Our Effective Approach To Treating Trauma & Related Disorders
At Denver Emotional Health, we focus on utilizing and integrating the most effective trauma-informed treatments. This means going beyond traditional supportive talk therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or even Eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). We utilize more science and research-backed methods such as Internal Family Systems Therapy and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy to treat PTSD, complex trauma and other stress-related disorders. Our therapists are specialized in treating trauma the multiple layers of trauma, and unlike most therapists, focus on getting to the root. Contact us today for your free consultation about how we can help you or continue reading to learn more about how we treat trauma disorders.
Using Internal Family Systems to Treat PTSD, CPTSD/Relational Trauma
While most treatments will try to “target” specific symptoms and eliminate them, Internal Family Systems takes a different approach. If you have not already read about our approach based in Internal Family Systems, you can find that here.
As you will experience in therapy when trying to treat your trauma using IFS therapy, there are three types of parts commonly discussed or encountered: 1) exiled parts (or parts that carry wounds), 2) manager (preventative/protective) parts, and 3) firefighter (or extreme, reactive) parts.
Each of these parts is a normal aspect or component of our personality until it needs to take on a specific role within our system (i.e. to protect or to carry a wound as a result of some overwhelming or traumatic life experience). For example, it is normal for a person to have a “part” of them that is out while at work, a “part” that might come out when that person comes home to play with the kids or dogs, and a “part” that might be out when on a romantic date with a partner. Or, another common way to describe this standard operating procedure in our daily lives is to think about the last meal you ate, or the last movie you saw. Did “part” of you find it tasty or exciting/interesting, and “part” of you feel a bit conflicted about that or feel distinctly otherwise at the same time? Ultimately, the idea remains that having “parts” is normal but when we go through trauma or other painful experiences, our parts take on extreme roles and these roles are what we often describe as common “symptoms” in the mental health world.
Managers & Firefighters as Protector Parts
There is only so much “explaining” one can do when it comes to learning about and/or working with parts. Frankly, we must experience the direct or indirect communication with our Parts in order to begin to feel the effects of this therapy. However, to better understand what therapy will look like utilizing IFS, we can examine the two protector categories:
Manager/preventative parts are referred to as the “unsung heroes” because these are the parts that run our day-to-day life. They’re often trying to be in control, hard-working and exhausted, and they also don’t get the credit they deserve. For instance, common manager parts might be a caretaking parts, or other people pleasing parts, parts that want to be liked, parts that need to be in control, parts that are funny, obsessive, or conflict-avoidant or that simply want to look good.
Extreme or reactive parts are plentiful in clients who have suffered from trauma and tend to be the most challenging and troublesome for traditional therapists. Remember: extreme circumstances require extreme responses. In treating relational trauma, which tends to be long-term, repetitive, and ongoing, these parts of people are often tenacious, absolute and highly triggering to those without proper experience dealing with them previously. Often, society, culture and partners and family members tender to hate these extreme, reactive parts, such as cutting parts, suicidal parts, numbing out dissociating parts, parts that abuse substances, parts that overeat or under-eat, parts that shame, and parts that are critical or perpetrate, etc. but at Denver Emotional Health, our trauma-informed and expert therapists are welcoming of all parts and we treat trauma from this perspective.
We Effectively Help You Heal Your Wounds, and Your Parts
As Denver psychotherapists who are specialized in trauma-related issues, we have a deep desire to assist you in overcoming your struggles. We will guide you and provide you with the healing abilities to be calm, efficient, composed, and confident when encountering these extreme parts in order to get their permission to access your past wounds and get to the root of the issue. Most people’s wounded parts are the young, sensitive, and vulnerable aspects of our personalities, and it requires professional guidance to work with them effectively. They were forced to carry the hurt, pain, sense of betrayal, sadness, loneliness, shame, neglect, and lack of love as it related to the painful and difficult moments of our lives, but it does not need to last forever. We specialize in treating these issues without pathologizing our clients or making them feel like there is anything wrong with them, and in turn, their symptoms disappear.
Contact Us Today for Effective Trauma Treatment
At Denver Emotional Health, we have extensive history treating PTSD, Complex PTSD and relational trauma utilizing the neuroscience-informed approach of Internal Family Systems Therapy and Acceptance & Commitment Therapy. If you or a loved one struggles with symptoms of trauma, anxiety or depression, and seek professional support, please do not hesitate to contact us to learn more about how we can help you.
Learn more about legal psychedelic-assisted therapies we offer that can help you with your struggles.