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Therapy Approaches

I offer a small number of carefully chosen therapeutic approaches, grounded in trauma-informed practice and neurobiological understanding. Therapy is not one-size-fits-all; the approach is selected from my own personal work, and collaboratively, we find the best therapy for you. You may wish to try a range of modalities to assess what feels best. 

Key Takeaways: Choosing the Right Therapy

  • Both top-down therapies (that work with the upper and mid-level brain) and bottom-up therapy (deep brain) approaches are helpful. 
  • Traditional talking therapies can be help, but trauma often requires approaches that work with the body and deep from the nervous system.
  • Trauma-informed approaches such as DBR, IFS, and EMDR are designed to work gently, but also deeply. 
  • Healing is not one-size-fits-all—therapy is chosen collaboratively and may evolve over time.

Choosing the Right Therapeutic Approach

From my own personal work, I have come to believe that everyone’s nervous system responds to different therapy approaches. 

But when trauma was deeply encoded- for instance people say: I don’t where this comes from! I don’t have a root cause for this reaction. This means trauma don’t just live in the upper brain. Much of the deeply patterned responses develop long before conscious awareness. Modern body-centred trauma therapies aim to work gently and safely with these deeper layers.

My role is to offer an initial assessment and offer suitable therapy options. I will provide context, choices, and an explanation of each modality. 

Core Therapy Approaches

Below are the main therapeutic approaches I use in my practice. Each has a distinct focus, and they are often integrated thoughtfully rather than used in isolation.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

A compassionate, parts-based approach that helps heal inner conflicts shaped by trauma, attachment, and life experience.

EMDR Therapy

A structured, evidence-based therapy that supports the brain to reprocess distressing and traumatic memories safely.

Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)

A neurobiologically informed therapy working with early threat and shock responses beneath conscious awareness.

An Integrative, Trauma-Informed Approach

My work is grounded in trauma-informed psychiatric practice and over 25 years of clinical experience. I work creatively and intuitively to help my clients resolve deeply encoded experiences. Safety, consent, pacing, and collaboration are central to this process.

Booking a Consultation

If you are considering therapy and would like to explore whether working together feels right, you are welcome to book a confidential consultation. This provides space to discuss your concerns, your history, and possible next steps in a supportive and contained way.

Book a Consultation →

About Dr. Millia

Dr. Millia BegumThe image is of Dr. Millia Begum—a Certified IFS therapist in Dubai is a trained trauma specialist with over 25 years of clinical experience in psychiatry and therapy. She trained in the UK’s NHS system and served the NHS in various senior roles.

She is a former EMDR Europe Approved Consultant, EMDR researcher, and board member of the EMDR Association UK. She is now a member of the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA).

Dr. Millia is a Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist, bringing a compassionate, parts-informed approach to her work with clients in Dubai.