Why Observed & Experiential Integration (OEI)?

You’re probably here because you feel stuck.

You can’t seem to get motivated or stay focused or get basic sh!t done.

You might have even had to quit your job because of what your dealing with.

The intrusive thoughts. The intense feeling flashbacks you feel in your body as if the trauma was happening all over again.

You’re not quite sure what’s going on, but whatever it is, you feel a bit lost. Not quite sure who you are anymore.

You go back and forth between feeling numb, hopeless, low and triggered AF, panic attacks and sometimes super alert, like something bad is about to happen.

You might feel dissociated from your sense of self, your body, your surroundings, you feel kinda empty – just a shell of the vibrant person you used to be.

It feels like you just can’t shake the past, the intrusive thoughts are leading more and more to rumination (waaay overthinking) and starting to affect other parts of your life.

It’s beginning to affect your relationships, work, [insert an important area of your life here].

People don’t seem safe. The world doesn’t seem safe.

You avoid things. You avoid people.

You sometimes have a hard time even getting out of bed and getting dressed.

Maybe you’ve lost your joy and interest in things you used to love.

And things are getting worse, not better.

You’re starting to make bad decisions.

This is because time does not heal all wounds.

Not with trauma.

Can OEI Therapy Help Common Symptoms of Trauma?

Some of the common symptoms of dissociation are:

• Panic, rage/conflict, anxiety, shame, confusion, or agitated depression
• Headaches, visual distortions, dizziness
• Physical disturbances such as chest compression/hyperventilation, nausea, & throat constriction
• Negative self-talk, shame, and low self-esteem
• Emotional dysregulation and urges to self-harm
• Transference reactions that interfere with therapy (fear, anger, avoidance, distrust)

What is Observed Experiential Integration (OEI) Therapy?

Observed Experiential Integration (OEI) therapy is a trauma-focused approach that uses eye positioning, visual pathways, and bilateral stimulation to integrate brain hemispheres. This process helps reduce anxiety, PTSD symptoms, and emotional distress by allowing individuals to reprocess traumatic experiences and move forward from feeling stuck.

Observed Experiential Integration (OEI) is a specialized trauma therapy that helps individuals process, resolve, and heal from traumatic experiences.

Unlike traditional talk therapy, OEI focuses on integrating the brain and body to address the effects of trauma in the most gentle and effective way, and less re-traumatizing than other therapies such as EMDR or traditional talk therapy.

What is The Science Behind OEI?

OEI therapy is an evidence-backed approach based in neuroscience that uses visual pathways to integrate both sides of the brain, reducing anxiety and trauma symptoms by processing and resolving traumatic memories.

Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of OEI therapy and hypnotherapy in reducing PTSD symptoms.

Observed Experiential Integration therapy is a holistic approach that has evolved from EMDR therapy. OEI has been used for over a decade, combining elements of psychotherapy, body-based therapies, neurophysiology, and mindfulness practices.

How does OEI Therapy work?

Observed Experiential Integration therapy uses specific techniques, such as covering or uncovering one eye at a time while tracking movements with the other. This process activates both sides of the brain (hemispheres) and engages the visual pathways to help the brain process traumatic memories that keep you feeling stuck and triggered.

OEI allows individuals to release emotional and physical distress associated with trauma without needing to relive or recount the painful event. Instead they experience a safe, gentle space for healing from the past so they can move forward with the future.

What Can OEI Help With?

OEI has been used to address a wide range of psychological and emotional issues:

• Psychological trauma
• PTSD
• Anxiety
• Phobias
• Depression
• Sexual assault
• Childhood abuse and trauma
• Eating disorders
• Negative self-talk
• Relationship conflicts
• Self-esteem problems
• Compulsions
• Agitated depression
• Body dysmorphia
• Dissociation
• Substance use
• Anything that makes you feel “stuck” or “stirred up” will usually benefit from OEI treatment.

Is OEI backed by research?

Yes. In a 2014 randomized clinical trial published in Traumatology, three one-hour OEI sessions reduced PTSD symptoms more than in a wait-list group. Read the research →

Everyone heals at their own pace. Many clients feel a significant shift after one session; others need several.

