Centered Self Trauma Therapy offers online IFS therapy to clients in California, Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia navigating trauma, anxiety, addiction, attachment issues, grief, and major life changes.
I feel conflicted. I feel one way – and also another.
I don’t like myself. I know I’m a good person and I have good qualities, but I still don’t like myself. What’s wrong with me?
I want to (fill in the blank), but I can’t.
I don’t know where I got this idea about myself. It’s been with me forever.
I feel like a little kid sometimes. I know I’m an adult, but I get so dysregulated so easily.
I want to stop binging and purging but I can’t seem to stop.
I don’t know what comes over me. I feel uncomfortable and all of a sudden, I want to drink, shop, gamble, sleep, or do drugs.
I hate that I isolate all the time. I want to put myself out there, but part of me holds me back.
I don’t feel like I'm in my body all of the time.
Our inner monologues can be just plain mean sometimes. Trust me, I know. Does yours ever sound like this?
The good news is that you’re not alone in these experiences or thoughts, even if they feel isolating. And IFS can help. Yes, really.
Let’s start by imagining your psyche as a team of sub-personalities working together. Instead of seeing issues as solely ‘you,’ consider these inner parts. Sometimes they collaborate smoothly, but often they clash, leading to apathy, self-judgment, and more.
In IFS therapy, we map your inner world. We explore the parts that serve you and those causing stagnation and inner turmoil. Understanding this innovative approach helps ease pressure and paves the way for positive change.
Exiles are our wounded parts, while Managers help us cope and stay in control. When we feel overwhelmed, Firefighters step in to relieve the pressure.
Our goal? Unburden and heal the exiles so you can move forward and have the life you want.
In IFS (Internal Family Systems) terms, this is called polarization. Imagine different parts of yourself having conflicting desires. Some parts want one thing, while others disagree and want something else. Clients grapple with these inner conflicts.
IFS is an innovative approach using the concept of PARTS to explore different aspects of a person’s psyche. There are “MANAGERS” (like anger, people-pleasing, and denial) that help maintain control, and “FIREFIGHTERS” (such as substance abuse or excessive shopping) that react when overwhelmed. Both types of parts work hard to protect the wounded “EXILES,” representing past emotional hurts.
Maybe you feel torn – in your mind, your emotions, or in your decisions.
Examples of Managers:
• Denial • Control Issues • Anger • People Pleasing • Anorexia • Perfectionism • Orthorexia
Examples of Firefighters:
• Alcoholism and Drug Addiction • Dissociation • Isolation • Shopping • Binge Eating • Gossip
Examples of Exiles:
• Abuse in Childhood • Being Bullied • Sudden Death of a Loved One • Shame
Instead of experiencing this kind of polarization, you are probably seeking clarity and connection. You want to be able to make decisions from your calm, authentic self, taking effective action toward your goals.
IFS therapy aims to reconnect you with your inner resilience—the SELF that adversity and trauma may have obscured. I define SELF as that inner knowing and resilience that we know has always been there and that we’re all trying to get back to. Somehow along the way we feel we lost this part of ourselves. Adversity, trauma, and painful childhoods can disconnect us from our true SELF resulting in unintended personality traits.
In Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, our goal is to help you reconnect with your true SELF, enabling you to construct the life you desire.
The life you've always believed was within reach but somehow got derailed along the way. Let’s get you back on track.
