Integrating the wisdom from IFS and EMDR, this gentle approach to healing unprocessed trauma honors the natural pacing of highly sensitive clients while honoring their complexity.
IFS-Informed EMDR Therapy
The Syzygy Model™ of IFS-Informed EMDR was developed by Bruce Hersey, LCSW, who has been teaching about EMDR and IFS Therapy since 2007. This integrated approach to trauma healing integrates the robust knowledge of memory consolidation from EMDR Therapy (and Ecker’s Coherence Therapy model) with the gentle, relational model of Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS). EMDR Therapy is effective in targeting traumatic memory — including the images, feelings, sensations, and beliefs contained within it. IFS understands that traumatic experiences also impact your internal family system of parts, burdening them not only with the felt sense of trauma but also with protective jobs to keep that trauma contained. When the two models are integrated, the pace of trauma therapy is patient, attuned, and respectful of your parts. Consent is a key ingredient — and, in the context of IFS-Informed EMDR, this means consent from the protectors at the helm of your system. The work begins by befriending them.
