Triggers, trailheads, activation, spiraling, dysregulation, blended, hijacked…. all words to describe something that happens to all of us in life ….” growth opportunities”.   In twelve step slang, this is a “FGO” – A FUCKING GROWTH OPPORTUNITY! In this state, through the #ifs lens, you are taken over by a part – some aspect of […]

My Introduction to IFS I attended a free training in St. Louis; had full body chills. “This is what I’ve been searching for” – I want this!  Talk therapy hadn’t been enough.  I wanted to go deeper.  The IFS framework gave me a pathway. Overview of the IFS Model Self Energy = “I AM” 8 […]

Divorce holiday triggering is real.  Currently, I’m holding BOTH an attitude of peace & frustration.  As I reflected this morning on my holiday plans, what I heard “inside” was:  let it go let it be honor yourself If you are a person contemplating divorce, going through the process, or on the “struggle bus” of post-divorce […]

CPTSD = IT. CPTSD = DEVELOPMENTAL/RELATIONAL TRAUMA + OTHER TRAUMA I’ve spent my professional & personal life seeking the missing piece, the “IT” that would make the other puzzle pieces of my past & present finally make sense & fit together.  My search took decades, not years or months.  Learning about trauma, PTSD, addiction, & […]

Are you led by love or fear?  We AVOID what we FEAR, but for mental health & wellbeing you need integration, connection & coherence…. which is hard to get while you avoid. Avoidance is how Americans are socialized.  In fact, our culture is emotionally phobic which is an allergic reaction to feelings.  So, if you […]