Nightmares or Flashbacks
Emotional Numbness
Anxiety or Panic Attacks
Difficulty Trusting Others
Mood Swings or Anger
Relationship Struggles
Helping You Find Your Footing & Feel Whole Again
Process Memories Safely
Find a way to hold the story of what happened without it overwhelming your present.
Regain Emotional Balance
Soothe the reactive parts of you, so you can respond to life with calm instead of fear.
Rebuild a Sense of Safety
Gently restore a feeling of security in your body, your relationships, and the world around you.
Reconnect with Your Core Self
Move beyond feeling defined by your trauma and reclaim your identity and strength.
Trauma lasts long after the experience of being completely terrified and trapped. There can be many reasons: accidents, violence, constant threats, humiliation, loss. When something like this happens, parts of you go into overdrive to try to protect you and leave you feeling edgy, disconnected, or stuck back in time .Using ISF therapy allows me to help you see things as part of an inner system working energetically and intelligently to keep you safe instead of disordered. My job is to create an environment that allows us to listen to these protective parts, honoring their work and gently healing the pain they carry.
Frequently Asked Questions
My approach to therapy is grounded in a compassionate and respectful perspective called Internal Family Systems (IFS). I don’t believe that you are sick or broken. Instead, I see the challenges you face, like the after-effects of trauma, as the work of protective parts of you trying their best to keep you safe.
Got questions about how I help you heal and move forward? Find all the answers here.
My trauma happened a long time ago. Why does it still affect me so much?
Traumatic memories aren’t stored like regular memories; they can get “stuck” in the nervous system. This is why you might still feel the same fear or anxiety years later. Therapy helps you process these memories, so they can become a part of your past instead of feeling like they are still happening now.
Will I have to talk about the details? I don't want to be retraumatized.
Your safety is paramount. You will never be forced to share more than you are ready to. The IFS model allows us to heal the emotional burdens of the trauma without needing to endlessly relive the graphic details of the event itself. You are in control of the process.
I feel like I've completely changed since the event. Will I ever be 'me' again?
That feeling is a common and painful part of trauma. The real you, your calm, curious, and confident core Self, is never damaged. The goal of our work is to heal the parts of you that are hurt and overwhelmed, so that your true Self can come forward and lead your life again.
How can therapy help with physical symptoms like panic or being jumpy?
These physical responses are your body’s alarm system stuck in the “on” position. We can use those parts of you that are holding the fear to communicate to the body that the danger is over. In this way, we can encourage the nervous system to regulate itself, with reduced or sometimes the end of the physical symptoms.
What if I feel like what happened to me wasn't 'bad enough' to be trauma?
Trauma is defined by its impact on you, not by a specific set of circumstances. Any experience that overwhelms you and eventually has long-term adverse effects on your life does really matter. It’s okay to feel negative emotions, and you deserve a place of healing.
An Approach to Safely
Process and Heal
Honor Your Protective System
I help you understand that responses like avoidance or anger are parts of you working hard to prevent more pain.
Access Your Calm Core Self
Using IFS, I guide you to your innate center of calm and compassion, which is the source of all healing.
Gently Unburden the Trauma
From that place of inner strength, we safely help the parts of you holding the pain to release the hidden burdens.
Meet Your Compassionate Therapist
Dr Arlene Brewster
Licensed Certified ISF Therapist
Stories of Healing and Moving Forward
Here are some heartfelt words from people who have walked this path. I hope their stories of reconnection and growth bring you comfort and inspiration for your own journey ahead.
After a serious car accident, I was a wreck, jumpy, irritable, and terrified to drive. Dr. Brewster helped me connect with the part of me that was still frozen in fear at the scene. By comforting that part, the constant anxiety finally loosened its grip. I’m driving again and feel like I have my life back.
Robert J.
Client
I experienced a sudden, devastating loss and felt completely shut down. Dr. Brewster didn’t try to rush my grief. She helped me see my numbness as a protector. This allowed me to gently access my grief in a way that felt safe, not overwhelming. It was the beginning of my healing.
Karen W.
Client
Continuous work environment toxicity has left me feeling unworthy and on edge. I thought that I should just be able to “get over it.” Dr. Brewster helped me honor the damage it has caused and heal the parts of me that felt ashamed and powerless. This work helped me rebuild my confidence.
Michelle T
Client
Following a medical emergency, I felt betrayed by my own body. Dr. Brewster’s IFS approach helped me have compassion for the parts of me that were terrified and angry. Learning to feel safe in my body again has been a slow but profound journey.
Alex D
Client
Ready to Release the Weight of the Past?
You don’t have to carry the weight of trauma alone. It’s possible to heal and feel whole again.
Let’s explore how therapy can help you reclaim your life.