We've established the basic theory behind IFS - now how do we put it into practice in the therapy room and in daily life? In this episode, we speedrun therapy with a simplified case study: a depressed, bitter Christian named Tyler who wants to live out of his values way more than he has been lately. By the end of this episode, you'll learn the basics of working with polarized protector parts (like moral scrupulosity and angry defensiveness) and the complete six-step process of unburdening exiles. Whether you identify as a Christian or not at all, there's a lot of technique and templating here that you can take and use in your life right away. Let's get to work!

References:

Gustavo Mello's introduction to scaffolding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1fNNkhaavg&t=230s

Aphantasia: https://aphantasia.com/what-is-aphantasia

The "Put Off / Put On" paradigm in the writings of Paul: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/putting-on-christ-putting-off-sin/

Sub-Zero: https://wiki.supercombo.gg/w/Ultimate_Mortal_Kombat_3/Unmasked_Sub-Zero

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The DSM-5 thinks of every disorder as a set of symptoms, but that doesn't answer the question of what PTSD actually is - or what it's trying to do to help us become whole again. Is there a redemptive drive behind our trauma symptoms? How do we rewrite the ending of the worst moments we've ever been through? What does that look like in the therapy room and the Gospel of John? Bonus: how to convert a potentially traumatizing bank robbery into a meme.

(Content notice: brief mentions of many different kinds of traumatic experiences. One mention of the word "suicide" as a maladaptive avoidance strategy, with no scenario or details of any kind.)

References:

Judith Herman's "Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror" - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trauma-and-recovery-judith-lewis-herman-md/1100923391

Study which concludes the DSM is "a disingenuous categorical system" - https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2019/07/08/study-finds-psychiatric-diagnosis-to-be-scientifically-meaningless

DSM-5 Criteria for PTSD, with symptom clusters - https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/dsm5_ptsd.asp

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How do we make sense of the way one mind can want so many conflicting things at once? In this episode, we explore the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model as a way to understand our own inner conflicts, how the mind organizes itself for psychological self-defense, the way Jesus restructures the human personality, and why your mind is a flock of belligerent sheep needing a shepherd.

References:

Margaret Feinberg's "Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey" - https://zondervanacademic.com/products/scouting-the-divine

The Zealot sect - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealots

Russ Harris's "Christ-Centered Therapy: Empowering the Self" - https://www.routledge.com/Christ-Centered-Therapy-Empowering-the-Self/Harris-Koenig/p/book/9780789012272

Romans 7:14-25, on Paul's internal conflict - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%207%3A14-25&version=NIV

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