November 13, 2023: Two emotional intelligence coaches help us understand IFS: The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model of psychotherapy
Monday Morning Magic from Inkandescent® PR + Publishing Co. — In early 2020, as the country began to shut down, emotional intelligence coaches Amy Steindler and Rena Rachar spent several hours a week on Zoom riffing on their fears, anxieties, and uncertainty and on the internal conflicts that arose. From “How much time should I spend disinfecting the groceries with alcohol wipes while wearing surgical gloves and holding my breath,” to the origins of their shame storms to the application of attachment theory to relationships, they explored everything that came to mind, no matter how serious or ridiculous.
They began taking turns coaching each other through some of the darkest days in recent memory. “Between the pandemic fear and isolation and the challenges we were facing with relationships and parenting and keeping our coaching businesses alive, we both needed a lot of compassionate witnessing,” Amy said. Rena added: “We realized that the internal conflicts we were experiencing then, and actually throughout our lives, were coming from thoughts that were out of alignment with our True Selves. We needed a way to return home to ourselves, no matter what was happening around us.”
What the women thought of as their “True Selves” was originally based on the concept of the “essential self” they had learned from author and celebrity life coach Martha Beck, who trained them as life coaches. “We were thinking of our True Selves as this unshakeable core of our best and highest selves,” Amy said. “It was a helpful foundation, and we built a more robust and interesting construct from there. Eventually, we realized that beyond being a touchstone, our True Selves had an active role in our healing and resolving our inner conflicts.”
In the Fall 2023 issue of BeInkandescent Health & Wellness magazine: We spotlight the discoveries and work of Amy and Rena, along with features on the founder and other practitioners of the IFS method, including:
- Welcome: Amy Steindler teaches us about the “Beauty of Expanded Leadership using her project, Through Your Own Lens®”
- Mind: IFS founder Dr. Richard Schwartz teaches us there are “No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model (IFS).”
- Body: Author and Neuroscientist Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explains how “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.”
- Spirit: Life Coach Martha Beck teaches about “Tracking Your Spirit” in The Gathering Pod.
- Soul: Emotional Intelligence Coach Rena Rachar takes us on a meditation vacation.
- Heart: Renowned speaker and bestselling author Dr. Gabor Maté opens our hearts to “The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Cult.
Until next Monday: Here’s to going deep, making life light, and embracing all you are. — Hope Katz Gibbs, founder and president, Inkandescent® Inc. Inkandescent.us
Inkandescent Women magazine • BeInkandescent Health & Wellness magazine • Inkandescent Radio • Inkandescent.tv • Inkandescent Shop • Inkandescent Books