Observed and Experiential Integration Therapy Calgary
In Calgary and ONLINE across Alberta
Are you feeling constantly on edge, stuck in high alert, or unable to fully relax — even when you know you’re safe. Are you caught in a cycle of stress, overwhelm, or shutdown that’s hard to break? Maybe you have tried talk therapy and gained insight into why, but you still feel stuck with all these feelings inside no matter how much you’ve worked to understand it? Observed and Experiential Integration (OEI) Therapy Calgary offers a powerful approach to healing that integrates mind and body to create lasting change. Observed and Experiential Integration Therapy Calgary offers a powerful approach to healing that integrates mind and body to create lasting change.
What is Observed and Experiential Integration Therapy?
Observed and Experiential Integration Therapy is a powerful, holistic approach that addresses the physical and emotional aspects of nervous system dysregulation, trauma, anxiety, and dissociation.
OEI gently guides you to notice and work with what’s happening in your body and mind in the moment so you can safely process emotions , release stuck sensations and patterns in the body to create lasting healing from the inside out.
Developed by Canadian therapists Dr. Rick Bradshaw and Audrey Cook, this innovative approach uses principles of interpersonal neurobiology to address how trauma is stored in the body and mind. By integrating sensory experiences with emotional processing, OEI helps clients process difficult memories and develop new, healthier patterns.
How OEI Therapy Works
Observed and Experiential (OEI) Therapy engages the brain and body's natural capacity for healing. OEI uses a combination of mindfulness practices, experiential techniques, somatic awareness, and is a gentle trauma-informed approach to therapy. It works by integrating emotional and sensory experiences using experiential and bilateral eye movement techniques to process emotional distress and unresolved trauma. This innovative approach is particularly effective for individuals dealing with:
Anxiety and Panic
Chronic Stress
PTSD, Complex Trauma and Childhood Trauma
Emotional Regulation Difficulties
Self-Confidence Issues
Relationship Issues
Work-Related Burnout
Physical Manifestations of Emotional Distress
As a therapist with expertise in Observed and Experiential Integration (OEI) Therapy, I combine careful observation with body-based processing techniques to help you calm anxiety, release emotional distress and heal trauma stuck in your body. OEI can help you integrate experiences that may have been overwhelming or difficult to process previously.
OEI Therapy can help you work through a wide range of emotional and psychological challenges. It offers benefits for individuals struggling with trauma, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation, helping you feel lighter, more grounded, and more in control of your life.
Benefits of OEI Therapy for Trauma and Anxiety
Trauma
OEI Therapy offers a safe, supportive space to gently process and heal the impact of past trauma — and has shown promise in helping individuals move forward from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Anxiety
If you find yourself stuck in a cycle of stress and anxiety and unable to relax — OEI Therapy can help. OEI works with both your mind and body to gently shift you out of the chronic fight-or-flight state that so many of my clients live in. Through powerful experiential techniques — like guided eye positioning and somatic body-based awareness — OEI helps calm your nervous system and release stored tension, so you can finally feel more grounded and at ease.
Many clients notice meaningful shifts, including:
âś” A calmer, more relaxed body
âś” Improved emotional regulation
âś” Better stress management
âś” Less internal criticism
âś” More ease in situations that used to trigger anxiety
✔ Feeling less trapped by overwhelming emotions — with more space to breathe and respond
If you’ve done talk therapy and still feel like anxiety is taking over your body — OEI offers a powerful next step toward lasting relief
Enhancing Emotional Regulation
OEI Therapy helps clients develop greater emotional awareness and regulation skills. Through mindful observation of thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, clients learn to recognize emotional patterns and respond more effectively to challenging situations.
OEI Therapy helps clients develop deeper body-based emotional regulation by calming the nervous system and helping clients move from fight, flight, freeze, or fawn into a more regulated parasympathetic state. OEI lays the groundwork for emotional stability.
increasing emotional awareness, and facilitating safe processing of difficult emotions without overwhelm.
This improved emotional regulation creates a foundation for responding to life's challenges with greater balance, resilience, and self-compassion.
My Approach to OEI Therapy
As an experienced therapist in Calgary specializing in Observed and Experiential Integration Therapy, I bring a compassionate, collaborative and client-centred. I create a safe, culturally sensitive space where clients can explore their experiences without judgment.
Integrated Therapeutic Approaches
To maximize the benefits of therapy, I tailor my approach to each client’s unique needs—often integrating OEI with other evidence-based methods to support their individual healing journey.
EMDR Therapy
As a Certified EMDR therapist affiliated with EMDR Canada and EMDRIA, I combine the power of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing with OEI techniques. EMDR is particularly effective for processing traumatic memories and reducing their emotional charge.
Trauma Informed Stabilization Therapy (TIST)
TIST is an Internal Family Systems Informed “Parts Work”Therapy which views the mind as naturally multiple, consisting of sub-personalities or "parts" that can become extreme or wounded by trauma. By integrating IFS Informed principles with OEI, I help clients identify and heal wounded parts, creating greater internal harmony.
