Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy: Awareness, Breath, Resonance, Movement and Touch in Practice

by Susan McConnell, Richard C. Schwartz (Foreword)

Discover the innovative intersection of somatic therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS), featuring 5 core practices to transform modern therapeutic approaches.Enhance your clinical practice and patient outcomes by skillfully uniting body and mind through an evidence-based therapeutic modality—endorsed by leaders in the field, including Richard Schwartz.Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy introduces a cutting-edge therapeutic modality that merges the elements of somatic therapy, such as movement, touch, and breathwork, with the established principles of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. Authored by Susan McConnell, this multifaceted approach is crafted for therapists, clinicians, somatic practitioners, mental health professionals, and anyone interested in innovative healing techniques. A valuable contribution to mental health treatment, this guide offers a new horizon for those engaged in the well-being of others.This comprehensive, bestselling guide 5 core somatic awareness, conscious breathing, radical resonance, mindful movement, and attuned touch, designed for seamless integration into therapeutic work.Strategies to apply these practices in addressing a range of clinical conditions including depression, trauma, anxiety, eating disorders, chronic illness, and attachment disorders.Techniques to assist clients in identifying, understanding, and reconciling their 'inner worlds' or subpersonalities, leading to improved emotional health and behavior.A compelling combination of scientific insights, experiential practices, and real-world clinical stories that illuminate the theory and application of Somatic IFS.Highly regarded mental health professionals, such as IFS founder Richard Schwartz, have applauded this essential guide. By weaving together holistic healing wisdom, modern neuroscience, and somatic practices expertise, this book serves as a crucial resource for psychotherapists across various disciplines and laypersons seeking an embodied self.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Self Help, Counselling, Health, Bodies

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 22, 2020

Reviews

[Jasmine St. John · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Although Self energy cannot be located definitively in the body, when it is experienced and anchored in the body it becomes a known and lived experience. Many qualities that describe the state of Self energy, named for those of us who appreciate mnemonic techniques, begin with the letter C. These qualities—clarity, curiosity, courage, compassion, confidence, creativity, calmness, connectedness—are inherent, embodied states."

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I had read this book when I first started out as a therapist, and when I first started using IFS in my practice, I think much of it would have gone over my head. Over time, as I have gradually shifted my personal and professional focus toward somatic work, I have become much more open and aware of the possibilities available through somatic healing. I'm finding this book to be an excellent support in building the skills needed for integrating body awareness and movement into the healing process. I bought the book a year ago but just started reading it a few weeks ago. I guess the timing is right.

[Morgan Blackledge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere between:

Meh 😐

and

Painful 😬

[judy-b. judy-b. · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot to digest here, and I wish I had encountered these concepts and practices years ago—and especially practitioners who were proficient in them, but these modalities are relatively new.

I would have preferred a different narrator; the author comes across with less authority in her matter-of-fact voice and limited emotional inflection. Also, in audio, the book structure was not grounding. The author would be talking about a patient and then suddenly encapsulated more details in a case study.

[bibliophagy · Rating 2 out of 5]

this text goes a LOT of places and refers to MANY lineages, making the book feel long, arduous, confusing, and unmoored. the author has some important perspectives to share, but imo this text wasnt a good translation of that knowledge.

[Mark Mattek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for therapists who want to show up authentically and unburdened - and also want to help their clients do the same. Soul-nourishing while also providing practical tips to help apply the concepts.

[Holl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took SO LONG to finish! Not sure how much of this I would use specifically/methodically with clients. Feels jargon-y and would come off as incredibly woo woo to many folks, I think. The general concepts are super important and accessible, though! Yes yes yes to resonance & attuned touch & movement & somatic awareness & breath! Incredible tools! I am a body and amorphous blob of sensations/energies/feelings ~

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish. I would have enjoyed this if it were half the length. The information was useful and interesting, but not presented well. Case examples dominated the text, and at times felt incomplete and vague. Psycho education was interspersed with observations and stories in a way that felt confusing to me.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Woo woo with lots of filler

[Alena R · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wrote a research paper on this modality. There is some great practical advice on bringing in somatic practices into IFS, but it is surrounded with a LOT of nonsensical physics and other assertions about the nature of reality. I've studied physics as part of my engineering degree and I wish people explaining their spiritual theories would just leave quantum mechanics alone.

