Trauma Recovery Through Internal Family Systems Therapy in Virginia

You Don’t Have to Be at War with Yourself Anymore

Believe in yourself without second-guessing.

Build relationships that feel safe and real.

IFS therapy for trauma helps people who feel overwhelmed, stuck in self-doubt, or unsafe in relationships gently heal the parts of themselves still carrying pain from the past. As a trauma and IFS specialist in Virginia, I help you quiet the chaos inside, believe in yourself without second-guessing, and build relationships that feel safe and real.

You’re Trying So Hard to Hold It All Together

You show up, do what’s expected, and try to stay calm and kind. But underneath, it’s a storm. One part of you pushes to be perfect. Another is filled with doubt and shame. Sometimes another part just shuts everything down.

You second-guess everything—what you said, how you acted, whether people secretly dislike you. You worry that people will leave once they see the “real” you.

You want to feel close to others, but it’s hard to trust. You want to believe you’re worthy, but the voice inside tells you otherwise. Your body is always bracing for something bad.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not failing. You’re carrying pain that never got the care it needed. IFS helps you protect and care for those parts of yourself—not to fix them, but to listen, understand, and help them feel safe enough to let go.

Feel Whole, Steady, and More Like You

Imagine waking up and not feeling like you have to brace yourself for the day. The pressure to be perfect softens. The self-doubt quiets. And instead of that constant inner war, there’s a growing sense of peace—like all the parts of you are finally on the same team.

You don’t second-guess every little thing anymore. When that critical voice pops up, it doesn’t take over. You know where it comes from, and you know how to care for it.

You start to feel more grounded in who you are—not because everything is perfect, but because you finally trust yourself to handle it.

In relationships, you feel safer too. You’re able to let people in without losing yourself. You set boundaries without guilt. You start to believe—deep down, not just in your head—that you are worthy of love, exactly as you are.

How IFS Helps

When life teaches you that love isn’t safe, or that your needs don’t matter, your mind finds ways to protect you. Those protective parts can become rigid or reactive—and start to clash.

IFS isn’t about getting rid of your parts. It’s about building relationships with them so all of you feels safe, understood, and cared for.

We start slow. You learn to notice the parts that show up when you’re overwhelmed, shut down, or critical of yourself. You get curious about what they’re protecting you from. And with support, they begin to realize: The danger has passed. You’re safe now. You’re not alone anymore.

Instead of feeling pulled in different directions, you feel more whole. You build self-trust. You stay with yourself through hard emotions. And most of all, you begin to live from a place of compassion and confidence.

Let's Get Started

For a long time, I didn’t trust my emotions—or myself.

Parts of me worked overtime trying to be perfect. Other parts collapsed under shame. I kept people at a distance, even when I longed for closeness, because deep down, I didn’t believe I was lovable.

Healing began when I realized that each of my parts was protecting me in the best way they knew.

IFS taught me how to listen to those parts with compassion—not judgment. And as I did, I felt less fractured, less overwhelmed, and more present.

Now, I help others do the same. You don’t have to be trapped by the pain of the past. Healing is possible—and you don’t have to do it alone.

Hello. I’m Micah Fleitman, LPC.

I offer a holistic approach to healing.

Trauma affects every layer of you—mind, body, emotions, and relationships. That’s why IFS works best when paired with other trauma treatments that care for the whole you.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Let Your Parts Release the Past

Some parts stay trapped in old pain. IFS builds the trust needed for healing, and EMDR helps those parts safely release what they’ve been carrying, freeing you to move forward with more clarity and ease.

Somatic Therapy

Help Your Body Feel Safe

When your body holds fear, it’s hard to feel calm. Somatic Therapy helps release stuck survival responses, allowing your body—and the parts within it—to finally feel safe again.

Trauma-Focused CBT

Shift the Thoughts That Keep You Stuck

Even when you know better, old beliefs like “I’m not good enough” can cling tight. Trauma-Focused CBT helps you gently challenge those patterns and replace them with self-trust and compassion.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Heal Deep Relationship Wounds

Early wounds shape how your parts approach connection. Psychodynamic therapy helps trace those patterns back to their roots, so you can build safer, more authentic relationships now.

Clinical Hypnosis

Calm the Deeper Layers

Some pain lives beyond words. IFS creates internal safety, and Clinical Hypnosis opens the way to hidden layers of hurt—so deeper healing can happen, gently and safely.

You Deserve a Healing Process That Cares for All of You

When we bring these approaches together, healing becomes more than just coping. It becomes coming home to yourself—with peace, self-trust, and the ability to feel safe in your own skin.

What IFS Sessions Look Like

Turning inward can feel scary—especially when you’re used to bracing for pain. IFS meets you gently, at your pace, and with deep respect for your process.

Phase 1: Safety and Stability

We begin by helping you feel safer and in control—within your life, yourself, and the session. This is the foundation of all healing.

In this phase, you’ll:

Get to know your parts (like the critic or the one who shuts down)
Learn grounding tools to help when emotions feel too big
Practice calming techniques like breathwork, visualization, or movement
Build trust—with me and with yourself
Move at a pace that respects your boundaries

This stage is like giving your inner world a chance to exhale. It’s not about “doing the work” yet. It’s about knowing you’re safe enough to start.

