Empowered Through Compassion

This heart-warming episode begins with Laura sharing a tender story about baking bread—and from there, we journey into the rich, soulful themes of her new book. We explore Internal Family Systems (IFS), the sacred essence of everyday life, and the profound connection between healing trauma, cultivating presence, and embodying wholeness. Together, we reflect on the beauty and challenge of truly being with our emotions and honoring the full range of the human experience. As Laura so beautifully says, “Our guides are so proud of us for choosing this experience.”

Whether you’re a seeker, a therapist, or simpl...

What if Mike White’s The White Lotus is more than just a dark comedy television series?

What if we look at it as a striking exploration of the human psyche?

In a recent episode of the Empowered Through Compassion podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sunni (Sun) Brown, a dynamic IFS practitioner, author of Gamestorming and The Doodle Revolution, and creator of Deep Self Design™. Together, we unpacked the psychological architecture of the show using the lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.

Sunni brings a rare blend of creativity, comp...

This week’s episode is nothing short of extraordinary.

I am honored to welcome back IFS master Bob Falconer, and to be joined for the first time by Chelsea Rose Odhner and Dr. Jonathan S. Rose, two deeply insightful scholars and practitioners of Emanuel Swedenborg’s spiritual teachings.

Together, we explore the sacred intersection of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and The Spirituality of Swedenborg. We all entered into conversation that transcended time, space, and discussed ways to go beyond the boundaries and limits of IFS and the conventional boundaries of healing.

💫 We reflect on the...

In this episode, we explore a powerful and often overlooked therapeutic trio: EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Motivational Interviewing (MI). If you’ve ever wondered how to help clients move from ambivalence to meaningful change—or how to make EMDR feel more relational and intuitive—this is the conversation for you. The Common Ground: Self-Leadership & Intrinsic Wisdom

What ties IFS, EMDR, and MI together? At their core, all three approaches believe this:

Whether it’s the Self in IFS, the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) system in EMDR, or...

In this deeply meaningful episode, I had the honor of speaking with Ralph De La Rosa—teacher, healer, and radiant soul—who sadly passed away earlier this week.

This episode is a tribute to Ralph’s immense heart and the wisdom they so generously shared with the world. We explored the profound intersections of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Buddhism, and I was struck by Ralph’s grace, clarity, and the gentle light they brought to even the heaviest of topics.

Their book, Outshining Trauma, is a lasting gift—a testament to the depth of their insi...

Part 2 with Julian: The Inner Sauron – Power, Possession, and the Psyche
In this episode, Julian and I dive deep into The Lord of the Rings through the lens of psychology, mythology, and IFS (Internal Family Systems). We explore the dark allure of Sauron—not just as a villain seeking domination through the One Ring, but as a metaphor for the exiled forces within us all.

Julian draws powerful parallels between Sauron and the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli, both powerful spirits who reside in higher realms yet influence human behavior in devastating ways. We reflect on how these arch...

It was an absolute pleasure speaking with Julian Bermudez, founder of Psychedelic Integration, about his deeply personal and powerful approach to healing. In this episode, Julian shares his philosophy of psychedelic integration as a sacred return—a coming home to the body, to the heart, and to the version of ourselves that existed before life’s pain forced us to adapt.

Through his lived experience and the space he holds for others, Julian invites us to see integration not as a checklist, but as a living, breathing practice of transformation. We explore the idea of purpose, reclaiming valu...

I'm excited to share the latest episode of the Empowered Through Compassion podcast: Part 2 of my conversation with Sid Friedman. In this episode, we delve deeper into Sid's innovative approach to Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and his exploration of nonduality.

Sid discusses his YouTube channel, Effortless IFS with Sid Friedman, where he offers insights into integrating IFS with nondual awareness. You can explore his videos here: Effortless IFS with Sid Friedman.

We also talk about the vibrant online community Sid co-created with Dr. Laura Patryas: the IFS Nondual Community on Facebook. This group serves...

This episode is part 1 of a beautiful conversation with my dear friend Sid Friedman. Sid-- along with Laura Patryas-- have created an incredible IFS Facebook community called "IFS Nondual Community."

