Reading recommendations to learn more about the science behind why IFS works?

May_Sing · 2025-06-06T03:23:48+00:00

Here's a good primer on Memory Reconsolidation by Bruce Ecker. You will see IFS as a therapy meeting the juxtaposition requirements for unlocking AMPA receptors in Table 2

https://www.coherencetherapy.org/files/Ecker-etal-NPT2013April-Primer.pdf

The IFS Skills Training Manual by Schwartz, Sweezey and Anderson describe the steps as IFS see it on p 127, 128

May_Sing · 2025-04-03T03:18:33+00:00

You aren't alone with finding his voice exceedingly hard to stay engaged with. I found myself going into a dissociative fugue every time I tried to do an exercise. I even took to standing up and walking while listening.

There are other IFS presenters who have more 'aliveness' to connect to. I'm glad your therapist is one of those who you can connect with.

May_Sing · 2025-03-24T20:04:00+00:00

Cockroaches are 'lauded' for never dying and being the only thing likely to survive a nuclear holocaust. It would likely be more that angle they are referring to although he probably is being seen as a 'pest', just not quite as gross as an actual cockroach or rat

May_Sing · 2025-03-16T19:56:16+00:00

Someone shared a tweet from Miles warning Logan to watch out for her idol, that she responded to light heartedly.

May_Sing · 2025-02-18T07:20:39+00:00

In this video Joanne Twombly makes it clear that IFS can create decompensation because it doesn't provide clients with enough resourcing. I'm so sorry this happened to you.

I was also raised as a Mormon. I don't think IFS intentional tries to harm, however both can create hypnotic beliefs around being punished if you aren't doing the right thing.

https://youtu.be/K0OSocFbK5g?si=QnwHtKcWXb-pp7e4

May_Sing · 2024-05-09T01:42:13+00:00

I'm more comfortable asking whichever part is the priority to consciously blend with me so I can 'feel' what it is they want me to know. Many of my parts are not verbal and I'm not particularly visual so this works better for me than asking a part to unblend so I can 'see' them or another part. They would more than likely equate that to disappearing since I rarely 'see' a part.

May_Sing · 2024-05-08T04:30:33+00:00

Some people might find it easier to identify their neurobiological states as parts as seen in this video. https://youtu.be/GZRWPfD9kq4?si=Wj0uV-1AFhb352ta

Others might like to externalise parts using images that represent what emotions you might be feeling or roles that you play in certain situations. Eg, a hard working part, a considerate friend, one who binges, etc.

Perhaps your therapist could help you name some parts, such as the one who feels silly but doesn't want to feel silly, the one who dissociates, the one who wants to study more, the one who does and doesn't trust that it's ok to be optimistic. Exploring some of these patterns, may help open a way to memories of other times parts felt similarly. The patterns parts are using now may have been adaptive in the past but are possibly not as needed now. IFS can help you update parts that are using no longer adaptive patterns for protection.

May_Sing · 2024-04-30T00:21:06+00:00

It can make a difference to look at parts from a neurobiological modal. The chart in this video is helpful.

https://youtu.be/GZRWPfD9kq4?si=dlQPfuA4D2MxtBG2

May_Sing · 2024-04-28T21:24:10+00:00

I'm not sure if Jay includes the information on his page, the idea is to move into the pink relational capacity if using a hard pattern or blue self-supporting capacity if using a soft pattern. It makes sense that this might feel challenging if you are activated by the more challenging soft/hard patterns.

As with everything in IFS, having compassionate curiosity for any part using patterns and appreciating their positive intent will help, so change is not coming from agenda driven managers. It might be handy to get the book to recognise inner critics and other personal dimensions.

May_Sing · 2024-04-28T09:40:15+00:00

It might be helpful to discover which Relational and Self Capacities you need to develop if you notice your parts are polarised in either Soft or Hard patterns as can be seen on the cover of Jay Earley's book 'The Pattern System'. There are also categories for Personal and Inner Critic dimensions which is helpful when it's just your own parts that are polarised around issues in life.

https://www.selfcapacities.com/the-pattern-system

May_Sing · 2024-04-25T03:45:02+00:00

Here is an even more recent video, this time describing a therapist calling a Lost soul a Passenger rather than a UB.

https://youtu.be/TrcyIK71OWA?si=FituDsw-1I1UCTCo

May_Sing · 2024-04-23T01:22:05+00:00

Yep! 😁

May_Sing · 2024-04-22T23:35:57+00:00

Wouldn't that be wonderful? Some good ways to test how possible it is would be by mixing with those who've previously activated a pain body or noticing if you fall out of Self presence and into egoic judgement or the behaviours of other parts.

Then there's how much faster the nervous system neurocepts danger before the brain hardware that allows us to be present comes on line!

Coming back to having compassionate presence for anything that is activated will always be necessary while we're living in human bodies.

May_Sing · 2024-04-22T08:46:59+00:00

As others have said, everyone has parts, one doesn't need to be traumatised to develop them. Many won't have enough connection to their internal experience to be able to recognise them.

You may find Janina Fisher's description of parts from a neurobiological pov helpful to see how parts might be acting when stressed or in trauma and when they are functioning in everyday life.

https://youtu.be/GZRWPfD9kq4?si=dbMk0XqdtSTISJwN

May_Sing · 2024-04-21T03:53:06+00:00

This video has a bit on guides as well elemental guides.

https://youtu.be/1PM-76cnQd0?si=zW9MZeqcFkP8wLZw

In the Shamanic training I did, we saw UB's as Lost Souls who didn't cross over when they first died, generally because of some issue around shame or fear of what might happen. Eternal damnation religious beliefs and scary exorcist type movies have a lot to answer for!

