I'm trying to embrace #drawing #comics badly for the sake of getting ideas down on paper. But this week caught me by surprise, because I just. could. not. go there.

Part of being an #abuse #survivor is respecting my own boundaries and not pushing myself into a place I don't want to be. So instead, I started sketching where I am right now. Part of #memoir is being in conversation with younger versions of myself - which is also part of #InternalFamilySystems therapy (#IFS). This page is both.

#3GoodThings

Had a great morning with my partner. She slept at my place.

I had four clients today and therapies went great. #InternalFamilySystems #IFS is absolutely amazing and I love working with it.

My partner stopped by and had lunch with me. That was unexpected and made me happy.

Reflecting on my week:
classes, clients, self-coaching …

▪ I'm *so* impressed with how an #InternalFamilySystems approach is helping my clients access important insights, quickly. Check it out!

▪ A significant part of learning the method is doing our own inner work; I'm pleased & surprised at the calm & energy it's brought me.

▪ I learn so much better in the company of like-minded peers, especially when we have a structure where we can chat & share insights.

#iLoveMyJob #lifeCoach #ifsCoach

My trauma-speciality therapist asked if I was interested in researching it myself and having her research further. I'm pretty sure she did that because many of the things I say are things that are literally written on the official IFS website.

So I did my preliminary research and it all looked good. I associate "parts" with memories and reactions based on certain abuses that occurred during certain timeframes and I do shorten that to saying "Teen Me" or other era- or age-based names, and it seemed like they did too. I sometimes say me and sometimes say her, but that's me being nervous about connecting with a memory of abuse and re-experiencing that pain, not me having a separation from myself.

Now, I am a jump ahead to the quiz person so I did download and look at the worksheets for therapists to give to patients. Those make far more of a distinction between parts than I do. They don't consider parts to be the self and I see no difference, I'm one self with bunches of memory/reaction parts. In other words I have cPTSD.

Then I did the research on Dr. Schwartz, who created IFS, to learn what the founder intended. Noped out of there so fucking fast, sent my therapist a nope note right away.

Schwartz says these parts are the same as alters. That's not at all what's going on with me.

Schwartz says there are bad parts that he equates to burdens or possessions. He specifically says these parts are not you. That's weird and creepy to me. Obviously I don't agree.

If IFS works for you, I am happy for you. It doesn't work for me because it and I are not beginning with the same premise--we're literally not speaking the same language. (You can try to fight with me, but I'm not into it and I'm just going to repeat that I'm really happy it's helped you.)

#IFS #InternalFamilySystems