My guest today is Annika O'Melia- a psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety, trauma, and perinatal mental health with adult women. 

Annika quit drinking over 9 years and has four kids under 10, including a set of twin four year olds. 

She hosts the podcast Mother Recovering, originally started to talk about the stigma of being a new mom with addiction issues, which she found even greater than the stigma of new mothers struggling with other mental health issues such as postpartum depression and anxiety. 

In this podcast episode Annika is going to introduce us to a type of therapy known as Internal Family Systems Therapy, which can help you resolve internal conflict and restore harmony. 

Annika’s work is based on the idea that we all have a self that is whole, complete and healthy. And that over the course of our lives as we experience different life situations or traumas, which could be that our parents divorced, childhood abuse, being bullied at school, issues with body image, anxiety, or mental health issues within our family or within ourselves that lead us to experience painful emotions such as anger or shame. 

Annika describes how often we try to protect ourselves from these painful emotions and experiences by using unhelpful coping mechanisms called (in IFS) ‘managers’ and ‘firefighters’.

These coping mechanisms can suppress negative emotions but also can stop us from healing. 

IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How drinking is often used as a coping mechanism to manage anxiety or suppress painful emotions
• What is internal family systems therapy and how it can help you feel more compassion for yourself and live a more peaceful life
• How to experience negative emotions without being overwhelmed or wanting to numb out
• How to resolve internal conflicts within ourselves
• What it means to restore harmony within yourself
• What is EMDR and how can it help you in recovery

About Annika O’Melia

Annika is a psychotherapist and owns her own private practice, Quad City Psychotherapy. She is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston and earned her Masters of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. Annika specializes in the treatment of anxiety, trauma, and perinatal mental health and works primarily with adult women. Annika has been sober for over 9 years and has four kids under 10, including a set of twin four year olds. She’s the host of the Mother Recovering podcast. 

Connect with Annika O’Melia

To find out more information about Annika, visit www.annikaomelia.com

Head over to Instagram to follow Annika at @annikaomelia

Subscribe and listen to her podcast Mother Recovering

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