This quote goes well with a concept about parts we’ve been mulling over. It goes like this: “If a part of a person/personality is really extreme, it’s likely to be burdened.” I’m sure there are exceptions to this idea, but it seems like for the most part when you see extremeness in yourself, a system […]

Having fights and tension between burdened internal parts is JUST as common as having them in your actual family system! While managers and firefighters are both protective parts— they handle the pain of our vulnerable parts VERY differently. Managers try to be proactive and preventative…..but when the pain of our wounds inevitably seeps into the […]

Fear is a powerful lens that potently shapes what we view through it.

It can be absolutely terrifying getting to know certain parts. While they have served important purposes in your internal system, you still might not be well acquainted with them. Often the very opposite is true. The secrets of when they formed, why they were needed, what compels them, and how they’re trying to help you […]

This shield was for your protection, but once the actual threat has passed, it becomes a hindrance to your flourishing. (The memory of the threat stays alive and active in the body long after the acute threat has passed, until it experiences resolution). Not only are the hard emotions like grief, shame, regret, heartache, (sometimes […]

We have worked hard to become “abuse-informed”, as “trauma-informed” is simply not enough. Trauma happens in the absence of relational safety and connection, so understanding the many nuanced ways humans can be unsafe for one another, and the power dynamics that amplify this, is vital. Most people we work with have experienced abuse (many different […]