Sid shares with me, and the audience, what is meant by nonduality, and how this intersects with IFS. We also speak about NVC-- Nonviolent Communication, and I learn what a pro Sid is in this type of communication!

This was such a fun and enjoyable episode-- to Sid, it feels like life is such a celebration, and he really is able to acknowledge the beauty...

Families Overcoming Trauma – This Is Us

NBC’s This Is Us has resonated deeply with audiences, largely because of its heartfelt portrayal of family, trauma, and healing. The show masterfully illustrates how each family member carries their own pain while remaining connected through love, resilience, and acceptance. It reminds us that healing isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about learning to live with it, together.

In this episode, I had the honor of speaking with Laura DeKraker Lang-Ree, whose journey is a testament to this very idea. When her daughter, Cecilia, was diagnosed with childhood leukemia a...

Welcome to this episode, where I am thrilled to be speaking with Athena Phillips about dissociation, the difference between coaching and therapy, and Back to the Future. 

Athena shares how IFS and EMDR can be complementary, but caution is needed when using EMDR with dissociative clients.

Coaching and therapy have distinct roles, and in her business Athena has found a very symbiotic relationship between coaches and therapist for clients. 

We speak about Back to the Future, and some of the ways this movie represents trauma healing. We even bring in current world events, an...

Therapist Burnout – A Systemic Issue, Not a Personal Failure

🎬 Pop Culture Connection: Severance – A dystopian take on work-life balance

How our ‘work part’ is at risk of burnout when it is not given the emotional support and care that it needs.

📊 Burnout by the Numbers:

60-66% of workers report feeling burnout

30-70% of therapists experience burnout (especially post-pandemic)

Some exploitive telehealth companies pay a s low as $30/hour

🛑 Signs of Burnout

Emotional depletion
Compassion fatigue
Mental health strugg...

A re-uploaded version.

Welcome to this new episode. I had the pleasure of speaking with Ned Johnson, a wonderful educator, author, and speaker. He is an expert in helping teens and tweens navigate the transition to adulthood, by bringing them the tools they need to be both successful and happy. 

Ned has found that some of the leading causes of poor test performance is the stress and pressure that youths feel to get good grades, and perform well. What is the solution? Can the solution really be as simple as helping youth feel connected, getting t...

A re-uploaded version.

Welcome to this new episode. I had the pleasure of speaking with Ned Johnson, a wonderful educator, author, and speaker. He is an expert in helping teens and tweens navigate the transition to adulthood, by bringing them the tools they need to be both successful and happy. 

Ned has found that some of the leading causes of poor test performance is the stress and pressure that youths feel to get good grades, and perform well. What is the solution? Can the solution really be as simple as helping youth feel connected, getting t...

I had the honor of sitting down with the Jan Broberg on my podcast.

We spoke about her powerful story, the real-life events behind Peacock’s hit series A Friend of the Family, and how she turned unimaginable trauma into a message of hope, resilience, and healing.

Jan's spirit is inspiring, as she uses her voice and story to encourage others to tell theirs. This episode shows how light can come from darkness.

You can watch A Friend of the Family on Peacock.

For more information, check out https://thejanbrobergfoundation.org/

It was a pleasure to speak with Rebecca Kase this week on EMDR, Polyvagal and Parts work. She had so many interesting things to share, and I hope you enjoy this episode.

Warmly,

David

Find out more about Rebecca here:

https://www.rebeccakase.com/

https://www.traumatherapistinstitute.com/

You can find her book here:      Books by Rebecca Kase

Here is my second upload for this episode.

My AI attempts were not successful, so I edited this one myself.

Sorry for any confusion.

It was such a pleasure to speak with Victoria Anderson, a friend and classmate from IFS-Level one training.

We speak about our experience, and then we compare it to... yep, the Squid Game.

Luckily our experience was nothing like the Squid Game, except for some nerves when we started the class. 

We speak about some of the parts (that we are co...

Welcome to Season 2 of Empowered through Compassion!

In 2025, I am trying something new. We will be exploring Pop Culture, and some of the incredible movies and TV shows that are being created these days.

I want to look at these shows and see how we can view them through a psychological mindset.

