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Briana Damavandi, LCSW | Somatic & Trauma Specialist

@the.holistic.emdr.therapist

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EMDRIA Approved Consultant
C/PTSD • Grief • Infertility + Perinatal Loss
🌿 EMDR | Somatic | Parts Work
📍LA | We laugh here too

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Hi, I’m Briana — and I’m honored you’re here.
I’m a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), Certified EMDR Therapist & Consultant, and a trauma and somatic specialist. I have been in this field for the past 10 years 🤍

My approach blends science and soul — trauma-informed therapy grounded in nervous system work, attachment theory, and Torah wisdom.

I work with individuals and couples navigating:

C-PTSD, trauma, anxiety, infertility/pregnancy loss, grief, or dissociation
Religious identity, spiritual disconnection, or inner child/parts work
A desire to feel safe in their body and whole in their soul again
Release the pain of the past

I’m also a certified trauma informed yoga teacher, and incorporate somatic practices into therapy, including sound bath, breath work, and art therapy.

📍Virtual for CA residents
📍In-person sessions available in Los Angeles
🧠 I also offer EMDR consultation and supervision for therapists

✨ You are not broken. You are returning to your wholeness.

🕊 Let’s begin — link in bio to book or connect.

#EMDRTherapy
#EMDR
#TraumaHealing
#MentalHealthAwareness
#PTSDRecovery
#jewishtherapist
#torah
#jewishwisdom
#tikun
#SomaticTherapy
#SomaticHealing
#NervousSystemRegulation
#Embodiment
#TraumaInformed by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

Will be in touch!

Take care and talk soon,

Bri by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

The challenge is we are missing nuance in these articles.

The article The Body Does Not Keep the Score by Kotler, Mannino, Fox, & Friston (2026) argues that trauma isn’t stored in the body but is a prediction disorder.

Their main point is that trauma isn’t literally stored in your muscles or tissues. Instead, your brain gets stuck in a pattern where it’s constantly predicting danger, and your body reacts to those signals such as racing heart, tense shoulders, that frozen feeling. That part makes sense.

But here’s what I disagree with: they’re saying the body doesn’t store trauma, but then they’re still treating the brain and body like separate things. That’s the same mind-body split they’re critiquing.

Your whole system, brain and body working together, gets stuck in survival mode. It’s not about storage or just prediction. It’s about flexibility. Your nervous system loses the ability to shift between “safe” and “threat.” And that’s exactly what trauma therapy works with.

In the next video, I’m diving into why this the article is bringing very important discussions up in the trauma field and why we should be talking about this.

#emdrtherapist #traumatherapist #traumatherapy #neurosciences #traumahealing by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

It's wild to me how CBT is still a therapy that people think is effective at treating trauma. Sure there are parts of CBT that I will use with clients, but anyone with trauma and particularly complex trauma need a therapist who specializes in trauma and is truly trauma informed. One of the most effective therapies is EMDR.

But when it comes to complex trauma, we have to bring in parts work, whether you do IFS (internal family systems) or ego state work we have to work with these younger parts who are hurt and showing up.

And we absolutely have to work with the body. We will dig more into this, but long story short we absolutely have to be bringing the body into treatment through somatic psychotherapies.

This is the combination that I have found to be the most effective treatment for complex trauma. As an EMDRIA approved consultant, the specialty and nuance is what I love talking about with EMDR therapists for consultation and supervision.

Did you ever have this experience?

#cptsd #ptsd #traumainformed #emdrtherapist #traumainformed by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

To my current and past clients:

Grateful and honored everyday to be able to walk alongside you on your healing journey.

When it came to this beautiful career, Hashem knew where I needed to be before I even did.

#emdrtherapist #jewishtherapist #trauma #traumatherapist #therapistofinstagram by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

Let’s talk all things BLS

When you experience trauma, the memory gets stuck because your nervous system and brain continue to replay the threat in order to keep you safe. Bilateral stimulation (tapping, eye movements, alternating sound, tossing a ball, walking, etc) activates both sides of your brain at the same time. This lets your thinking brain and your emotional brain communicate while the memory is active.

Here’s the science: your brain has limited working memory, the space where you hold and process information. When you’re thinking about a traumatic memory and following bilateral movement at the same time, you’re taxing that working memory. With less capacity available, the traumatic image loses some of its grip. Its vividness decreases. That creates the space for your brain to actually process what was stuck.

The method doesn’t matter. Tapping. Eye movements. Drumming. Drawing. Pick what your nervous system responds to. It works in EMDR because that’s how our brains naturally process.

And here’s a fun way to make BLS more accessible: attach puppets or stuffed eyes to a buzzer so they vibrate during the process. It works for kids and adults alike!

Love the ones from @christinemarkgriffin @emdrforkids

#emdr #emdrtherapist #emdrtherapy #emdrforkids #bilateralstimulation by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

Finally got around to new business cards. I honestly thought we’d ditched these in the virtual age, but I can’t count how many times I’m asked for them. So here we are, back to paper. 🤪

Grateful doesn’t even cover it for this career, this practice, and everyone who shows up with their whole selves. Thank you Hashem🙏🏼

#emdr #emdrtherapist #somatictherapy #therapistofinstagram #jewishtherapist by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

One of the most rewarding parts of being an EMDR therapist is reaching this moment with a client. The target we’ve been working on, the worst memory they’ve ever carried, the one that’s caused so much distress, finally sits at a zero. The positive belief is installed. The body scan comes back clear, nothing left holding tension anywhere. We’ve walked through the future template, stage eight, imagining what triggers might come and watching them navigate it with ease.

The target is closed. We’re ready to move to the next one.

But first, we pause here. We take the time to celebrate this win, because relief like this deserves to be felt, not rushed past.

#EMDR #EMDRtherapy #traumatherapy #therapistsofinstagram #somatichealing by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

What's your favorite one?

It's kind of chic to change the game, to change how you show up, and change the dynamics within your family.

You can't change any of them but when you learn to overcome your triggers and resolve your past traumas, it's amazing how that will change how you show up and ultimately shift dynamics through healthy boundaries.

What's your favorite?

#cyclebreaker #healing #traumahealing #traumatherapy #emdr by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

Rambo would love to hear wrong answers only in the caption😂

What's really beautiful about parts work is that we get to invite and work with the part that needs some love, nurturing and support.

The more we can work with this part and bring them into the present the more integrated they will become and not come out as often.

This is how we start to work with these wounded parts that often will show up.

#partswork #egostate #emdr #therapist #ifs by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

Behind every Therapist is a team of amazing therapists who help support, collaborate, and consult to make sure each client is getting the best of care.

We truly love the work that we get to do and it's an honor to be able to walk alongside you on your healing journey.

Shout out to my favorite group of Therapists.

We're so grateful to be able to do what we do and we know that You Do got this🤍🤍

#therapists #traumatherapist #emdrtherapist #therapistofinstagram #yougotthis❤️ by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist

Even if you met 30 seconds ago - when you’ve both been through it, there’s no need for niceties ☺️

#fertility #friends #smalltalk #infertility #ivf by @the.holistic.emdr.therapist