Phase 2: Heal the Parts Stuck in the Trauma

Once there’s enough safety, we start exploring the parts of you that carry deeper pain—parts that still live in the pain of the past. This part of the work is never rushed. Instead of reliving trauma, we stay grounded in the present and listen to what your parts are ready to share. You’ll learn to:

Notice when a past wound is being triggered in the present
Gently connect with the parts holding fear, shame, or grief
Understand how those parts are trying to protect you
Offer them compassion and new experiences of safety
Release what’s been held in for too long

Through this process we help each of your parts know: The danger is over. You’re safe now. You’re not alone anymore.

Phase 3: Reconnection and Wholeness

As your parts begin to trust that they don’t have to protect you the same way anymore, your internal world starts to feel more connected and calm. You feel less pulled apart. You feel more like you.

In this phase, you’ll:

Build internal harmony between your parts
Strengthen your identity and values
Rebuild your ability to trust yourself and others
Set boundaries from a place of confidence
Create deeper, safer relationships
Live with more freedom, purpose, and self-compassion

This final stage is about integration—pulling all the threads of healing together so you can live your life not in reaction to the past, but grounded in the present. Free. Whole. Connected.

IFS helps you heal the parts of you that feel overwhelmed, unworthy, or unsafe.

As an Internal Family Systems Therapist in Virginia, I’m here to help you regain emotional control, so you don’t feel hijacked by big feelings or stuck in shutdown.

IFS helps you rebuild self-esteem, by softening the inner critic and reconnecting with your worth. And it helps you heal relationship patterns, so you can feel safe letting others in—without losing yourself.

Here’s how IFS gently supports each of these areas in your life:

Regain Control: Soothe Emotional Overwhelm

When multiple parts react at once, emotions can flood your system. A small trigger might spiral into shame or panic.

IFS helps you:

Stay present and grounded during big emotions
Identify which parts are being activated and why
Understand what each part is trying to protect you from
Soothe those overwhelmed parts
Respond instead of react

Emotions go from controlling you to informing you about your needs and how to meet them.

Rebuild Self-Esteem: End the Inner War

That harsh inner critic isn’t who you are—it’s a part that believes being hard on you will keep you safe.

IFS helps you:

See the critic as a protective part
Get curious about what it’s afraid of
Connect with the younger parts it’s protecting
Offer them care, so the critic doesn’t have to defend them so fiercely
Strengthen the voice of your more authentic, grounded self

Over time, that punishing inner voice shifts into a steady, compassionate confidence rooted deep inside you—and you begin to recognize that you are enough.

Heal Relationships: Feel Safe Letting People In

When your parts carry wounds from past relationships, connection can feel dangerous. You might long for closeness, but push people away without meaning to. IFS gives you the tools to build safety inside yourself first—so connection with others can start to feel safer, too.

IFS helps you:

Identify parts afraid of abandonment or rejection
Build internal safety before reaching for connection
Learn to stay present when intimacy feels scary
Set boundaries that honor both closeness and self-protection
Choose relationships that feel mutual, safe, and nourishing

You don’t have to choose between connection and protection. You can have both.

Try these at-home practices

If you’re working on feeling more grounded and emotionally steady, try the Inner Soothing Ritual below. If you’re focused on rebuilding confidence and quieting self-doubt, start with the Inner Ally Practice. Both exercises are designed to help you connect with the parts of you that need care, using gentle attention and compassion—not pressure or performance.

A Few Minutes Can Make a Difference

You don’t have to spend hours in meditation or deep reflection to feel change. Even a few intentional minutes a day can start to rebuild the connection between your parts and your core self.

Each small moment of compassion adds up.
Each practice is a step toward healing.

Let it be gentle. Let it be enough.

Inner Ally Practice

(For Rebuilding Confidence and Self-Trust)

This exercise helps shift the relationship with your inner critic by introducing a more compassionate voice—the one that wants the best for you.

Here’s how:

Notice the Negative Thought: Bring to mind a belief you often hear inside—something like “I always mess things up” or “I’m too much.”
Find the Protective Part: Ask yourself gently, What part of me believes this? What is it afraid would happen if I didn’t believe this?
Imagine an Inner Ally: Picture a version of yourself who is calm, steady, and kind—or think of someone who would speak to you with love and truth.
Offer a New Message: Let your Inner Ally speak. Try something like: “You’re doing your best, and that’s enough.”

“You are allowed to take up space.”

“It’s okay to not be perfect — you are still worthy.”

Anchor It in the Body: Place your hand on your chest or take a grounding breath as you let the new message settle in.
Repeat Gently: The goal is not to force it—but to practice hearing a new voice, one that supports your healing instead of tearing you down.

Inner Soothing Ritual

(For Emotional Grounding and Regulation)

This practice helps calm the overwhelmed parts of you that react with anxiety, shutdown, or panic. It’s a way to say: I see you. I’m here. We’re safe now.

Here’s how:

Find a Quiet Space: Choose a place where you feel safe and won’t be interrupted. Sit or lie down comfortably.
Notice What You're Feeling: Gently check in with your body. Where are you holding tension, fear, or numbness?
Name the Part: See if you can identify a part of you that feels scared, sad, or shut down. No need to figure it all out—just notice.
Offer Comfort: Place your hand on your heart, your stomach, or wherever that part seems to live. You might say something simple like, “I’m with you.” or “You don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”
Use Gentle Movement: Try swaying slightly, rocking side to side, or tapping your hands gently on your legs to soothe your nervous system.
Breathe and Stay With It: Let yourself linger with that part for a few more breaths. Notice if anything softens, even just a little.