This integrative approach allows me to tailor treatment to your unique needs and challenges, drawing from a range of effective therapies to support your healing journey.
The OEI Therapy Process
Initial Assessment and Goal Setting
Your journey with OEI Therapy begins with a comprehensive assessment to understand your specific challenges and establish clear therapeutic goals. I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation, followed by a 50-minute intake session where we explore your history, current difficulties, and goals for therapy.
This initial phase is crucial for developing a personalized treatment plan that addresses your unique needs. Together we’ll create a roadmap for our work together that respects your pace and priorities.
The Therapeutic Journey
OEI Therapy sessions typically occur weekly or biweekly, depending on your needs and goals. Each session builds on previous work, with a focus on developing greater awareness, processing difficult experiences, and building new skills.
During sessions, I guide you through experiential exercises designed to facilitate emotional processing and healing. These may include:
Mindfulness practices to develop present-moment awareness
Targeted eye position techniques to access and process difficult experiences
Somatic body awareness exercises to release stored tension
Integration of insights and new understandings
Between sessions, you may receive homework assignments or practices to help reinforce and extend the work we do together, supporting lasting change and continued growth.
Creating Lasting Change
The ultimate goal of OEI Therapy is to create lasting change that extends beyond the therapy room into all aspects of your life. By addressing root causes rather than just managing symptoms, OEI helps you develop a new relationship with yourself and others.
Many clients report significant transformations, including:
Greater self-acceptance and compassion
Increased ability to stay present during emotional discomfort
Less reactivity to trauma triggers and past emotional pain
Improved relationships and communication skills
Reduced impact of past traumas on current functioning
Increased resilience in the face of life's challenges
More authentic connection with themselves and other
Who Benefits from OEI Therapy?
While OEI Therapy can help a wide range of individuals, I specialize in working with women who look like they have it all together but they struggle internally with anxiety, self-doubt, emotional pain, and often have unresolved trauma.
I also specialize in supporting helping professionals (nurses, teachers, social workers) and those in high-stress careers who struggle with burnout, their own trauma, witnessing trauma and limiting beliefs while often juggling numerous responsibilities.
If you find yourself overwhelmed by the same old struggles day after day despite your best efforts, OEI Therapy may provide the breakthrough you've been seeking.
Combining OEI with Other Effective Therapies
As part of my commitment to providing comprehensive care, I integrate several evidence-based approaches alongside OEI:
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems IFS provides a compassionate framework for understanding how different parts of ourselves respond to trauma and stress. By combining Family Systems IFS with OEI, we can address both the psychological and physiological aspects of your challenges.
This integration helps clients develop greater self-understanding and compassion for all parts of themselves, even those that may seem problematic at first glance.
Working with Life Transitions
OEI Therapy can be particularly helpful during life transitions when old patterns may be activated. Whether you're navigating career changes, relationship shifts, health challenges, or other significant life events, OEI provides tools for processing the emotional aspects of transition and finding new possibilities.
Beginning Your OEI Therapy Journey in Calgary
If you're considering Observed and Experiential Integration Therapy Calgary as part of your healing journey, here's how to get started:
Starting the Process
Taking that first step into therapy can be hard - I'm here to make the process as easy as possible. I offer in-person sessions in Calgary as well as secure online therapy options.
The intake process is simple and can be completed from the comfort of your own home. After our initial consultation, we'll schedule a 50-minute intake session to begin our work together.
What to Expect in Sessions
I schedule sessions on a weekly or biweekly basis, depending on your needs and goals. Consistent attendance is important, especially when doing the deep work of addressing core issues.
To support lasting change, I may offer between-session practices to help you apply insights and skills in your everyday life. My focus is on providing effective therapy that respects your busy life while helping you develop genuine confidence, calm, and clarity.
Investing in Your Healing Journey
Therapy represents an investment in your well-being and future quality of life. I encourage you to reach out during our consultation to discuss session fees and scheduling information.
Many clients find that the benefits of effective therapy extend far beyond the therapy room, impacting relationships, work performance, and overall quality of life. The tools and insights gained through OEI Therapy can continue to serve you long after our work together has concluded.
Transform Your Relationship with Yourself Through OEI Therapy
Observed and Experiential Integration Therapy Calgary offers a path to healing that honors both mind and body. OEI helps you integrate and resolve distressing emotions and traumatic memories so that you can develop a new relationship with yourself—one of compassion, clarity, and confidence.
If you're ready to move beyond temporary coping strategies to create real and lasting change, I invite you to explore how OEI Therapy can support your journey. Together, we'll work to transform your relationship with yourself and create a more balanced, fulfilling life.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact me today to schedule your free 15-minute consultation and take the first step toward healing. Whether you're struggling with anxiety, trauma, or simply feeling stuck in old patterns, OEI Therapy offers a powerful approach to creating the life you deserve.
You don’t have to live life feeling trapped by anxiety.