IFS Men’s Group — Parts Art!

Schedule a session below to apply for the class

IFS Live Online Class

Click Here to Schedule a free chat to see if this group is for you

The DIY classes are currently running à la carte—you can try one and see how you like it without committing to the entire series. 

Each class has a similar structure; the only difference is the technique we focus on. In this way, it functions as BOTH a learning / teaching class and an ongoing experiential practice group. You can take it once to learn the technique, then continue to drop in to future groups to continue practicing. 

In the group, we will:

-Go inside to connect with our parts 
-Share what feels comfortable
-Do a 20 minute demonstration of an IFS session using that day’s technique

-Share how the demonstration inspired or resonated with us 
-Take 10-15 minutes to practice the technique
-Share our inner work in whatever way feels comfortable
-Close out our time with a word or phrase we are taking away from the experience.

Because of the HIGHLY experiential, personal nature of the group, it will not be recorded. 

However, before the class, I will send out a video example of a demonstration using the method we are learning, so that you can become familiar with it (if you want) ahead of time.

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Parts Art is part of the basic Deeper Intimacy with Yourself (DIY) IFS Practice Group that meets once a month.

This class is the best fit for: 

-Open-hearted people who have a basic ability to work with their parts
-People who want to learn how to work more deeply with their parts / get unblended more easily ON THEIR OWN 
-People who want to learn and practice classic IFS externalization techniques — mind mapping, parts sketching, and using finger puppets to personify parts. 

We are a very small, intimate group of six who create a supportive, connected community over the sessions of the class.

If you are looking for a place to:

-do deeper work 
-with emotionally mature, IFS-savvy folks
-in a safe container 
-of mutual support and encouragement

I invite you to consider this group!

If you want to learn more about it, sign up for a free Zoom call with me. I do a Zoom with everyone who takes a class, so you have a sense of safety with me coming in to the class, to find out if it's the right fit, and to have your questions answered! https://calendly.com/melissas/complimentary-consultation-with-melissa

www.diyifs.com — women’s group link

Testimonial:

“Melissa’s Deeper Intimacy with Your Self (DIY) IFS courses gave me a quantum leap in my inner work practice. Before, although I had a daily journaling practice, I was pretty reliant on life coaching for doing deep work. Now, thanks to the DIY IFS beginner and advanced course, I have the skills to be my own therapist. My own practice and my relationship with myself are so much deeper, more trusting, and more productive. The courses epitomize Melissa’s motto, “Work smarter, not harder,” making inner work more fun and more efficient. Every part of me recommends them with great enthusiasm. They have totally changed my life!” — Liv Love 

Click Here to Schedule a free chat to see if this group is for you

Inner Conference Table

The Conference Table is a great technique for UNBLENDING and EXTERNALIZING parts. 

Developed by IFS Lead Trainer Michi Rose, the Conference Table is a manager-friendly, easy technique for getting parts out in front of you on paper. 

Particularly when someone feels overwhelmed by too many parts, the Conference Table is a great way to get them organized! 

It’s also useful for situations that bring up a lot of parts — the top two times I use it are 

1. Career decisions 

2. Moving 

I believe the Conference Table is an essential, basic unblending tool for everyone to have in their IFS toolbox, which is why I always include it in my basic Deeper Intimacy with Yourself (DIY) IFS Practice Group four-class series. 

The DIY classes are currently running à la carte—you can try one and see how you like it without committing to the entire series. 

Each class has a similar structure; the only difference is the technique we focus on. In this way, it functions as BOTH a learning / teaching class and an ongoing experiential practice group. You can take it once to learn the technique, then continue to drop in to future groups to continue practicing. 

Mind Mapping (also called “Parts Mapping")

Mind Mapping is a great technique for UNBLENDING and EXTERNALIZING parts. 

Mind mapping is a manger and usually firefighter-friendly, easy technique for getting parts out in front of you on paper. 

Particularly when someone feels overwhelmed by too many parts, mind mapping is a great way to get them out of the head and organized on paper — but not over-organized. Unlike the Conference Table, which has more structure, mind mapping is slightly looser, and therefore it’s a little bit more firefighter-friendly.

It’s so easy and free-flowing, it lends itself to supporting IFS work in almost any situation, and therefore I believe mind mapping is an essential, basic unblending tool for everyone to have in their IFS toolbox. That’s why I always include it in my basic Deeper Intimacy with Yourself (DIY) IFS Practice Group four-class series.

Parts Art / Sketching / Doodling

You do NOT need to be artistic to take this class!

This is the main technique Richard Schwartz, the founder of IFS, uses in all his introductory workshops. It’s a simple method for unblending and externalizing parts—you simply stay with a part and represent it on paper in WHATEVER WAY YOU WANT!

It could just be a scribble. Or a circle. Or a cloud. Or a stick figure. Whatever the part wants. You stay with that representation of the part and get to know it, until it seems to shift…another part arrives. Then you do the same process for the next part. Scribble / draw / represent, stay with, until it shifts…and then you’re on to the next. Eventually you’ll have a page full of parts. As you get to know and represent each part, you can label them or write down notes about what you learn. It’s that simple!

Because it is such an easy, accessible technique, I always include it in this initial series of four Deeper Intimacy with Yourself (DIY) IFS practice groups.

Finger Puppets / Externalizing with Objects

Using Finger Puppets or Other Objects is a great technique for UNBLENDING and EXTERNALIZING parts. 

Using Finger Puppets or Other Objects is usually wildly loved by exiles, sometimes liked by firefighters, and sometimes makes managers uncomfortable, which is why I save it for the last class in the series. 

Although it’s an easy technique for getting parts out in front of you, some managers feel uncomfortable with puppets, feeling they might be too childish. It is possible to use any type of object to externalize parts, from scarves to rocks to cards to stuffed animals to finger puppets — so you can negotiate with managers around objects that feel comfortable for them.

Using objects makes IFS work incredibly tangible and relatable. For me, nothing has come close to the way using finger puppets revolutionized my IFS work, which is why I am extremely passionate about sharing it! 

I’ve been using finger puppets for IFS since around 2005, for almost two decades. Not only do I have an enormous depth of understanding about how to use finger puppets to do IFS work, I am also a  puppets aficionado, and I know places to buy fair-trade, handmade finger puppets; the types of materials that work best; the cultures that make the best finger puppets…you name it. I’m a finger puppet expert!

Using Finger Puppets or Other Objects is so simple, so creative, so fun and free-flowing, it lends itself to supporting IFS work in almost any situation, and therefore I believe it’s an essential, basic unblending tool for everyone to have in their IFS toolbox. That’s why I always include it in my basic Deeper Intimacy with Yourself (DIY) IFS Practice Group four-class series