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Trauma Treatments: Popular and Lesser Known

EMDR, Coherence Therapy, and IFS in combination and alone.

Psychological trauma can significantly affect how memories, parts of self, and symptoms manifest. Among the evidence-based therapies used for trauma recovery are EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing), Coherence Therapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS). While all three aim to bring about healing, they do so via different mechanisms, models, and assumptions.

What is EMDR Therapy?

EMDR is a structured psychotherapy originally developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s to treat post-traumatic stress. 
Key traits:

• Its theoretical foundation is the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, which posits that traumatic experiences, when inadequately processed, become “stuck” in memory networks that are disconnected from adaptive (healthy) information.
• EMDR is typically delivered in eight phases, including history-taking, preparation, desensitization, installation, body scan, and reevaluation.
• During processing, a client brings to mind a traumatic memory while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation (e.g., eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones).
• Research highlights the effectiveness of EMDR for the treatment of PTSD and has for many years (EMDRIA).
• According to the AIP model, the brain has an innate capacity to heal, but traumatic “blocks” need to be unlocked.

Additional reading on what EMDR is and how it works can be found here and here.

What is Coherence Therapy?

Coherence Therapy (previously called “depth-oriented brief therapy”) was developed by Bruce Ecker and Laurel Hulley. It is based on a constructivist view: symptoms (emotional, behavioral, cognitive) make sense (“are coherent”) within a person’s deeply held, often implicit mental models.
Key traits:

• Symptoms are not simply “problems to get rid of,” but expressions of emotional truth — the client’s system has built them to serve some (often unconscious) function.
•  Therapy seeks to bring to awareness an unrecognized emotional truth that underlies the symptom; once that truth is experientially felt and juxtaposed with a new, more adaptive emotional truth, the symptom can dissolve.
• Coherence Therapy aims to change the internal narrative (or “mental model”) such that the symptom is no longer needed for its function.
• Memory reconsolidation model: Coherence Therapy is explicitly theorized to engage memory reconsolidation — the neural process by which reactivated memories can be updated and transformed (Coherence Psychology Institute, 2012; TICTI)
• Clinical markers of reconsolidation (e.g., long-lasting symptom cessation, non-reactivation of previously problematic patterns) have been documented in Coherence Therapy (Coherence Psychology Institute, 2025).

Although there are fewer large trials and studies (compared to EMDR), the coherence therapy model is well-developed, with a strong theoretical underpinning in both psychotherapy and neuroscience.

For a deeper dive on Coherence Therapy, this is a good article.

What is IFS Therapy?

IFS, developed by Richard Schwartz, is a model that conceptualizes the mind as made up of “parts” (subpersonalities), such as protectors, exiles, and firefighters, plus a core Self.
Key traits:

• IFS assumes the Self is seen as a calm, clear, curious, compassionate, confident, courageous, creative, and connected (the 8 C’s of IFS) center that can lead the internal system.
• Trauma is often carried by “exile” parts, while “protector” parts attempt to shield the system from emotional overwhelm. A third part, the “firefighters,” are also trying to protect the system from emotional overwhelm, but do so in more extreme or drastic measures that do not always truly help (e.g., substance use, self-harm, or risky encounters with the purpose of distracting the system from the emotional trigger).
• The therapeutic goal is to access Self-energy, build a relationship between Self and parts, and help parts release their burdens (e.g., extreme beliefs or emotions) and shift into more adaptive roles.
• IFS has research backing and is generally considered to be among the evidence-based treatments with many clients stating anecdotal evidence that IFS helped them move towards their goals (IFS Institute; Psychotraumatology, 2025).

For more information on IFS, see this article from Psychology Today.

