People-pleasing is a behavior many of us fall into, driven by the need to meet others' expectations, avoid conflict, and seek approval—often at the expense of our own needs and boundaries. This leaves us drained, frustrated, and resentful as we continually suppress our own desires.

As a trauma-informed psychotherapist, I frequently see how people-pleasing functions as a survival mechanism tied to attachment trauma, particularly for those who grew up in emotionally unstable or unpredictable environments. In this post, I’ll explore the origins of people-pleasing as it relates to childhood trauma and attachment, and how IFS-informed EMDR therapy can help you heal your people-pleasing parts, develop healthier boundaries, and self-worth.

Making decisions is hard!

Whether you tend to fixate, ruminate, procrastinate, or avoid making decisions, therapy can be a supportive space to help you break free from decision paralysis and move forward with confidence and clarity. Here are a few helpful reflection points to consider when making challenging decisions.

When I introduce EMDR to my clients, they naturally have lots of questions about what it is and why it works. Here, I hope to break down what EMDR therapy looks like and address some commonly asked questions throughout. This post will focus primarily on explaining what EMDR is, with a later post answering common questions.