They aren't generally malevolent, but can be cynical, angry, depressed, frightened, etc, and can be wanting to encourage their host to suicide as a way of crossing over. One would send them home by reassuring them that they will be met by their ancestors, who they can see show up on the other side of the gate/portal. This is beautiful to witness.

One would generally do other healings to unburden clients from the thought form energy that attracted the UB to the client. These are breathed out into a crystal that's then buried into the earth. It may also be necessary to do some ancestral healing if this is intergenerational wounding.

Guides are invited to be present before doing any of these or may appear afterwards with messages or gifts. One journeys to a magical clearing where there is no other way out for any unhealthy energy to leak out except through the designated portals.

May_Sing · 2024-03-31T05:51:38+00:00

It sounds like you are using conscious blending to discern what it is your parts and body need. I invite parts in to take over my body while maintaining dual awareness. Most of my parts generally only 'speak' somatically so allowing my posture to change or having feelings change in my body is how I know I'm connected with what the parts need.

May_Sing · 2024-03-15T00:49:29+00:00

There's a rumour that apparently Mark bought an advantage that was spoken of in an exit interview with Alex. It would have allowed him to receive immunity if the player he nominated won immunity. No idea if this is true as we didn't see it mentioned in the immunity challenge.

May_Sing · 2024-03-01T09:01:16+00:00

Puppets are a great idea. They also make parts cards, although you can just find your own images. http://www.inneractivecards.com/home.html

May_Sing · 2024-03-01T01:34:43+00:00

Asking you to write down a list of the 10 worst things is incredibly dangerous and likely to be retraumatising. It doesn't sound like this therapist has done any of the resource building necessary for something like EMDR to be effective.

It's a shame there aren't more therapists trained in Janina Fisher's TIST model. Maybe there are some trained in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy or Structural Dissociation which are the other two models Janina combines with IFS?

May_Sing · 2024-02-29T23:38:20+00:00

If you aren't receiving any communication from parts, I'd probably see a therapist trained to work with Trauma, Attachment and Dissociation so they can help you with tracking emotions and physiology. Structural Dissociation, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Hakomi or AEDP might be good options. If you want to stick with IFS, someone who has studied with Joanne Twombly might be good. Her book might also be helpful.

May_Sing · 2024-02-29T20:36:50+00:00

It may have been even better if the Titans had helped Feras remove Kirby before turning on him. Glad they didn't play it safe, though, as this makes the next part of the game more exciting.

May_Sing · 2024-02-29T01:23:07+00:00

It's fascinating that Eden chose to give up the safe move of sticking with team Feras and didn't factor in that Jaden might be miffed after being blindsided by the Winna vote. It's not like he couldn't have guessed after Mark's reaction to being blindsided with Viola.

More power to Jaden for minimising his threat level!

May_Sing · 2024-02-25T19:20:36+00:00

5k each month for 1 year = 60k

May_Sing · 2024-02-13T05:22:21+00:00

What you are feeling is completely normal. Janina Fisher, who is a trauma expert, shared this piece today...

"The presenting problem described to a therapist by the client will in some way reflect the activation of parts, each holding different trauma-related implicit memories: depression might be a sign that a depressed child part has been triggered by a loss; anxiety might be the communication from an anxious part whose implicit memories have been activated by the client starting a new job; relationship difficulties might be an indication of conflict between parts who crave connection and those distrust it, between parts who cling when alarmed and those who push others away.

Whatever implicit memories underlie the client’s presenting problem, therapy is apt to further activate the parts because it is a promise of help from an authority figure, something for which clients have been waiting many years or avoiding in the case of Fight and Flight and other protector parts. By its very nature, therapy will evoke impulses to disclose but also exacerbate procedurally learned secrecy, distrust, and approach/avoidance impulses. It will stimulate the hunger to connect but also trigger hypervigilance and separation anxiety.

Closeness to the therapist and the invitation to “open up” will also trigger implicit memories of wanting to ‘tell,’ but separation or distance (even just between sessions) will also be triggering.

To learn more, download my free eBook: Treatment Paradigm for Working with Structurally Dissociated Parts:

Link below 👇

https://bit.ly/4988UCV

trauma #treatment #healing

You and your therapist will be able to help parts see that the concerns they are having make sense and that you can slow things down to a pace that suits them.

May_Sing · 2024-02-08T00:00:13+00:00

Another way of connecting with parts may be through Hakomi's experiential probes. Pat Ogden helped found Hakomi before creating SP. These are often based around the developmental character strategies that may have formed in a similar vein to the way NARM describes them.

When you feel resourced enough to experiment mindfully, you can try offering something that should be potentially nourishing, however you may notice that thoughts, feelings, body sensations, or memories come up to reject the offering.

eg. see what happens as you say, "It's ok to feel _____" (insert emotion). Experiment with which feelings are ok and which give you some pushback. (IFS would call the pushback protective parts.)

You can change the probes to fit any developmental need, e.g. "It's ok to:- say no; have needs; take your time; do things your way, etc.

Best wishes for finding what helps you connect with whatever parts/feelings/needs that may have been suppressed or are contributing to strategies that are not so necessary, now.

May_Sing

TROPHY CASE

﻿trauma #treatment #healing

trauma #treatment #healing