I am a somatic experiential therapist for non-somatic thinkers. 

I’ve found the “parts work” of IFS useful to articulate the inner conflicts that keep us stuck. Some of our internal parts work together, and other parts have opposing agendas. Getting to know the major players within ourselves helps us to gain greater perspective and self-compassion. The more familiar we are with these parts and what they are doing for us, the more choices open up. 

It’s important to learn which patterns you keep repeating and which stories you tend to tell yourself, and traditional talk therapy often provides this type of “top-down” manner of learning that tends towards the intellectual and analytical. However, you might feel frustrated when having figured out your patterns didn’t quite unlock the ability to do things differently. Using mindfulness and the body as alternative sources of data via the methods of Hakomi and gestalt therapies opens up a new “bottom-up” trajectory, providing greater access to implicit memory and allowing the unconscious to become conscious, and more opportunity for real lasting change.