IFS for Complex Trauma & PTSD: From Coping to Core Healing
Why Trauma Leaves Parts Stuck When trauma or chronic stress happens, and we’re not able to find a sense of safety and wellbeing, parts of us often stay activated or ‘on the ready’ in survival roles. Some parts take on protective jobs—controlling, avoiding, or shutting...
IFS 101: A Simple Guide to “Parts Work”
What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS)? Internal Family Systems therapy—often shortened to IFS—is a powerful, evidence-based model that views people through the lens of multiplicity. Instead of seeing ourselves as one fixed identity, IFS recognizes that we are made up...
Working with Exile Parts: Healing Through Presence and IFS
Editor’s Note: Susan wrote this reflection on a snowy spring day. As we move deeper into the season of growth and light, her words about tending to dark emotions feel even more relevant. On this chilly, snowy day, I find myself revisiting a favorite post on dark...
Healing the Mother Wound: Nurture Your Inner Child
Mother Hunger is a term coined by Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Claire Bidwell Smith to describe the deep, insatiable longing for love that arises from a lack of nurturing maternal care. This unmet need can manifest as emotional distress, relational...