Resources
Simple Daily Practices for Staying Connected to Parts
Incorporating daily IFS practices into your life allows you to deepen your connection to your parts, build trust in the system and understand yourself in a non-judgmental way. While Internal Family Systems is typically learned in the therapy space and is an effective intervention tool, IFS offers us a way of being in the world. We can experience simple but meaningful shifts by simply noticing and checking-in with parts who need our attention. Witnessing or listening with curiosity to what a part wants to tell you can have a profound impact, allowing parts to feel seen, heard and understood.
Here are some simple things you can do:
Check In - set aside 5 minutes, preferably at the beginning of your day, to ask who's present
Listen - ask if there is anything they need you to know. This may include any parts who are resistant to the check-in process
Notice - as parts appear throughout the day, try to notice them. This can be hard at first, particularly for parts who frequently appear. It's okay to respond to blended parts by gently but firmly asking them not to overwhelm you.
Name - identifying what you're feeling as belonging to a part can be helpful, for example "There's a part of me that's feeling anxious".
The more you use these practices, the more natural it will become to notice when your parts are active. This, in turn, will help you become less reactive and more anchored in Self energy.
For more daily practices try Daily Parts Meditation Practice by Michelle Glass.
Favorite Books
These are some of the books that inform my thinking and learning, both about IFS and autism.
2022 IFS Conference
I am proud to be featured on the Internal Family Systems YouTube channel. Click below to watch my presentation from the 2022 Annual Conference
Podcasts
In this podcast I talk about how important it is to shift the narratives we have around autism and neurodiversity. After I began to understand my own sensory profile, some of the challenges I had experienced began to make more sense. I provide ideas about how each partner can discuss their sensory needs in a way that increases intimacy
Autism Screening
Embrace Autism is a phenomenal site containing all kinds of information. Click here to access.
The Autistic Self
This is a piece I was asked to write for Part & Self, the online journal for the Foundation for Self Leadership, the research arm of the IFS Institute.
My Approach
I work with individuals of all neurologies and mixed-neurology couples. My extensive training and my experiences as an autistic give me a unique perspective into the autistic system. Autism is a condition that impacts an estimated 3% of the population. Characterized as creating difficulties with social communication, restricted and repetitive behaviors, and sensory issues, our understanding of autism is beginning to change. But not quickly enough. I come from a family of autistics, including an undiagnosed mother who was institutionalized when she was 15 years old. In addition to my client work, I write, speak and educate about the autistic experience - what it's like to exist in a world that often doesn't make sense. Sharing my experiences as an autistic woman and opening up space for conversations about issues with sex, burnout, connection, and what it's like to be part of the lost generation (the term used for women who went undiagnosed for most of their life) is closest to my heart.
