Integrative Body Psychotherapy (IBP) for Anxiety, Overwhelm, and Emotional Patterns That Won’t Shift
A Nervous-System-Focused Approach for Anxiety, Overwhelm, and Reactivity
What Is Integrative Body Psychotherapy (IBP)?
Integrative Body Psychotherapy (IBP) is a form of therapy that recognizes a simple truth:
Most of our emotional reactions don’t start in our thoughts; they start in our bodies.
If you’ve ever said:
“I know better, but I still react”
“I understand where this comes from, but it doesn’t change”
“I can explain it, but I can’t feel calm in the moment”
IBP helps bridge that gap.
Instead of focusing only on insight or talking through problems, IBP works directly with the nervous system, emotional patterns, and relational dynamics that drive your reactions, often outside of conscious awareness.
How IBP Is Different From Traditional Talk Therapy
Many people come to therapy already highly self-aware.
They’ve read the books. They understand their childhood. They know why they struggle.
IBP is for when insight alone isn’t enough.
In IBP, we pay attention to:
How your body responds in real time
Where emotions show up physically
What happens between us in the therapy room
How old relational patterns quietly replay themselves now
These moments give us access to the places where change actually happens.
Why IBP Is Especially Helpful for Anxiety & Overwhelm
Anxiety isn’t just worry; it’s a nervous system that doesn’t know how to stand down.
Many of the parents and adults I work with don’t feel anxious all the time. Instead, they notice:
sudden irritability or snapping
shutting down or withdrawing
feeling overstimulated, tense, or on edge
emotional reactions that feel out of proportion
exhaustion from constantly holding it together
IBP works directly with these patterns by helping your nervous system build capacity, safety, and flexibility, so anxiety doesn’t have to run the show.
This is especially important during:
pregnancy or postpartum transitions
early parenting
relationship stress
identity shifts or major life changes
IBP isn’t a technique I add on. It’s the lens through which I understand behavior, emotional patterns, and meaningful change, and it’s woven throughout my work with individuals, parents, and couples.
What IBP Helps With
IBP is especially helpful if you experience:
chronic anxiety or emotional overwhelm
feeling stuck in familiar relationship patterns
strong reactions you can’t seem to control
burnout, shutdown, or constant tension in your body
parenting or partnership triggers that feel bigger than the moment
a sense of being “fine” on the outside while struggling internally
Rather than pushing emotions away or trying to think your way out of them, IBP helps you stay present, build capacity, and respond with more choice over time.
What Sessions Are Like
IBP sessions are:
Collaborative, warm, and grounded
Emotionally attuned and relational
Slow enough to notice what’s happening beneath the surface
Direct when needed, gentle when required
Sometimes we talk.
Sometimes we pause.
Sometimes we notice what your body is doing before words arrive.
This isn’t about fixing you.
It’s about creating enough safety for your system to do something new.
Who IBP Is For
IBP may be a good fit if you:
Feel done repeating old patterns
Want to respond instead of react
Are tired of “coping” and want real change
Want therapy that works at the nervous-system level
Are navigating parenting, relationships, or identity shifts that feel destabilizing
There is nothing wrong with you.
Your system learned what it needed to survive, and it can learn something different now.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions *
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IBP is body-informed, but it’s also deeply relational. We pay attention not only to sensations and emotions, but to how patterns show up between us in real time, especially in moments of stress or disconnection.
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No. We follow what’s present. Sometimes we talk. Sometimes we slow down. Sometimes we notice what your body is doing as emotions arise. There’s no pressure to do anything a certain way.
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IBP helps you notice reactions as they’re happening, build nervous-system flexibility, and respond with more choice, which directly impacts how you show up in relationships and parenting.
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Not necessarily. While early experiences matter, IBP focuses on what’s happening in the present moment, especially how patterns show up now, so change can happen in real time.