How I Practice
Internal Family Systems
I use Internal Family Systems (IFS), which views the mind as a unique internal landscape made up of various "parts,” patterns of feelings, thoughts, body sensations, and memories. Our past experiences developed our parts, and each has an important, valuable role to play in maintaining our peace, safety, and relationships. Even those patterns that we may judge, like depression, anxiety, inner critics, worry, and overwhelm, began in response to a challenging situation to help us adapt. Our work together will be to explore these patterns to increase understanding and connection with your internal world, to let go of extreme beliefs, find healing, and have more freedom of choice from patterns that are no longer serving you. The central principle of IFS is that we all have a core, authentic Self, a natural source of wisdom, compassion, and clarity. When we can connect with Self, we can create lasting internal harmony and emotional freedom.
Meditation & Breathwork
My approach blends practical skills with compassion, focusing on developing Mindfulness (from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR and Tara Brach) and Self-Compassion (Kristin Neff’s work). We actively use meditation and breathwork as foundational tools to cultivate present-moment awareness and improve emotional regulation and coping skills, drawing from the strong skill-building framework of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). These practices help you move from automatic reaction to conscious response, fostering self-kindness and providing concrete ways to manage distress, ultimately increasing your internal harmony and freedom of choice.
