IFS & Somatic
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS is a radical and paradoxical way of approaching therapy. For some clients, it is unlike anything they have tried before.
While some treatments encourage you to try to control your thoughts and emotions better, IFS encourages you to have conversations with them. This is because we believe the personality is naturally split up into “parts.”
"You can think of parts as little people inside you. Each has its own perspective, beliefs, feelings, memories, and motivations. You may have heard of the "inner critic" and the "inner child," the most famous of our parts. But these are simple concepts that only begin to touch the richness and complexity of our inner life. Our inner family may include a lonely baby, a wise mentor, an angry child, a stern mother, a calm mediator, a magician, a happy animal, a closed-off protector, and so on." - Jay Earley
Learn More about IFS Therapy
For a full demo (between two experienced IFS therapists), check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqIhczaF9W8
Read this chapter from the seminal book, The Body Keeps the Score.
Check out this article (Weekend University), or this longer and more in-depth article (Medium).
Check out the first chapter of “Introduction to Internal Family Systems” here.
Read a transcript of an IFS session.
Listen to an Interview with Richard Schwartz on IFS and relationships.
Check out Instagram (The Ordinary Sacred; Brookedbyka); there are also several IFS podcasts (The One Inside).
Somatic Therapies
Our bodies are always talking—we’ve just learned to tune them out. In somatic therapy, we slow down and help you reconnect with your body’s signals: tightness, warmth, stillness, shakiness, breath. These sensations are more than just physical—they’re the language of emotion, memory, and survival.
By learning to notice and stay with what’s happening inside, you build self-awareness that’s deeper than thought. You start to recognize what safety feels like. You spot old patterns as they show up in your posture or breath. You learn to pause instead of react. Over time, this makes daily life feel more manageable, more connected, and more choiceful.
We don’t rush this. We go at your pace. And you don’t have to “figure it out”—your body already knows a lot. We’re just learning how to listen.
Chelsea and John both regularly run workshops for the public on somatic skills.
Key Methods of Somatic Experiencing for CPTSD
Trauma-Informed, Body-Based Mindfulness
Body Awareness: Learning to track sensations.
Completions: Learning to “complete” motor actions so that trauma can be fully digested.
Advanced Grounding Techniques: connecting with the body, connecting with the ground, orienting to the environment, and using Somatic holds.
Pendulation: Moving between feelings of safety and discomfort to prevent overwhelm.
Resourcing: Identify and use positive figures, memories, or sensations to support healing.
Titration: Break down traumatic experiences into manageable pieces to avoid overwhelm.
Emily Dickinson