Meet Liana West, MSc., Certified OEI Therapist

Liana West helps people who feel stuck in trauma finally put it into the past, without having to relive it.

Her path to this work started with her own experience of betrayal trauma and trauma bonding. She knows from the inside what it’s like to understand exactly why you’re hurting and still feel triggered every day. That experience led her to study the brain and to look for methods that work with the nervous system, not just the thinking mind.

Today Liana combines OEI with EMDR Flash, brainspotting and Accelerated Hypnotherapy, choosing what fits each client. Her clients are often professionals, entrepreneurs and creatives who’ve tried talk therapy and still feel stuck. Many come to her after betrayal, workplace trauma or years of anxiety.

She has guided private clients in thousands of one-on-one sessions. She sees clients in Vancouver, BC and online worldwide.

Liana was featured in The Best Vancouver’s 2026 review of the city’s Best Hypnotherapists and Waterview Vancouver 2025 & 2026 reviews of Vancouver’s Top 4 Hypnotherapists for Healing, Growth, and Lasting Change.

Training and Credentials

• Certified OEI Therapist – Level II
• EMDR Flash Technique (Eye Movement & Desensitization Reprocessing)
• Accelerated Hypnotherapy
• Accelerated Brainspotting (Neurological Experiential Integration)
• Certified Trauma Specialist – American Hypnosis Association
• Master’s in Neuroscience (Hons)
• Master of Science, Online Teaching and Learning, Cal State

What happens in an OEI session with Liana

1. Free clarity call (30 min). We talk about what’s going on and whether OEI is a fit. If it is Liana will design a personalized program for you.
2. First session. You name what you want to feel differently. You don’t need to describe the trauma.
3. The eye work. We work with your eyes while Liana watches for subtle movements and guides you through them, calmly and at your pace.
4. Integration. We close with grounding so you leave feeling calm in your mind and body. Many people feel significant shifts in the first session.

Therapy takes time but transformation doesn’t have to.

Clients feeling stuck in trauma can get rapid results with Accelerated OEI (Observed & Experiential Integration) and EMDR Flash Technique (Rapid Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).

Liana’s safe and gentle method of trauma recovery has helped private clients transform fear and anxiety, release intrusive memories, and rebuild safety, using technologies grounded in neuroscience, without ever having to talk about disturbing, traumatic memories.

You don’t have to remember to recover.

Liana’s Accelerated OEI and neuroscience-backed approaches help professionals, entrepreneurs and creatives process trauma without digging up the painful past.

She guides clients through her Calm, Connect, Complete, and Create™ Matrix to move from fear and anxiety to hope, peace and new possibilities in their lives.

Her clients include professionals rebuilding after years or decades of trauma, executives breaking free of anxiety loops, and entrepreneurs ready to grow their impact. She works with OEI trauma therapy, Accelerated Hypnotherapy and EMDR Flash, all grounded in how the brain changes and heals.

Why talking about it hasn’t worked

Many trauma survivors find Liana after they’ve tried everything and nothing has worked.

Logic can’t fix your feelings.

That’s not because you haven’t tried hard enough. You can’t think your way out of trauma. It’s held deep in your body and nervous system.

If you could have solved it with your conscious mind, you probably would have already.

When trauma gets stuck, your brain plays the memory on repeat. Talking about the past can be like trying to put out a fire by pouring gasoline on it, and it can leave you feeling more triggered than when you started.

A different way to heal

Liana’s Calm, Connect, Complete, and Create™ method brings together OEI, EMDR, bilateral stimulation and current trauma and PTSD research. It’s shaped by thousands of hours of one-on-one trauma work, and it works with what’s happening in your brain and body, not against it.

The real evidence is in how clients feel. Many notice a change after their first session: less triggered, sleeping better, trusting themselves again. Everyone heals at their own pace, and some people need several sessions.

Clients rediscover peace, hope, safety and their authentic sense of self, often in weeks, not years.

Ready to get unstuck?

If you’ve tried everything and still feel stuck in intense trauma patterns, take the next small step. In a free Clarity Session we can talk about what’s going on and whether this work is right for you.

You’re just one session away.

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