lifespan integration
lifespan integration
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appropriate for all ages
appropriate for all ages
Lifespan Integration (LI) helps the brain connect memories and experiences that may have become separated or “stuck” in the nervous system. By repeatedly moving through a timeline of memories while staying grounded in the present, the brain has an opportunity to link past experiences with present-day safety and resources. Over time, this can help old memories become more integrated, so they are less likely to trigger the same intense emotional or physical responses in the present.
LI includes several different protocols, each developed to address different ways that past experiences can continue to affect a person's emotions, body, relationships, and sense of self. Jodi will choose the LI protocol based on your child's history, current symptoms, developmental needs, and treatment goals. All LI protocols use repetitions of a personal timeline to help the brain and body integrate experiences across time.
Read more about each protocol below.
baseline protocol
baseline protocol
purpose:
purpose:
To calm the nervous system and help the body recognize safety in the present.
how it works:
how it works:
The Baseline protocol starts by noticing what the child feels in their body—tightness, worry, heaviness—and then guiding them through a simple timeline of their life using neutral or positive memories. This sequence helps the child’s brain understand, “I’ve grown, time has passed, and I am safe now.”
best for:
best for:
● anxiety
● emotional overwhelm
● difficulty settling or regulating
● kids and teens new to li
● general nervous system stabilization
The baseline protocol builds the foundation for deeper work later.
The baseline protocol builds the foundation for deeper work later.
birth to present protocol
birth to present protocol
purpose:
purpose:
To support integration and healing from early-life experiences, including those children do not consciously remember.
To support integration and healing from early-life experiences, including those children do not consciously remember.
How it works:
How it works:
The therapist leads the child through a structured sequence starting at birth and moving year by year to the present. Even if a child can’t recall early events, reviewing the lifespan in order helps the brain develop continuity and a felt sense of safety. This often brings healing to early disruptions or stressful beginnings.
The therapist leads the child through a structured sequence starting at birth and moving year by year to the present. Even if a child can’t recall early events, reviewing the lifespan in order helps the brain develop continuity and a felt sense of safety. This often brings healing to early disruptions or stressful beginnings.
Best for:
Best for:
● Foster/adoptive histories
● Foster/adoptive histories
● NICU stay or early medical complications
● NICU stay or early medical complications
● Early separation from caregivers
● Early separation from caregivers
● Difficult pregnancies or births
● Difficult pregnancies or births
● Children with “early anxiety” or no clear event that started it
● Children with “early anxiety” or no clear event that started it
This protocol strengthens a child’s internal sense of self from the ground up.
This protocol strengthens a child’s internal sense of self from the ground up.
ptsd protocol
ptsd protocol
Purpose:
Purpose:
To gently process overwhelming, frightening, or traumatic events that the body has not yet integrated.
How it works:
How it works:
This protocol is similar to the Standard, but the therapist works in shorter, carefully paced steps to ensure the child stays regulated. The focus is on reducing the “fight/flight/freeze” response stuck in the body. The memory is approached very gently—never in detail—and the timeline helps the nervous system recognize that the danger is over.
Best for:
Best for:
● Car accidents
● Severe medical trauma
● Threatening or frightening events
● Abuse or violence (processed appropriately for age and safety)
● High-intensity trauma where the body still reacts strongly
This protocol is paced slowly, safely, and with careful regulation.
This protocol is paced slowly, safely, and with careful regulation.
standard protocol
standard protocol
purpose:
purpose:
To help the brain and body heal from painful or confusing experiences that still feel “stuck.”
how it works:
how it works:
The child briefly brings up an experience that still affects them—without going into detail. The therapist helps the child notice how this memory feels in their body, then guides them through a reparative imaginal experience with a sense of being protected, supported, rescued, heard, and cared for in relation to the earlier experience. The client is then guided through their timeline to show the brain that time has passed and the child is now safe and older. The feelings in the body update to the present, which reduces emotional charge around the memory.
best for:
best for:
● mild to moderate trauma
● medical experiences
● school incidents
● parent separation
● bullying situations
● “small t” trauma or lingering stress
The Standard protocol helps the brain put the past in the past.
The Standard protocol helps the brain put the past in the past.
Relationship Protocol
Relationship Protocol
Purpose:
Purpose:
To repair or strengthen attachment and connection with a key caregiver.
How it works:
How it works:
This protocol uses the child’s timeline alongside images that highlight connection, care, and support from the caregiver. It helps the child’s body experience the caregiver as safe, consistent, and emotionally available. The focus is not on fixing behavior but improving the child’s internal experience of the relationship.
Best for:
Best for:
● Parent-child conflict
● Adoption or foster transitions
● Separation or reunification
● Kids who pull away or shut down
● Kids who are clingy, anxious, or fearful in relationships
This protocol improves trust, closeness, and felt safety in the child-caregiver bond.
This protocol improves trust, closeness, and felt safety in the child-caregiver bond.
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