What is CMI, and how can it help me?

CMI is a therapy approach that helps you process painful or confusing past experiences—especially ones that still feel emotionally “charged” or stuck in your body and mind. These might include moments of trauma, shame, loss, or other overwhelming events that shaped how you see yourself, your relationships, and the world.

Rather than simply talking about what happened, CMI helps you tune into the emotional signals tied to those experiences and gently follow them to the root—the "critical memory" that needs attention and healing.

The goal is to help you make sense of these memories, lessen their emotional grip, and reconnect with your sense of self, values, and wholeness.

What will I get out of this therapy?

With CMI, you can:

• Feel more at peace with painful memories that used to trigger you.

• Gain clarity about how past experiences are shaping your thoughts, behaviors, or relationships now.

• Reconnect with your inner strengths—your ability to observe, feel deeply, act with integrity, and stay steady.

• Restore a sense of flow in your emotions and choices, instead of feeling stuck in fear, shame, or confusion.

What happens in therapy sessions?

Your therapist might:

• Help you “follow the signal” of a strong emotion—like anxiety, sadness, or anger—back to the original experience or unmet need that triggered it.

• Guide you through exercises that make space for healing, such as:

  • Imagery or re-scripting the memory

  • Parts work (dialoguing with different parts of yourself)

  • Narrative processing (telling your story in a way that brings coherence and insight)

  • Somatic awareness (noticing where you feel emotions in your body)

  • Compassionate witnessing—being seen and validated in your pain and resilience

• Support you in reconnecting with your values and inner wisdom, so that even painful experiences can become integrated parts of your story, no longer controlling how you live or relate to others.

CMI helps you gently heal the parts of your past that are still affecting you, so you can feel more connected to yourself, less reactive, and more in charge of your life. It’s not about forgetting your history—it’s about transforming your relationship to it.