How are we supposed to deal with the anxiety of living in an uncertain world when, sometimes, the worst-case scenario really does happen? What is anxiety trying to do for us at an IFS parts-of-the-mind level? Is unconditionality a thing you have or don't, or is it a gradient, a hierarchy? And what options do we have even when we know we'll have to walk through the fire?

(Content notice: child loss in the context of a Bible story, from 33:15 to 36:10)

References:

"A World of Dew," by Kobayashi Issa: https://allpoetry.com/a-world-of-dew

Scripture Cited: Habakkuk 3:16–19, Isaiah 43:1b-5a, Daniel 3:17–18, and 2 Kings 4:1-37

Timestamp for the start of the “big medical bills” example: 17:15

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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

What's this episode bringing up for you? Click this link (on withallyourpsyche.buzzsprout.com) to drop me a quick text or voice message. Thanks for joining the conversation!

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
(Note that this book is an excellent resource for deep understanding of trauma and abuse, and also intensely triggering for anyone with unresolved sexual trauma.)

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

What's this episode bringing up for you? Click this link (on withallyourpsyche.buzzsprout.com) to drop me a quick text or voice message. Thanks for joining the conversation!