Here's an example

We are primarily holographic fields of energy and information and secondarily physical beings. [...] The body’s informational field has within it the blueprint for health, theoretically able to heal any disease. We just need to eliminate the blocks. The late Rockefeller University physicist Heinz Pagels, like many other theorists, believed that quantum physics is a kind of code that interconnects everything in the universe, including the physical basis of life itself.

Also, for what it's worth, the earth and the human body's cells do not share the same frequency, as the book claims. They are different by a factor of 1000-10000. Where is this information coming from?

[Alex Sippel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not exactly geared towards non-practicing therapists, I enjoyed learning about the framework of Somatic IFS presented in this book. In particular, I got a lot out of the mix of scientific background on each of the elements of Somatic IFS with the more spiritual / energy body elements. I can see how the practices of Somatic Awareness, Conscious Breathing, Radical Resonance, Mindful Movement, and Attuned Touch can come together to make for a very healing modality. This was clarified and reinforced by the many case studies at the end of each chapter. Reading this has encouraged me to be open to many more body sensations and patterns that might be the result of early developmental difficulties, and has given me tools to explore and unburden/integrate those parts for a more holistic self.

[Ann Parkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed reading this book and there were some helpful take aways. I think that there is quite a bit of good information in this book, however it was not always easy to follow especially because at times it was a bit repetitive and a bit vague. The case examples were helpful, even with not being a psychological therapist (I work as a specialist physiotherapist & integrative somatic practitioner). I think that I would have found this book challenging to read if I hadn’t already read No Bad Parts, studied IFS & already have integrated its principles into my work. There were some parts of the book that resonated and it has helped to deepen my understanding of IFS.

[Steph Mecham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had to abandon this one. I'm such a fan of IFS and sensorimotor psychotherapy, so I assumed this would naturally be a total hit with me, but I couldn't get over how woo-woo everything was and the lack of citations/scientific evidence for her claims. I'm sorry but humours and the four elements have been debunked. I am such a fan of body-based approaches and I know that science doesn't "know" everything, but I felt like the author was just saying words that sounded fancy without any proof. I want my therapeutic approaches to be credible!

[LaDonna Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was introduced to me after I started my IFS journey and when I read this book, it deeply supported my journey with IFS. With a Somatic Psychology background, I felt like Susan's work demonstrated elements of my work and I knew I wanted to learn more! This book is beautifully written and Susan's years of dedication to the mental health field demonstates the depth and brilliance of her work. It's a gem and for anyone wanting to learn about healing through the body, this book is a great read!

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is even worse than pretty terrible No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model, and in a quite inventive way too.

[Samantha C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Due to the extensive medical jargon, I retained very little from this book. Although that’s on me cause I’m almost certain this book is targeted towards therapist and those working in the somatic healing spaces. So if you’re not in that field and you want to better understand how you can heal through somatic work, you’re better off reading something else lol.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

In retrospect, I was looking for a way to bring Gendlin-style Focusing to IFS. This book’s use of “somatic” is broader, and the framework it lays out is more complex than what I want to add to my practice.

[Book Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information. Made me want to find an IFS therapist. Just very informational and a lot of it went over my head. I think it was written more for those wanting to be IFS therapists themselves. Not as much for those wanting the therapy themselves.

[Sherry Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy somatic work and IFS. I like how they pair together. Just felt like it was repetitious towards the last part of the book. This can be said for a lot of nonfiction books though.

[mmmm · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some quite useful things for myself as a practitioner and as a client.

Sometimes the woo came out of left field!

[Katie]

Reading this book was an exercise in persistence.
It’s full of really good information, but for me, presented in a way that made it very difficult to read.

[Candy Sparks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice.

[Ralique · Rating 3 out of 5]

skimmed

[Kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, very dense on Somatic terminology.

[Carol Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book

It is a wonderful book for anyone, but especially those in the fields of healing. Developing one's embodied self can only improve every aspect of one's life.

[Susannah Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty science heavy/a bit dry.

[Meghan Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up! Great book

[Hannah Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful and intuitive account

[Girl1894 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buddha going to the forest to practice breathing was all I got out of this book. I couldn't relate to anything else.

[Pria Acharya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seemed directed towards therapists a lot. I would have liked more practical, useful advice as a client trying to heal from CPTSD.