Communal Collective Unburdening
with IFS
About the program
This experiential 4-hour live online program will address shared emotional burdens in a group setting by referencing Internal Family SystemsSM (IFS).
We each have varied experiences of trauma associated with grief, privilege, paternalism, and separateness.
Gathering with others to release some of what we’ve been carrying can be powerful.
Parts & Self: Individual and Collective
We experience our Parts as the voices we hear talking inside our minds as we go about our day.
In our communities we often hear collectively shared messages that our communal “voices” speak to us as a group and inside us individually.
The Self in IFS is the most authentic essence of who we are as spiritual beings. From an Indigenous spirituality perspective, the Self is who we really are, in wholeness and beauty, in oneness with Life itself.
We can experience Self both inside ourselves individually as well as among our community as a collective.
What is IFS?
Communal Collective Unburdening (CCU) is based on Internal Family SystemsSM (IFS).
IFS is at the forefront of a global movement toward mental health that resonates with Indigenous beliefs and practices.
IFS offers a clear, non-pathologizing, and empowering view of human life. It is an evidence-based psycho-spiritual model that can supplement traditional healing practices and ceremony.
IFS addresses legacy burdens bringing hope and transformative healing to all our relations.
How did this start?
The Indigenous IFS Council hosting this workshop came together in 2021 with the goal of offering IFS-inspired peer-to-peer programs from an Indigenous perspective.
For this workshop, we join with Stan Einhorn, who initially created a protocol for individual use in clinical settings. Stan then worked with Julia Sullivan and Henry Whitlow to adapt the work for communal settings.
The Self as whole
In IFS, the “Self” is seen as whole. It is an indestructible inner spiritual energy that is not diminished in the face of the burdens we acquire through our own lives, the lives of our ancestors, or the world in general.
IFS helps anyone to access Self energy, which is experienced as clarity, compassion, creativity, calmness, curiosity, confidence, courage, and connectedness.
What will I learn?
This introductory program will feature the IFS healing process called “unburdening.” We will apply the concept of unburdening to groups of people by practicing doing so with those who come to this workshop.
You will be welcomed into a community of people who want to use IFS in a variety of settings and modalities.
From individual clinical settings, to peer-based community circles – we will see how the power of IFS can take healing to the next level.
Come ready to belly laugh and possibly shed a few tears as we unburden and heal together.
Introducing Communal Collective Unburdening
This 4-hour program will be followed by an optional 30-minute Q&A to clarify anything or raise topics we did not discuss.
Questions we will answer
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What is “unburdening” in IFS and how does it relate to “ceremony”?
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What are the risks and rewards of unburdening?
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What is the power of “partial unburdening”?
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How can groups and communities be oriented to continue to do this healing work with each other whenever the need arises?
What will you gain?
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Greater clarity about and compassion for your own inner system
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A stronger sense of your Self and practice in accessing Self energy in a variety of circumstances
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Insight about how Indigenous thought and practices resonate with IFS
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Hope, joy, and deeper connection with others on a similar journey
Who should come?
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Community leaders
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First responders, EMTs, medical staff
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Mental health workers & clinicians
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Non-licensed coach practitioners
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Educators, school counselors
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Veterans
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People who want to add to or support 12-step recovery
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Boarding school survivors
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Anyone affected by violence
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Those curious about finding hope & healing
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Family & friends of any of the above
Step One
Step Two
Disclaimer
I understand that this Communal Collective Unburdening workshop is not psychotherapy. The workshop features an evidence-based psychotherapy method, intended to teach me skills I can use for my personal growth.
The workshop may involve accessing sensitive psychological material, and I declare that I have the psychological stability to handle whatever may come up.
If something is activated that requires further exploration, I will seek professional help as needed.
I am responsible for my participation in the workshop and any psychological work that I choose to do.
I understand that this workshop will be recorded and portions may be used to teach these concepts to others.
I will not hold the instructor, any member of the Indigenous IFS team, or their affiliates responsible for any pain or damages that may occur.