different opinion about how to get there.
One crew member is yelling,
“Paddle faster!”
Another is shouting,
“Turn around and go that way!”
Someone else is convinced the safest option is to stop moving altogether and let the current guide the boat.
Meanwhile another crew member is quietly wondering if everyone would just calm down for five minutes.
For many people, anxiety, overthinking, perfectionism, procrastination, people pleasing, or feeling frozen can feel exactly like this—different parts pulling in different directions at the same time.
Therapy isn’t about throwing anyone overboard.
It’s about helping you become the steady captain of the boat.
Instead of one frightened or protective part grabbing the wheel every time life gets difficult, we help all of the crew members feel heard so they don’t have to shout quite so loudly.
One of the biggest shifts people experience in IFS therapy is realizing that even the parts they dislike usually have good intentions.
Your inner critic may believe it’s protecting you from rejection.
The part that keeps replaying conversations might be trying to prevent you from making the same mistake again.
The people-pleasing part may have learned long ago that keeping everyone happy helped you stay connected.
The perfectionist may believe mistakes aren’t safe.
The anxious part might simply be trying to prepare you for every possible outcome.
The depressed part may be helping to decrease hope so that when disappointment comes the fall isn’t as bad.
When we begin to understand why these parts developed, they often make a lot more sense.
That doesn’t mean we want them running the show forever.
But fighting them usually isn’t what helps them soften.
Curiosity often works much better than criticism.
Many people come to therapy hoping to get rid of their anxiety, silence their inner critic, or stop overthinking.
IFS takes a different approach.
Instead of asking,
“How do I make this part disappear?”
we become curious.
What is this part afraid would happen if it stopped doing its job?
What is it trying to protect?
How long has it been carrying this responsibility?
As these parts begin to feel understood, they often don’t have to work nearly as hard.
Many clients are surprised to discover that the part they hated most was actually working incredibly hard to protect them.
One of the reasons I love combining Internal Family Systems with EMDR and somatic therapy is that each approach offers something different.
IFS helps us understand who is showing up and how that might be impacting your feelings, reactions, behaviors and patterns.
EMDR helps process the experiences that taught those parts they needed these protective jobs in the first place.
Somatic therapy helps your nervous system experience what safety actually feels like in your body.
Together, these approaches don’t just help you understand yourself better.
They help create lasting change that feels different—not just in your thoughts, but in your relationships, your nervous system, and the way you move through everyday life.
Internal Family Systems therapy can be helpful for many concerns, including:
Whether you’re navigating a recent challenge or carrying patterns that have been with you for years, IFS can help you understand yourself with more compassion and less judgment.
One of my favorite things about Internal Family Systems is that it reminds us there isn’t something “wrong” with you that needs to be fixed.
Many of the behaviors that frustrate you today once helped you survive.
Together, we’ll get to know those protective parts with curiosity, compassion, and maybe even a little humor along the way.
Because healing isn’t about becoming someone completely different.
It’s about helping all the parts of you feel safe enough that you—not fear, perfectionism, or anxiety, can begin steering the boat.
Check out some of my blogs on IFS here:
Finding Clarity in Internal Family Systems Therapy Colorado
IFS Therapy in Colorado: Why Curiosity Is a First Step to Healing – Colorado Wildflower Counseling
Call, text or email now to get a free consultation:
Contact – Colorado Wildflower Counseling
Therapy: EMDR IFS somatic – Colorado Wildflower Counseling
Check out my instagram here, also. Naomi-EMDR, IFS, Somatic therapist in Colorado (@coloradowildflowercounseling) • Instagram photos and videos
And my brand new Tik Tok account which is also a work in progress: Colorado Wildflower Counseling (@colorado.wildflow) | TikTok
Naomi Greenstone, LCSW is an EMDR-certified therapist in Colorado specializing in trauma, anxiety, intrusive thoughts, parenting, attachment wounds, nervous system regulation, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and somatic therapy.
EMDR offers relief from both the memories of trauma but also from the symptoms that manifest in daily life such as irritability, anxiety, withdrawing from others, anxiety in public spaces, nightmares and more.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps the brain process experiences that continue to feel emotionally “stuck.” It helps bridge the gap from “knowing” to “doing.”
