The Catalyst Center

The Catalyst Center Specialists in postpartum depression and anxiety. The Catalyst Center is a group psychotherapy and collaborative assessment practice.

Psychologists and therapists dedicated to high-quality, client-centered EMDR, neurofeedback assessment, Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, psychiatry, and therapy. We are located in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver
Denver, CO, 80209

Our approach to psychotherapy and assessment focuses on working collaboratively with our clients to enrich their lives by deepening self-understanding and moving towards transformative positive action.

Spring arrived on the calendar this week. And maybe part of you braced instead of opened.That's not you doing it wrong. ...
03/18/2026

Spring arrived on the calendar this week. And maybe part of you braced instead of opened.
That's not you doing it wrong. That's your nervous system remembering — seasonal shifts can destabilize the patterns you worked so hard to build. More light can mean more exposure. More warmth can mean more is asked of you.
The equinox isn't an arrival. It's a threshold. And moving toward light still takes something from us.
If this season feels harder than it "should," you're not alone in that. Trauma survivors often experience spring as activating rather than relieving — and there's nothing wrong with your timeline.
You're allowed to hold both the hope and the heaviness. You're allowed to move at your own pace. Roots go down before anything rises.
You don't have to bloom on schedule. 🌿
Share this with someone who might need to hear it.

Spring has a way of arriving before we're ready for it.The days get longer, the world starts moving faster, and somewher...
03/04/2026

Spring has a way of arriving before we're ready for it.
The days get longer, the world starts moving faster, and somewhere in the middle of all that light, some of us are still carrying the weight of winter. Not because something is wrong — but because the body doesn't follow the calendar. It follows what happened. What was held. What hasn't quite been put down yet.
If you've stepped into this new season still feeling depleted, still feeling a little disconnected from yourself — that's not a sign that you're broken. It's a sign that your body has been paying attention.
This month we're exploring what it means to come home to yourself, gently and without rushing. No fixing. No forcing. Just a quiet invitation to get curious about what's already there.
Read more about Trauma-Sensitive Yoga and the path back to embodiment — link in the comments. 🌿

Read more: http://catalystcenterllc.com/trauma-sensitive-yoga-a-path-back-to-embodiment/

Have you ever noticed that in moments of conflict, you either can't stop talking — or you completely shut down?Both resp...
02/26/2026

Have you ever noticed that in moments of conflict, you either can't stop talking — or you completely shut down?
Both responses make sense. And both have everything to do with your nervous system.
When we feel threatened — even in a disagreement with someone we love — our bodies activate a survival response. You might recognize these:
🔥 Fight — urgency, frustration, pushing to resolve things right now
🏃 Flight — leaving the room, changing the subject, avoiding altogether
🧊 Freeze — going silent, feeling numb, unable to find words
🤝 Fawn — over-apologizing, keeping the peace at the cost of your own needs
These aren't personality flaws or signs that something is wrong with your relationship. They're deeply wired protective responses — often rooted in past experiences that taught your nervous system how to stay safe.
What many people don't realize is that our nervous systems are also built for co-regulation. When one partner is calm and present, it can genuinely help settle the other's activated state. This is one of the reasons why the felt safety of a relationship has such a profound impact on healing — and why working on your nervous system together can be so powerful.
The good news: these patterns can change. Approaches like EMDR, somatic therapy, neurofeedback, and IFS work directly with the body and brain — not just the thinking mind — to help rewire responses that have been running on autopilot for years.
At The Catalyst Center, we support individuals and couples in understanding these patterns and building new ones. Whether you're navigating trauma, conflict, or simply feeling stuck in the same cycles, we're here to help.
📖 We just published a new blog post on supporting your partner through the healing journey — https://catalystcenterllc.com/tips-for-supporting-your-partners-the-healing-journey/
📞 Curious if we're the right fit? We offer a free 15-minute introductory call: (720) 675-7123
🌐 catalystcenterllc.com

Attachment style isn’t a personality type.It’s a pattern your nervous system learned in early relationships — a way of s...
02/20/2026

Attachment style isn’t a personality type.

It’s a pattern your nervous system learned in early relationships — a way of staying connected and safe.

Online quizzes can make attachment feel fixed or simplified. But attachment patterns are adaptations. They can shift. They often look different depending on the relationship. And therapy can help reshape them.

If your relationships feel reactive, distant, or confusing, that doesn’t mean you’re broken. It may mean your system learned to survive in a certain way.

And it can learn something new.

We explore how healing past trauma strengthens connection here:
https://catalystcenterllc.com/healing-past-trauma-for-a-stronger-relationship/

The relationship you have with yourself sets the tone for your life.Many of us carry an inner voice that learned to be c...
02/17/2026

The relationship you have with yourself sets the tone for your life.