I met Victoria Anderson when we both met in IFS Level 1 training, and became friends. If you want to find out more about Victoria, here is her website:

https://www.centeredselftraumatherapy.com/

We speak about Squid Games...

In this episode, Andrew Dobo joins me to speak about EMDR, the Hero's journey and Jung.

It was such an honor to have a conversation with Andrew who is a well respected EMDR trainer and an accomplished author. 

His books include, "The Hero's Journey: Integrating Jungian Psychology and EMDR Therapy"

and, "Unburdening Souls at the Speed of Thought: Psychology, Christianity, and the Transforming Power of EMDR."

Check out Andrew Dobo's Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@drandrewdobo

He is the founder of EMDR Trainers. Find out more about t...

It was such an honor to speak with Sandra Paulsen, and to learn from her wisdom. In the podcast, Sandra shared how she went to see a traditional healer, known as a Songoma. This healer turned to Sandra and said, "Why come see me? You are Songoma too!"

We dive into EMDR, and Sandra even shares some of her thoughts on IFS therapy. Sandra shared how she definitely uses parts work, but sees this through the lens of Ego States.

We speak about some of Sandra's amazing books, which include:

"When There Are...

On this episode we are speaking with Thomas Zimmerman, Ms.Ed., LPCC, is a mental health therapist who practices in the Cleveland, Ohio, area.

He is an EMDR therapist, consultant and trainer.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist, consultant, and trainer.

He is a writer, podcaster as well.

Check out his new book, "EMDR with Complex Trauma" on Amazon.

Check out his Podcast here: www.emdrpodcast.com  

Here is his website: www.emdrtom.com 

Here is his facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/EMDRResources

Episode 51: Deconstructing Wicked with EMDR and Parts

Welcome, and Happy Thanksgiving. 

My guest is Dr. Jamie Marich, and we had so much fun "nerding out" over the Wicked movie together!

This was such a wonderful and enriching experience for me.

Here are places you can find more information about Dr. Marich:

www.redefinetherapy.com

www.instituteforcreativemindfulness.com

www.jamiemarich.com

You can also check out Jamie's Substack:

https://jamiemarich.substack.com

This will also be on Youtube:

h...

What an honor to speak with Nkem Ndefo today! 

I wanted to post this right away, because we are speaking about the election, and Nkem was very helpful in helping me take a step back and see a bigger picture of the election.

I found it very profound when Nkem spoke about their vision for liberation of all. Their organization's vision is: "rooted in justice and flourishing in joy." 

We spoke about the important question we can ask ourselves "where is my political home?"

As we spoke about politics and healing, ou...

Welcome to this special episode.

Today, I am joined by 8 incredible EMDR influencers (together we have 6 podcasts and multiple Youtube channels between us).

The esteemed guests:

1) Rotem Brayer

2) Thomas Zimmerman 

3) Jennifer Savage and Bridger Falkentien

4) Kyle Poon

5)Tamera Brown and Kathy Couch

6) Rebecca Kase

Spotify links--

The Art and Science of EMDR

The EMDR Podcast

Notice That

Journey through the Eyes

Thrive the Podcast

Yo...

What a pleasure it was to speak with Arielle Schwartz for this episode. I learned so much, and I am honored to share this with everyone. We speak about some of the ways that she has changed the field!

After listening to this episode, you are going to want to become part of her growing community too!

Five Podcasters got together, and had a blast speaking about IFS (live)! They all have their own podcast-- including, The One Inside, Growing Faithfully, That Wellness Podcast, Healing Trauma From the Inside Out, and Empowered Through Compassion. What a beautiful group of podcasts. It was such a wonderful get together and share some "Self-energy" with each other and with the audience. I thought it would be fun to share all of this with you!

I am so excited to share this incredible discussion with you. Rotem Brayer has created a community for EMDR practitioners, and we dive into some of his thoughts about EMDR, mindfulness and even IFS. He has so much to share, and I am thrilled to bring you this episode.

Let dive into how we can understand OCD from an IFS lens. In this Part 2, Rob Fox and I continue to explore how we both use IFS and EMDR (and other modalities) to understand the allusive experience of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. 

