Erika Baum, M.A., LPCC, NCC

Trauma Therapist | EMDR & IFS | Ketamine Therapy | For the Deep, the Driven, and the Spiritually Curious

For nearly 20 years, I sat in talk therapy—week after week, pouring out my story—yet no one ever named what I was really carrying: complex trauma. I worked hard, but I never received the kind of care that truly helped. That frustration became my fire: to make sure my clients don’t have to go through the same cycle of effort without progress.

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My life has been a tapestry of both hardship and ease. ​The benefit of these life challenges is that they’ve given me a unique perspective on pain, suffering, and the long, nonlinear process of healing. They’ve shaped me into the therapist I am today and allowed me to live my purpose: helping others find their own way toward wholeness.

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I am also a spiritual person. I practice Buddhism and walk as a Jesus follower. Both traditions guide me to hold compassion, humility, and what Buddhists call “not-knowing”—a stance of openness that reminds me I can never know the perfect answer for someone else. What I can do is help guide you closer to your own inner wisdom, so you can make choices that are right for you.

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I love animals deeply—they’ve been some of my greatest teachers in living simply, loving freely, and being fully present. And I often lean on stories that help me hold perspective about life and healing:

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• The Two Wolves: An old story tells of a grandfather who explained to his grandson that inside each person are two wolves. One wolf is anger, envy, greed, and fear. The other is kindness, compassion, generosity, and love. The grandson asked, “Which wolf wins?” The grandfather replied, “The one you feed.” For me, healing is about learning to feed the wolf of compassion and love.

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• The Blind Men and the Elephant: In this parable, several blind men each touch a different part of an elephant—one touches the leg and says it’s a tree trunk, another touches the tail and says it’s a rope, another touches the ear and says it’s a fan. Each believes he has the truth, but none sees the whole picture. To me, this is a reminder that each of us only sees part of reality—and that humility and curiosity are essential in healing.

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• The Farmer’s Story: There’s also the story of a farmer whose horse runs away. His neighbors say, “What bad luck!” The farmer replies, “Who knows if it’s good or bad?” The next day the horse returns, bringing several wild horses. The neighbors cheer, “What good luck!” The farmer again says, “Who knows if it’s good or bad?” Later, the farmer’s son tries to ride one of the wild horses, falls, and breaks his leg. The neighbors mourn, “What bad luck!” Once again, the farmer replies, “Who knows if it’s good or bad?” Soon after, soldiers come to draft young men for war but leave the farmer’s son behind because of his injury. This story reminds me that life is never simple, and what seems bad may later reveal itself as good, and vice versa.

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Alongside these perspectives, I’ve personally found a great deal of healing through EMDR and psychedelic-assisted therapy. These experiences have given me both deep gratitude and hope for the continuing advancements in the mental health field that help people move through trauma in powerful ways.

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These experiences, practices, and stories shape how I live and how I practice therapy. Life is rarely black and white. Healing isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence, compassion, and the willingness to walk through uncertainty with an open heart.

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My practice is grounded in an integrative clinical framework that weaves together the foundational principles of Psychodynamic Therapy, Attachment Theory, Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR and Trauma-Informed Neuroscience, Humanistic and Existential Psychology, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. This approach allows me to view healing through a holistic lens—honoring the emotional, relational, cognitive, somatic, and spiritual dimensions of the human experience.

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I use these modalities integratively, drawing from each as needed throughout the therapeutic process. Psychodynamic and Attachment foundations help uncover the roots of current patterns and repair relational wounds through the therapeutic relationship. IFS brings compassion and clarity to the inner system, allowing clients to understand and integrate their parts. EMDR and trauma-informed neuroscience support reprocessing stored experiences and regulating the nervous system. Humanistic and Existential perspectives invite meaning, choice, and authenticity into the healing journey, while Mindfulness-Based and Buddhist psychology offer practical tools for cultivating awareness, compassion, and peace. Together, these approaches create a cohesive and flexible framework that meets each person where they are and supports healing at every level of being.