Many of us carry an inner voice that learned to be critical or cautious for good reasons. Those patterns often began as protection.

Healing doesn’t usually come from fighting those parts.
It begins with curiosity and compassion.

When we soften toward ourselves, we create space for real change.

A kinder self-relationship isn’t self-indulgent — it’s foundational.

If this resonates, you’re not alone. And if you’d like support, therapy can be a place to explore this with care and curiosity. We’re here when you’re ready.

Valentine’s Day can be tender for many reasons.For some, it brings love and connection.For others, it can stir up grief,...
02/12/2026

Valentine’s Day can be tender for many reasons.

For some, it brings love and connection.
For others, it can stir up grief, loneliness, complicated family dynamics, or memories of relationships that hurt more than they healed.

Not everyone is celebrating. Some are remembering. Some are missing. Some are simply getting through the day.

There’s nothing wrong with you if today feels heavy, mixed, or quiet. Human hearts hold many stories at once, and days like this can touch all of them.

You don’t have to force gratitude, joy, or optimism to make anyone else comfortable. Your experience is valid, even when it doesn’t match the holiday narrative.

Whatever this day brings up for you, you’re allowed to feel it.

01/28/2026

Many people are carrying more than they realize right now.

Not just sadness—but fear and grief that don’t have a clear place to land. When there’s no pause between painful events, the body often stays on alert. Over time, that can show up as exhaustion, irritability, emotional flatness, or a sense that everything feels heavier than it used to.

These responses aren’t signs of weakness. They’re signs of adaptation.

One distinction that can be helpful is the difference between holding fear and grief versus carrying them. Holding allows awareness and care with boundaries. Carrying happens when the weight settles into the body and begins to shape how we move through the world.

Staying human in violent or destabilizing times isn’t about staying endlessly open or positive. It’s about preserving connection—to ourselves, to our values, and to one another—without burning out.

You don’t have to be okay.
You don’t have to have answers.

You’re allowed to tend to how you carry what’s happening.

https://catalystcenterllc.com/holding-fear-and-grief-without-collapsing-in-violent-times/

🌿 “Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.”— Dr. Brené Brown...
10/07/2025

🌿 “Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.”
— Dr. Brené Brown

Dr. Brown, a personal favorite, invites us to deplore shame and embrace the courage of vulnerability. When I sit with my clients, I am humbled—honored, in fact—to bear witness to their most vulnerable stories. As I deeply listen, I do not look upon these storytellers with shame. Rather, I am awash with amazement for their bravery.

The question is less often “What happened to you?” and more gently, “How did you survive?” When we share our stories of survival and strength in spaces of compassion and acceptance, our wounds are tended to with care and respect, key ingredients for healing.

Come, we invite you to visit us at Catalyst where we are excited to hear your voice. Together, we will till your inner landscape with curiosity and water it with clarity and wisdom, creating and cultivating gardens for new stories of growth and transformation to occur.

"Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, and the understanding that we all contain valuable parts that are forced into ex...
09/23/2025

"Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, and the understanding that we all contain valuable parts that are forced into extreme roles to deal with pain and disappointment, has been one of the great advances in trauma therapy. Understanding the role they have played in our survival and being able to unburden the original traumas leads to self-compassion and inner harmony. The notion that all of our parts are welcome is truly revolutionary and opens the path to self-acceptance and self-leadership. IFS is one of the cornerstones of effective and lasting trauma therapy." - Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD

IFS 101: What's the deal? How does it work? And who can benefit? Swipe to learn more about Internal Family Systems, the evidence-based model reinventing mental health and trauma therapy.

Interested in learning more? Catch the latest post from Catalyst Center clinician, Susan Smith, for a deeper dive into the world of IFS here: https://catalystcenterllc.com/ifs-101-a-simple-guide-to-parts-work/

Rest: what does it mean to you?For Catalyst clinicians, rest is revolutionary. A key ingredient to emotional alchemy, re...
08/27/2025

Rest: what does it mean to you?

For Catalyst clinicians, rest is revolutionary. A key ingredient to emotional alchemy, rest is an act of reclaimation. It is the pause that allows our nervous system to reset and our bodies to remember safety.

Yoga Nidra offers a doorway into this kind of rest—a rest that is not passive, but deeply restorative, rewiring the body and mind to move from survival into presence.

To learn more, check out this blog post or join us weekly for Trauma-Sensitive Yoga classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 3 pm.

Address

300 S Jackson Street, Ste 520
Denver, CO
80209

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm

Telephone

+17206757123

Website

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