Welcome to this episode where I speak with Rob Fox, who I am very excited to bring to this audience. 

Rob is certified in EMDR and IFS. In addition to having a lot of skills and knowledge on working with addictions, Rob also is a specialist when it comes to Obsessive-Compuslive Disorder (OCD). 

The focus in this two part conversation is how Rob works with OCD, and conceptualizes this disorder. He shares some of his personal experiences as well. it was a pleasure speaking with Rob!

Hello and welcome to this beautiful episode. I had the honor of speaking with Susan West Kurz today, and I am really excited about sharing some of the work that she has been involved with. It is called "Biography" and we dive into speaking about it on todays episode. 

If you would like to find out more about Susan and her work, please check out the following websites:

www.biographyandsocialart.com

www.biographysocialart.org

Enjoy the episode :)

Here is the second part of this wonderful conversation with Cindy. I hope that you enjoy this! We continue speaking about the ways that Bi-Tapp is able to help our internal system feel more grounded. We also speak about some of the cool features tha Bi-Tapp offers.

Check out more information here: www.bi-tapp.com

It was such a pleasure speaking with Cindy Jones! This is the first part. We speak about her creation of Bi-Tapp which is a way to help clients regulate their emotions both in and out of the therapy office. 

Bi-Tapp is a way to help ourselves feel calmer, particularly when we are very activated. This could help us calm our bodies enough to be able to access some of the other skills that we have. 

Of course, we also speak about how this BLS tool is helpful in EMDR and IFS.

I hope yo...

Here is the second half of my wonderful conversation with Crystal. We speak about the fabulous Jim Knipe, and more tools we can add to our EMDR toolbox. We also continue to explore ways that we can integrate IFS into all of this work. 

I hope you enjoy this. It was such a pleasure to speak and learn from Crystal!

This is Part 1 of an interview with Crystal Whitlow. I hope you enjoy this interview, and there will be a part 2 coming soon!

It was such a pleasure speaking with Crystal! She is Syzygy Trainer, and offers EMDR training and EMDR consultation. She also teaches advanced EMDR workshops and IFS Informed EMDR trainings through the Syzygy Institute.  

Find our more about Crystal here: https://www.crystalwhitlow.com/

On Crystal's website, there is also a wonderful interview that she conducted with Roy Kiessling and Bruce Hersey. If you have a...

Here is Part 2 of 2, in my conversation with Jory Agate around rupture and repairs. To was so much fun speaking with Jory Agate on this two part episode.

In this section we also speak about grief work.

The two books that I was referring to are:

(1) The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief by Francis Weller

(2) The Smell of Rain on Dust: Grief and Praise by Martin Prechtel

I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I loved creating it for...

Episode 42 part 1, published 8-15-24

This episode is the first part of a conversation with Jory Agate, a Lead IFS trainer, and wonderful therapist. It was great to speak with her about rupture and repair, and I hope you enjoy this episode. I am thrilled to share it with you!

On this episode, I am speaking with Hailee Wilson. She helped me design my website, and brand, and I wanted to share the great work that she does. How many of us in the field need someone in our corner who is tech savy, and able to walk us through creating our web presence? 

You can find out more information on Hailee and her company at: www.bocoadvertising.com

And in true fashion of collaboration, she shares about her friend Allison Gianattasio, and her company which is found here: www.scrollmedia.co<...

The is the second part of the discussion with Ann Sinko. 

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

She has so much to offer, and I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity to speak with her, and to share this conversation with you!

This is part one. In a couple of days, I will edit and publish part two of this wonderful conversation. I feel so lucky to have spoken with Ann, and I am thrilled to share this podcast episode with you! I hope you enjoy this, and I promise, to be continued soon...

It was such a pleasure and honor to speak with Janina Fisher. I hope you enjoy this podcast! She is one of the masters of EMDR (she trained with Francine Shapiro) and she also had many conversations with Richard Schwartz. 

If you would like to find out more about Janina Fisher, her Website is: 

www.Janinafisher.com

You can also find Janina Fisher's trainings at:

www.therapywisdom.com

I hope you enjoy this wonderful episode and conversation with Janina!