Modalities

Here are a few of my favorite and most used modalities:

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Internal Family Systems (IFS) acknowledges that we are not of “one mind.” We are not totally congruent in our thinking, feeling, and behaviors. Instead, we are a gathering of cognitive parts that were developed in response to our environment. In IFS, these parts are grouped according to their behavior, their intentions, and what they do and say. By interacting with our parts we are able to calm protective parts and most importantly, to heal exiled parts and increase connection with Self.


EMDR

EMDR is a structured, protocol-driven modality that helps calm neural pathways associated with trauma. It can be a helpful modality used on it’s own and I consider it to be especially helpful when used in conjunction with IFS. Viewed through an IFS lens, it can help calm parts that hold the fear and pain in our system. I do not use EMDR with clients unless we have worked with both the protectors and exiles around the associated trauma and have their consent to do this work.

Attachment Theory

I don’t know of a more helpful lens than IFS through which to view attachment styles. Insecure and avoidant attachment are the most fundamental protection we have. These protective parts say either “don’t leave me!” or “I can’t trust you!” While they are important protective parts, most of us long for the calm, clear, connectedness associated with secure attachment. Secure attachment comes out of working with these protective parts and healing the exiled part(s) that lie just beneath them.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behavior Theory (DBT) is a wonderful foundational modality. I find that clients with a background in DBT easily transition to IFS. While DBT does not acknowledge the plural mind, many of the skills in DBT focus on increasing calm and clarity. Viewed through an IFS lens, DBT helps clients increase their access to Self and understand that they are not their parts but instead, are the one who is witnessing their parts.

Narrative Therapy

In Narrative Therapy the therapeutic process involves helping clients identify and “externalize” problems—seeing them as stories or patterns that have influenced, but do not define, their lives. Viewed through an Internal Family Systems lens, this externalization process involves identifying cognitive parts, each part carrying its own story, perspective, and set of beliefs shaped by experience.

Mindfullness Based Interventions

Mindfulness based therapy involves learning to observe thoughts and emotions non-judgmentally, fostering a compassionate relationship with your inner experiences. These techniques provide practical skills to anchor yourself in the current moment, fostering a calmer and more centered approach to life’s challenges. In other words, these interventions help increase connection with Self.