IFS + Finger Puppets

A Monthly IFS Practice Group

Limited to 5 People

2 Hours on Zoom • $165 per Session

Saturday August 8

11am–1pm Central

Are you looking for a safe, supportive place
to do IFS in a playful, creative community?

This is such a place!

20 years ago, I started using finger puppets to do IFS.

Interacting with my parts as puppets radically transformed my relationship to them!

Finger puppets are soft and tactile, so they naturally bring a warmer, somatic element to IFS.

They are cute, which increases compassion towards them.

They make your parts seem like real little beings you can be in relationship with.

There is something moving about watching another person’s parts come alive through little puppets. Again and again, people leave feeling more connected—not only to their own inner world, but to everyone else’s as well.

I was touched by the tenderness and clarity that emerged as parts were given the power to speak their truths as puppets, which is why I am so passionate about sharing the power of IFS + Finger Puppets. They go together like peanut butter and jelly!

This class will be a monthly drop-in IFS practice group to gather in a small community of five other IFS lovers to connect with our parts using finger puppets.

If you don’t have finger puppets, you can bring plushies, stickers, or other fun objects to interact with.

What to Expect

This monthly group is designed for people who want to spend less time learning about IFS and more time actually doing IFS in a safe, supportive group of just five people.

The structure is very similar to my other classes, with two important differences:

• Instead of spending 20–30 minutes teaching a new topic, we’ll have a slightly longer demonstration (about 25 minutes), giving you more time to see IFS in action.
• We’ll also spend much more time doing our own personal IFS work. Instead of practicing for about 8–10 minutes, you’ll have approximately 15–20 minutes to connect with your own parts using finger puppets (or other playful objects).

If you’re looking for an ongoing place to deepen your relationship with your parts while practicing alongside a small community of fellow IFS lovers, this group was created for you.

Using Finger Puppets to Externalize Parts with IFS

Using Finger Puppets or Other Objects is a great technique for UNBLENDING and EXTERNALIZING parts. It’s usually wildly loved by exiles, sometimes liked by firefighters, and sometimes makes managers uncomfortable.

I’ve been using finger puppets for IFS since around 2005. Not only do I have an enormous depth of understanding about how to use them for IFS work, I’m also a puppets aficionado. I know a lot about how to source great puppets!

Using objects makes IFS work incredibly tangible and relatable. I think it’s an essential, basic unblending tool for everyone’s IFS toolbox.

Ideas for Externalizing Parts

DO NOT USE FRUIT or PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS

From a Fellow IFS Therapist

In IFS-speak, she is one of two people who I say being around their Self energy FEELS like a warm hug. And I’ve only shared virtual spaces with her.

I have learned to access more and more Self energy over the years of my journey since discovering IFS, and I’ve experienced the jolt to the system and kickstart of being in the presence of someone who carries that proverbial ‘critical mass’ of Self energy.

This is what Melissa brings to the table.”

— Jesse Daso, MS, LPC, SAC

Common Reasons to Join This Group:

“I enjoy parts work with my practitioner / coach / therapist, but then I don’t tend to check in with them between sessions.”

“I want to be able to connect more deeply with my parts but my protectors won’t let me.”

“I just don’t feel like journaling.”

“I want to learn from someone who has experience working directly with their parts on their own. I don’t want to just read about the IFS steps from a book.”

“I’d like to connect with other like-minded people who also see IFS as a way of life, not merely something theoretical they’re learning to use with clients.”

If you resonate with any of these statements, then this drop-in group is ideal for you!

Looking for a Smaller Class?

If you’re seeking a 2 hour group with even more time to practice, consider creating
a 3-person DIY IFS Practice Group which meets once a month or quarter for two hours.
Learn more here: www.athousandpaths.com/small

FAQ

Class Safety Agreement

Clarity about our purpose:

To deepen our capacity to do IFS and to develop our Self-leadership as human beings.

Privacy and Confidentiality:

These classes require a private, confidential space. A private room in your home or office. Or a private conference room in a library or your car parked in a quiet space. This is for the safety of all participants, as we can not open and focus inside if we are distracted by external environments.

If you join the Zoom from a public place, like a cafe, store or park, you will be asked to leave the group.

Zoom Video On:

Being able to see everyone in the group enhances safety, so plan to have your video on during most of the class, which is not recorded. Turning video off during personal practice time is fine.

Choice:

You are free to censor what you disclose. No is a complete sentence. Choose to share ONLY what you feel comfortable with.

Confidentiality:

All material everyone shares should not be shared with people who are not members of this group, even if you don’t use their name. You’d be surprised how far stories can travel. To read more, visit https://www.athousandpaths.com/safety-story.

Speak up for Safety:

If you are having difficulty with something that’s triggered you, PLEASE speak for your parts, either directly in the group or as soon as you can afterwards. Please LISTEN to your parts when they tell you what they need in order to feel safe. Safety is our number one value. When you speak for your safety needs, you speak for the safety needs of the whole group.

Speaking for parts, not from parts:

To the extent that you can, speaking for parts, not from them, will help us maintain safety when sharing in the group.

Embodying parts:

During coaching demos, in distinction to other times during the group, feel free to speak FROM parts and to experiment with embodying them. The difference between blending and embodying is: when you are blended, you are in a part and you don’t know you are in a part. When you embody a part, you are in a part and YOU and the part BOTH know you are ‘being’ the part.

No Coercion:

“Thank you, for letting me, be myself!” In this group, there is “no crosstalk.” This means when one person shares, no one judges, gives advice, or reacts against what they shared.

Feedback:  Share how you are inspired or how you resonate with others. DO NOT share judgement, advice, or criticism. If you criticize others in the class, I reserve the right to determine that you may not be the right fit for my classes. Thank you for understanding.

https://radicalifs.substack.com offers endless examples of how parts crosstalk and then repair, if you’re interested in a deeper dive.

Timeliness:

We commit to start and end on time. We start on time; this increases safety and strengthens the container.

Support and responsibility:

Ultimately, the only person who can keep you fully safe in a group is you. I want to do everything I can to make this group a safe space to learn, to go inside, and to share, in whatever ways feel right for you — but you are responsible for listening to the sometimes difficult-to-hear voices who tell you what they REALLY need to be safe.

You are not crazy if you get triggered, it’s ULTRA NORMAL in IFS work. So take care of yourself, and possibly give yourself extra support on days when you do IFS!

Thank you for your commitment to this safety agreement!

For more information about safety, which I take very seriously, here are more links!