Spiritual awakenings open us up to a psychology our minds are often not ready for.
We need simple and effective tools to help us navigate the depths of suffering that can arise.
One of the most powerful approaches for me (and hundreds of my clients) has been Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which I describe below.
[ P.s. I developed a hybrid A.I. + human connection programme that can guide you through the IFS process - join here for a taster! ]
Let’s start with something many of you have observed: spiritual and psychological growth don’t always progress at the same rate.
🧠 Mind v. 👻 Spirit
Spiritual growth can be seen as the cultivation of a stable, expansive, and transcendental state of being.
In contrast, psychological growth focuses on integrating our shadows, refining our psychological defenses, uncovering blind spots, and enhancing the complexity of our thinking.
This tension isn’t hypothetical. Several renowned gurus have reached exalted states of consciousness yet maintained unintegrated shadows, leading to harmful behaviors.
♾️ The Paradox of Awakening
One view of the awakening is of a state of formless, undefended vulnerability. Yet that same vulnerability can terrify our psychological defenses, programmed over a lifetime of self-protection.
When these two types of growth don’t align, we’re left in a paradox: more transcendent yet more contracted.
Bridging the gap between transcendence and integration is essential both to reduce our own suffering and avoiding causing suffering to others — this is where IFS therapy shines.
👣 What is IFS Therapy?
IFS Therapy starts with a simple but profound idea: our minds are made up of parts, each with its own role.
Some parts hold vulnerability—the tender feelings and unmet needs we couldn’t process as children. Other parts act as guardians, doing their best to shield us from pain.
Sometimes, different parts can be in conflict with each other, increasing disharmony, disconnection, and internal fracture.
Healing in IFS begins when we shift our perspective, from identifying as a part of ourselves, to identifying with being the container to all these parts.
Suddenly, we’re not fully 'blended' with a part; we’re observing it from the perspective of what IFS calls “Self.” And from this place of Self— a calm, curious, compassionate state —we can start to truly connect with our parts.
The state of compassionate curiosity helps Protectors relax, granting access to the vulnerable parts they guard. Exploring these deeper layers of the subconscious often feels dream-like, creating a profound, direct connection to emotional wounds.
From this deeply experiential space, IFS then facilitates the permanent healing of those parts, leading to the evolution of the whole system.
✨ How IFS Supports Spiritual Growth ✨
For those experiencing Kundalini awakenings, this process is especially significant.
The energetic surge often lowers the boundaries between our conscious and subconscious, flooding awareness with suppressed material. Without tools to navigate this, the experience can become overwhelming.
IFS offers a way to process this material without losing ourselves, because we identify with a bigger container to the experience.
It provides a bridge between transcendence and integration. It’s an antidote to spiritual bypassing, which tempts us to dismiss or avoid the messy parts of our humanity. Instead, IFS invites us to meet those parts with love, rehabilitating them into the whole.
☠️ My Journey with IFS
In 2019, I faced one of the most challenging periods of my life. A flesh-eating bacterial infection led to seven months of chemotherapy. Just as this journey began, I stumbled upon an IFS book. I had no idea how transformative it would be.
Using IFS techniques, I met parts of me that were terrified, angry, or despairing. To my surprise, even amidst physical pain and uncertainty, I accessed moments of profound gratitude and love. These weren’t fleeting; they were sustained by the deep, compassionate work I was doing internally.
IFS gave me a way to hold space for all my parts, helping them trust me to navigate that incredibly vulnerable time. This experience convinced me of the power of IFS—not just for surviving hardship but for transforming it into something meaningful.
🚀 Join Greater Human!
For those who resonate with this work, I’ve built a program called Greater Human that integrates IFS principles with A.I. to guide people through their own self-healing and spiritual integration journeys.
It offers tools to help you navigate your psychology, providing both structure and human support.
I’d love for you to join and see how these methods can enhance and deepen your experience:
-> See our course.
-> Join the free taster here, or message me on the KC platform for the link to the event.
🧐 Are you kidding me? You think A.I. can help?
IFS can be a self-therapy method, thousands of people are already using it daily, learned from a book.
We teach you these methods to enable your self-healing and integration, while our IFS inspired A.I. guides you more effectively than any book ever could.
Our participants have reported deep healing experience already, and it can induce dream-like states that accelerate restructuring of the mind.
The A.I. is not the healer, it guides you to heal yourself.
Books on IFS
Feel free to reach out with questions!
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