Welcome back to the Therapy Spot, everyone! Spring has come to the northern hemisphere and I’m excited to bring you a new episode of my podcast. In the spirit of new beginnings, my guest this month is Tammy Sollenberger. Tammy has just launched her new podcast, titled “The One Inside: An Internal Family Systems Podcast for Anyone Looking to Find Balance and Harmony.” She has a background in cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapy (CBT and DBT), and is trained and certified in the IFS model. Today on the show, we’ll discuss her journey into IFS, and her podcast goals.

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Welcome back to the Therapy Spot, everyone! As we celebrate the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, I’d like to talk for a moment about beginnings. When we first start something new, such as a new job or enrolling in university, it can feel large and difficult. In fact, when I began this podcast 3 years ago, I felt discomfort and even some intimidation. I needed a little push from myself before I knew I could fly.

“Come to the edge,” he said.

“We can’t, we’re afraid!” they responded.

“Come to the edge,” he said.

“We can’t, We will fall!” they responded.

“Come to the edge,” he said.

And so they came.

And he pushed them.

And they flew.”

— Guillaume Apollinaire

Well, those beginning days are behind me now, but the purpose of this podcast has never changed. My goal from day 1 has been to bring you my knowledge and experience in this way of viewing ourselves known as Internal Family Systems or IFS.

Over the next few months, you can look forward to some fascinating interviews with IFS therapists about their specific interests:

• Stress and anxiety
• Sexuality
• The interactions between our parts and our nervous system
• And so much more!

So today, I want to give a brief overview of what IFS is and why it is so helpful to see yourself this way. I’ll also walk you through a question from a listener about IFS and Self compassion!

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Hello and welcome back to the Therapy Spot, everyone. As a bonus for the month of February, I am reissuing my interview with Martha Sweezy, Ph.D., from May 0f 2017. In addition to her therapy practice in Massachusetts, Martha works as an assistant professor at Harvard medical school. She teaches internationally as well, and has also co-authored multiple books on IFS. We spoke about managing internal and external critics, and the feelings of shame and blame in our lives.

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Hello, and welcome back once more to the Therapy Spot! My guest today is Kristy Arbon, the Founder and CEO of HeartWorks Training. Her work revolves around supporting people in their practice of self-compassion, mindfulness, somatic awareness, and shame resilience. Among her many other talents, she is an excellent mindful Self compassion coach and teacher. On today’s episode, she’ll introduce us to the concept of somatic Self compassion.

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Hello, everyone, and welcome to the December episode of the Therapy Spot! I’m excited to share with you today my conversation with Dr. Susan Reyland. Susan is a clinical and developmental psychologist with a practice here in Denver, as well as a fellow Internal Family Systems practitioner. She’s been a guest on my show several times, discussing topics such as attachment styles, resiliency, and childhood development.

On this episode, we talked about the autonomic nervous system. Your autonomic nervous system plays a huge role in how we physically and mentally react to threats. Don’t worry — this isn’t a vocabulary lesson, and you won’t have a quiz at the end! You will, however, learn a few things about yourself, such as how and why you react the way you do to certain situations.

As you read or listen along, I encourage you to use this chart for a reference point.

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Therapy Spot! I recently spoke about the IFS model of therapy at Google’s week of Inclusion and Diversity. While you may not think that has much to do with your daily life outside of work, the tools you use to relate with others are useful in all sorts of situations. So for this month’s episode of the Therapy Spot, I’d like to talk about how we can use IFS when we have differences with people. This can be family, friends, or a romantic partner — anyone you share an aspect of your life with.

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Hello and welcome back to the Therapy Spot! On this month’s episode, I want to talk about two things that go hand in hand: disappointment and acceptance. Disappointment can hit us hard and make us spin out — but for some reason, we tend to avoid talking about this difficult emotion. So today, I’d like to guide you towards a different perspective on disappointment. With this new perspective, you will have more choices, and a better understanding of yourself.

 

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Hello everyone, welcome back to the Therapy Spot! I wanted to let you all now that from now on, I’ll be releasing one episode per month. Every month, I’ll bring you information and insights to help you on your path to personal growth and development.

For this month’s episode, I want to bring you some tips on what to do when your relationship feels strained. If you’ve ever had a sports injury, you know this feeling of strain! It hurts, it’s distracting, and it keeps you from doing the things you love. Strain in your relationship has a lot of the same effects. Luckily, just like with muscles, there’s a remedy for your strained, sprained, or inflamed relationship.

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Hello, and welcome back to the Therapy Spot! On today’s episode, I spoke with Cora Forstén ND, MSOM, LAC. After practicing as a naturopathic primary care physician for 6 years in Portland, Oregon, Cora relocated to Stockholm, Sweden. Naturopathic medicine combines natural remedies — including herbs as well as diet and lifestyle changes — alongside modern medicine. Commonly used for healing and recovery (rather than emergencies), the end goal of naturopathic medicine is long-term results.

Together, we discussed the importance of the mind-body connection when it comes to both physical and mental health. Self care is always important — but it’s especially important to attend to your physical body when you don’t feel your best mentally.

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Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Therapy Spot! For this episode, I’ve chosen to reissue a very helpful and informative past podcast. Last April, I had a wonderful conversation with Stan Tatkin about the safety and security we need in relationships. For those of you who didn’t catch this episode the first time, you’re in for a treat. This is a wonderful chance to learn more about being in a mutually satisfying, secure relationship.

Dr. Stan Tatkin wears many hats: not only is he a clinician and an author, but he’s also the co-founder of the PACT Institute. Stan teaches at UCLA, maintains a private practice in Southern California, and leads PACT programs in the US and internationally. He wrote Wired for Dating, Wired for Love, and Your Brain on Love, and co-authored Love and War in Intimate Relationships.

In other words, Stan Tatkin is a relationship expert. He has a lot of powerful insights to share on how to foster a sense of security and safety with your partner. After all, we often forget that close emotional bonds are not a luxury: they’re actually necessary for survival. So let’s dive in and learn more about attachment, security, and our relationships with each other.

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