A lot of times people go to therapy and talk about all of their traumas and difficulties and how they want to show up but the deep changes they are looking for don’t come. Rather than repeatedly talking through painful memories, EMDR is a different way of working through trauma and works with all parts of the body which helps the brain naturally integrate these difficult experiences so that they feel like part of the past instead of continuing to impact the present.
EMDR Therapy in Colorado
When understanding the problem isn’t the same as feeling better
A lot of the people who find me can often tell me exactly why they react the way they do.
You know your childhood wasn’t perfect.
Maybe you can identify your attachment style and enneagram.You’ve read books, listened to the podcasts, and have spent so long “working on yourself.”
And you’re tired or stuck.
Or maybe you keep doing things a certain way, choosing certain people, not showing up the way that you want and you have no idea why.
No matter how much insight you have, you might notice:
your stomach dropping when someone seems upset with them
replaying conversations long after they’re over
avoiding certain situations
feeling frozen when you want to speak up
struggling to trust yourself or second guessing yourself
carrying a sense of “I should be over this by now”
This is where EMDR can help.
Not because you need more information, but because your nervous system may still be responding as if an old experience is happening in the present.
What EMDR feels like
One of the biggest misconceptions about EMDR is that you have to spend session after session reliving your trauma in detail.
Many clients are surprised to find that EMDR often feels less like retelling a story and more like allowing the brain to do some unfinished processing.
We move at a pace that feels manageable.
You stay grounded in the present.
And we pay close attention to what your nervous system is communicating along the way.
EMDR Can Help With
EMDR therapy can be helpful for many concerns, including:
- trauma
- PTSD
- childhood trauma
- attachment wounds
- anxiety
- panic attacks
- intrusive thoughts
- perfectionism
- people pleasing
- betrayal trauma
- grief
- depression
- insomnia
- parenting stress
- relationship difficulties
- chronic stress
- emotional neglect
- nervous system dysregulation
The shifts people often notice
As therapy progresses, clients frequently report things like:
“I can think about it without getting pulled back under.”
“That memory feels farther away.”
“I’m can talk to people about it now without breaking down”
“I finally slept through the night.”
“I didn’t realize how much energy I was spending staying on guard.”
“I feel more like myself.”
Why I integrate EMDR with IFS and somatic therapy
EMDR is incredibly powerful, but I’ve found that healing is often even more effective when we also pay attention to protective parts, attachment patterns, and the body’s stress responses.
Sometimes a part of you is trying very hard to keep you safe.
Sometimes your body is still holding tension even after your mind understands what happened.
That’s why I integrate EMDR with Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapy, and attachment-focused work, so we can support your whole system rather than focusing on only one piece of the puzzle.
Curious whether EMDR might be a good fit?
If you’ve been feeling stuck despite doing “all the right things,” EMDR may offer a different path forward.
I provide virtual EMDR therapy throughout Colorado for adults navigating trauma, anxiety, attachment wounds, perfectionism, intrusive thoughts, betrayal trauma, parenting stress, and nervous system dysregulation.
Want the full explanation of how EMDR works, what to expect in sessions, and answers to common questions?
Call, text, or email for a free consult or read the comprehensive guide I am working on for EMDR here: EMDR Therapy in Colorado: Heal Attachment, Anxiety, Trauma, Depression and more – Colorado Wildflower Counseling
And yes, I am a certified EMDR provider!
Find some of my blogs about EMDR here:
Can EMDR Work If You Don’t Remember Your Childhood Trauma? – Colorado Wildflower Counseling
rumination anxiety why can’t I let go of the past
Heal Trauma and patterns with EMDR Therapy Colorado
Check out my instagram for more posts about EMDR: https://www.instagram.com/coloradowildflowercounseling/
Or my Tik Tok: Colorado Wildflower Counseling (@colorado.wildflow) | TikTok
Here is a link to a brochure about EMDR: https://www.emdria.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/EMDRIA-Brochure-Adult-English-Female-Cover.pdf
