IFS for Self-inquiry in Psychedelic Preparation and Integration

Details -
IFS for Self-Inquiry in Psychedelic Preparation and Integration

Join us for the 5th installment of our 6-month series where we discuss the notion of "skill" in relation to altered states, and explore topics related to Internal Family Systems (IFS).

This talk is intended as an introduction, and you don't need to have attended previous sessions to benefit from it. We also offer extra Zoom sessions for Q&A, which are available on Wednesday evenings at 6 pm PDT. These are not hosted by PPS.

The rubric "Set and Setting" is an essential principle for participants in the psychedelic Renaissance. It's widely recognized that a specific skill is necessary to hold and allow the insights that emerge in altered states. This is especially true when our psychological defenses are suspended by the effects of entheo-tropic (tropos, turn toward) medicine. Our sense of self, which relies on defending and hiding vulnerability, can interpret openness and sensitivity as defenselessness in the face of a threat. This is precisely why people say that "bad trips" are among the most beneficial experiences they have.

If you agree that access to a higher state of consciousness is the fundamental benefit of journeying, you'll find IFS helpful in developing a relationship with your conscious Self. This month, we will emphasize the relational nature of interacting with our internal parts and how the quality of interaction affects both our inner relating and outer relating.

Michael offers detailed instruction via individual sessions for those who want to participate in self-inquiry using IFS.

Safe, skilled, and trustworthy groups are extremely beneficial for learning the practice, and that's one of the primary purposes of our Wednesday Zooms.

What to expect -
This month I will emphasize the relational nature of interaction with our internal parts. Do you talk at or only about your parts; pulling back and protecting yourself the way would when interacting in a difficult relationship? Do you mistrust your "self?" The quality of our inner relating is as important as with our outer relating...

We encourage you to do prerequisite research of the IFS model to gain a rudimentary understanding of the theory before attending the session. You can find more information on the ifs-institute.com website or on YouTube.

About your host -
Michael Nowacki has been practicing IFS since 2006, and his life-long practices in both spiritual work and therapy integrate synergistically with IFS. Recently, he has offered introductions to IFS practice with psychonauts, now extending it to a wider audience in the context of life coaching and peer counseling.. In fact, most IFS has been practiced as peer counseling, where it is possible, with the requisite skill and discipline, to accomplish a great deal of healing and transformation outside of the formal therapy hour.

Michael offers individual 1-hour sessions for self-inquiry using IFS, which can enhance the skill of maintaining presence during entheogenic journeying and any transformational practice you engage.

The benefits of conducting practice in safe, skilled, trustworthy groups cannot be overstated.

One of the primary purposes of the Wednesday Zooms is to begin the process of defining a learning community.

Michael offers the following as credentials:
45+ years of mindfulness meditation practice
SOMA Breath teacher instructor certification
1-year Coaching To Excellence program, New Ventures West
B.S. Psychology, Linfield University

About IFS -
IFS is a renowned method for working with our psychological system, particularly wounds and issues targeted in psychotherapy, as well as the many other aspects of the psyche that can be coaxed into the light with skill and compassion. The unique element about IFS is the central position it assigns to the True Self, and in these presentations, we will describe how unveiling the True Self is another way to describe the mind that manifests in altered states.

**There is an enormous amount of material to cover to understand the IFS method. I strongly encourage you to spend time doing pre-requisite research of the IFS model to gain a rudimentary understanding of the theory. Information can be found at ifs-institute.com. There is also an enormous amount of introductory material on YouTube.

Here is the website intro page of the therapist I learned from and still work with, much more story-like, and I would suggest reading it first for those new to the method.
personal-growth-programs.com/learn-about-ifs/introduction-to-internal-family-systems-therapy/
His highly regarded introductory text is “Self Therapy”
There are several books authored by the founder of IFS, Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D.