If you're a fan of the Disney/Pixar film Inside Out, you probably enjoyed the colorful personalities inhabiting the head of 11-year-old Riley, including Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. But before you dismiss this cute concept of components in our cranium as cartoonish or cloying, consider that more psychiatrists, therapists, and mental health experts are supporting the notion that we are each comprised of parts that help us cope with the myriad challenges we face in life.
One such methodology espousing this idea is Internal Family Systems (IFS). Dr. Frank Anderson, the lead trainer and program consultant for the IFS Institute, has just published a book–Transcending Trauma–that explains how these parts work and how conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder can be successfully treated by tapping into these parts during talk therapy.
I had the pleasure of editing this tome for Dr. Anderson, which helped me learn more about IFS and its many merits. Learn more about the book and its author by clicking here.