Bioenergetic Analytic Therapy + IFS:
A Unique Mind-Body Approach
The body is in unity. It is not the mind that becomes angry nor the body which strikes. In posture, attitude, and every gesture, the person speaks a language, which antedates and transcends its verbal expression.
What is Bioenergetic Analysis?
Bioenergetic Analysis is a body-based psychotherapy (or somatic) that helps resolve emotional issues by engaging the wisdom of the body with a trained therapist.
A body-based therapist not only assesses the psychological struggles, but also the physical expression of that predicament, as it is manifested in the body.
Common Foundational Interventions Include
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Awareness Experiences
The focus is on muscular tension, breathing patterns, and ways in which physical and emotional tensions, behavioral patterns, and mental states are related. Methods to increase body awareness may be suggested between sessions.
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Physical Interventions
Used to help bring more aliveness and movement to the body. They may include stretching, breathing, and stress reduction tools to expand the range of states you are able to experience. This also helps increase the capacity of movement, often resulting in resilience, creativity, and improved self-expression.
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Direct Expression
You may be asked to participate in exercises or experiences to deepen your emotional expression. These are designed to support an expanded range of feelings and a deepening of emotional awareness.
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Touch
This is sometimes used to help bring awareness to your body, to release tension, and to support the expression of feelings. The use of touch is dependent on your comfort level.
What is Internal Family Systems?
IFS states that we are composed of “Parts” or subpersonalities. It is the nature of the mind to be subdivided. For example, someone might say, “One part of me thinks ____, and another part of me thinks _____.” These parts can shift into roles that are not helpful, such as anxious, critical, or obsessive parts.
The goal is to help these Parts transform so that they don’t cause so much pain. We want them to find their more natural state of functioning to make way for our “True Self,” which is more inherently confident, curious, calm, compassionate and creative. We work on this as a toward others, but most valuably, toward ourselves.
Bioenergetic Therapy + IFS
Combining body-based therapy with Internal Family Systems helps clients stay connected to what they feel as they talk. Instead of relying only on the story or only on the body, we bring both together. This often reveals insights that might otherwise remain hidden and helps the work move in a deeper, more meaningful direction.