Similarities Among EMDR, Coherence Therapy, and IFS

Although these are distinct modalities, there are important overlaps:

Healing through processing:

• All three therapies assume that traumatic material (memories, feelings, beliefs) must be processed, rather than simply suppressed.
• EMDR processes traumatic memories via bilateral stimulation
• Coherence Therapy processes by bringing to light implicit emotional truths and reshaping them
• IFS processes by dialoguing with parts, witnessing their stories, and unburdening

Honoring client's internal wisdom and capacity:

• Each model respects the client’s innate ability to heal: EMDR via the AIP system, Coherence Therapy via the person’s own emotional truth, and IFS via Self leadership
• EMDR, Coherence Therapy, and IFS are all Strength-Based therapies.

Targeting root causes, not just symptoms:

• Rather than focusing purely on symptom management, these therapies aim for deeper change: reprocessing in EMDR, narrative shift in Coherence, internal system transformations in IFS.

Do EMDR, Coherence Therapy, and IFS Work Together?

The integration of IFS with EMDR is particularly compelling for treating parts-based (e.g., dissociative) trauma. It seems more and more therapists are combining IFS’s parts-work with EMDR specifically (McGoldrick, 2025).

A different combination of Coherence Therapy and IFS is perhaps less popular but still a topic of discussion (Kredler, 2023). I
have personally taken a training with the wonderful Kina Wolfenstein (a licensed clinical social worker who often provides trainings on coherence therapy and other aspects of trauma treatments) on combining IFS with memory reconsolidation.

A core reason to integrate EMDR, IFS, and Coherence Therapy is their shared alignment with the neuroscience concept of memory reconsolidation. Clinician and educator Bruce Hersey has documented and discussed his integrated approach which he says has found “convergent principles” across all three therapies (Developing Meaning, 2023).

Coherence Therapy’s model of memory reconsolidation offers a mechanistic bridge between EMDR and IFS. Specifically, therapists are using Coherence Therapy principles (e.g., “juxtaposition experiences”) to more effectively work with parts (especially protector parts) in the context of trauma, before or during EMDR.

Clinical Advantages

Safety

• Using IFS early in EMDR treatment—particularly during Phases 1 and 2—allows therapists to build trusting relationships with protective and dissociative parts, helping them feel seen, understood, and safe enough to participate in the process. 
• This preparatory work is especially crucial for clients with complex trauma or dissociation, as these parts must be acknowledged and regulated before EMDR can proceed. By negotiating cooperation and ensuring that more of the client’s internal system is consenting and ready, IFS reduces overwhelm and makes trauma reprocessing both safer and more feasible.

More Effective Reprocessing

• Combining EMDR and IFS means processing becomes less mechanical and more relational. Rather than pushing past protective parts, the therapist welcomes them, exploring their concerns, which often clears the path for smoother and deeper memory reprocessing. 
• This approach allows for “what’s in the way” to become part of the healing — protective parts are not obstacles, but meaningful participants in the process. As one client described, EMDR felt like entering a dark room; with IFS, it was like switching on the lights to see who was there. (McGoldrick, 2025)

Longevity

• Coherence Therapy brings a rigorous framework for uncovering the implicit emotional learning beneath symptoms and transforming it through “juxtaposition experiences,” where old emotional truths are contrasted with new, corrective ones.
• These coherence-based processes integrate naturally with EMDR: once a protective or exiled part is compassionately reactivated through IFS, the therapist can create a mismatch between past trauma and present safety and then use EMDR’s bilateral stimulation to transform the charged memory.
• Repeatedly juxtaposing outdated emotional schemas with self-led, compassionate experiences enables deep, lasting change rather than temporary symptom relief. When Coherence Therapy’s neurobiologically grounded reconsolidation principles are woven into this process, the integration becomes even more powerful, rewriting emotional learning at its roots and allowing the internal system to reorganize in a more adaptive and liberated way.

Therapeutic Alliance & Client Empowerment

• Therapy requires a partnership between counselor and client. Rather than the therapist “doing things to” a client with EMDR, both client parts and Self are invited to collaborate in the healing process.
• The relational, compassionate stance of IFS supports a gentler, more respectful process — clients often feel more seen, heard, and safe. In turn, this can help counselors increasing clinical humility and attunement. 

