IFS has given us a model of mind made up of parts (managers, firefighters, and exiles) and Self. This concept of the multiplicity of mind is rapidly replacing the old myth of the mono mind.
IFS’s model has proven itself to be very valuable in psychotherapy. As we go deeper into people’s systems we begin to encounter things that are not parts or Self, such as legacy burdens and cultural burdens.
As we go even deeper we encounter what I call the others within us, unattached burdens and guides. These will be the focus of this course, and they lead us to replace the old myth that our minds are private citadels with the realization that mind is porous. The realizing holds a key to healing our underlying alienation and isolation.
Unattached burdens
What works? What helps?
The backbone of this course will be a detailed pragmatic outline of how we can deal with these energies when we encounter them in clients or in our selves. Our emphasis will be practical but we will also explore historical precedents and cross-cultural contexts for this work.
These subjects, especially Unattached burdens, are so uncomfortable for most people that it’s almost taboo to talk about them.
They do not fit in the modern materialist paradigm, and attempts to deal with them are often met with mockery and derision. But they are real, they do occur and they cause human suffering and human joy. We will start with radical pragmatism.
How do we best deal with these phenomena when they occur in clients or in ourselves? What works? What helps? These will be our most basic concerns.
The mind is multiple
– a paradigm shift
For a decade I have been working in this area. I did not want to believe these phenomena were real, these phenomena make it clear that our minds are porous, and when this idea is pursued to its natural conclusions, it can be as much of a paradigm shift as the realization that the mind is multiple.
The false belief that our minds are inviolably private leads to much suffering and underlies many of our modern social problems.
This whole area is sort of disreputable and very few therapists will deal with it. So once word of my curiosity about this area got out into the IFS world I have received many referrals and I wrote a book about this entitled, “The Others Within Us: Internal Family Systems, Porous Mind, and Spirit Possession”.
The Others Within Us: Unattached Burdens and Guides in IFS Therapy
During this workshop series you will:
- Learn how to work with negative energies that Richard Schwartz calls Unattached burdens,
- Discover ways of connecting to your Guides, tapping into their wisdom and guidance,
- Learn how to use IFS with your clients to help them deal with these energies.
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