Each moment of conscious awareness arises from non-conscious predictions modeled on previous experiences. These assessments happen several times a second and operate from billions
of implicit, embodied memories. If we live with a legacy of trauma, chronic health issues, loss, 
social isolation, or a painful childhood, it's natural to feel stuck in states of anxiety, depression, or 
low self-worth. Experiential psychotherapy informed by Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) calls upon 
our whole, embodied brain to understand the past, process our history, and connect us to our natural resourcefulness. 

When therapy stays at the level of verbal processing, we might gain insight, but insight alone won't change the way our brains hold the memories of experiences that keep us stuck. Experiential therapy invites us to pay attention to the physical and emotional processes that accompany the content of our therapeutic work.

Current neuroscience supports that the natural state of the human brain is multiplicity. Inner states or “parts” arise from complex webs of neural networks that allow us to anticipate the demands of our relationships and our environments. It's often these parts, or learned ways of being and feeling, that drive us to seek therapy. One part of us hopes that if we can change or get rid of some other part, we’ll finally be able to fix what’s wrong with our lives.

In reality, it's open-hearted awareness of our parts that moves us toward optimal mental health. All complex systems — families, communities, even ecosystems —are most adaptive and stable when they support differences. Diverse roles and perspectives allow systems to be flexible in the face of challenges. Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a gentle approach to learning how to recognize and connect to our parts. As we experience our whole selves with courage and compassion, our minds naturally move toward the connection and creativity that we're longing for.

Sometimes, no matter how dedicated we are to healing, some patterns seem untouchable.  These cycles often feel like gravity—a universal force outside of our control.  Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) targets entrenched trauma responses where they begin. Psychiatrist Frank Corrigan developed DBR after studying EMDR in the 1990s. He found that while EMDR facilitated profound change for many of his patients, those who needed trauma reprocessing most often could not tolerate the protocols.  

Through careful study of medicine and neuroscience, Dr. Corrigan developed an elegant process for honing in on trauma-related neural networks to work directly with preaffective shock. Shock happens in milliseconds and comes online before emotional or even defensive response systems. DBR is a deceptively gentle process, which makes it ideal for attachment injuries and preverbal trauma, as well as individuals who struggle with traditional trauma processing, including those with early-life trauma or histories of interpersonal violence.