Challenges & Considerations

While the blended model has many advantages, there are also practical challenges:

• Training & Expertise: Therapists must be skilled or trained in all three modalities (EMDR, IFS, Coherence or memory-reconsolidation-informed work).
• Pacing: Integrating IFS to build parts trust takes time; not all clients may be ready for deep memory reprocessing immediately.
• Complexity: The therapist has to constantly shift between modalities: using parts dialogue, facilitating juxtaposition experiences, and doing bilateral stimulation - this requires conceptual fluency and clinical sensitivity.
• Research: While there is strong theoretical support (especially from Coherence Therapy and IFS), empirical research on all three combined is still emerging. Clinicians tend to report anecdotal and case-based success more than large-scale trials.

Conclusion

Blending EMDR, IFS, and Coherence Therapy offers a compelling, integrative model for trauma therapy. By leveraging memory reconsolidation as a shared mechanism, this approach provides

• Emotional safety through parts work (IFS)
• Structured reprocessing with neural-level change (EMDR)
• Deep schema transformation via emotional truth juxtaposition framework (Coherence Therapy)

The result is not just symptom relief, but transformational healing — a rewriting of emotional learning that feels safer, more relational, and more enduring. For therapists and clients alike, this integration holds powerful promise for trauma recovery.

References

Ally, D., Tobiasz-Veltz, L., Tu, K., Comeau, A., Bumpus, C., Blot, T., Rice, F. K., Orr, B., Rea, H. S., Sweezy, M., & Schuman-Oliver, Z. (2025). A pilot study of an online group-based internal family systems intervention for comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use. Front Psychiatry, 16(1544435), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1544435

Coherence Psychology Institute. (2025, January 6). Published case studies index by symptom, demonstrating the therapeutic reconsolidation process as facilitated in coherence therapy, promptly producing transformational change. https://www.coherencetherapy.org/files/ct-case-index.pdf

Coherence Psychology Institute. (2012). Use of memory reconsolidation in psychotherapy and suggestions for a brain imaging study. https://www.coherencetherapy.org/files/Reconsolidation_in_Therapy_001.pdf

[@cptsdtherapist]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/cptsdtherapist/

Got Memory Reconsolidation? (n.d.). TICTI. https://www.ticti.org/got-memory-reconsolidation/

Internal Family Systems Therapy. (n.d.). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/internal-family-systems-therapy

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. (2025, July 4). Psychotraumatology.
https://iptrauma.org/docs/evidence-based-trauma-therapies-and-models/internal-family-systems-ifs-therapy/

Kredler, V. (2023). How does internal family systems therapy lead to transformational change through memory reconsolidation? Counseling Australia, 24(2), 26-36.

McGoldrick, A. (2025). Benefits of BNlending EMDR & IFS. EMDR Insight. https://emdrinsight.com/benefits-of-blending-emdr-ifs/

Recent Research on EMDR Therapy. (n.d.). EMDRIA. https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/recent-research-about-emdr/

Research. (n.d.). IFS Institute. https://ifs-institute.com/resources/research

Stoerkel, E. (2019, March 12). What is a Strength-Based approach? Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/strengths-based-interventions/

What is EMDR? (n.d.) EMDR Training. https://www.emdr.com.au/about/faq/what-is-emdr

What is EMDR? (n.d.). Trauma Recovery. https://www.emdrhap.org/about/what-is-emdr/

Winter, D., & Chernoff, V. (Executive Producers). (2023, December 15). Bruce Hersey: Founder of the syzygy institute: Treating trauma by combining EMDR, IFS, and Coherence Therapy (No. 7) In Developing Meaning. https://www.developingmeaning.com/7-bruce-hersey-founder-of-the-syzyge-institue-treating-trauma-by-combining-emdr-ifs-and-coherence-therapy/

Wolfenstein, K. (n.d.). Coherence Therapy – the art and science of transformational change. Deep Tides Therapy. https://www.deeptidestherapy.com/post/coherence-therapy-the-art-and-science-of-transformational-change