INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY WITH DR. BREN

Discover Self-Leadership, Healing & Integration

Transform your inner world through IFS therapy that illuminates the path to authentic wholeness. Internal Family Systems therapy doesn't just address symptoms—it empowers you to achieve genuine self-compassion, healing, and integration of all aspects of yourself. Through a personalized journey of inner discovery, you'll gain powerful insights into your internal parts, overcome protective patterns, and emerge with renewed self-leadership and profound healing.

"Everyone has a Self, and the Self can heal."
— Dr. Richard Schwartz, Founder of IFS

Is This Approach Right For You?

IFS therapy with Dr. Bren goes beyond traditional symptom-focused approaches. It integrates depth psychology with Self-energy cultivation, providing a comprehensive path to healing that addresses your whole internal system—not just individual behaviors or symptoms.

Perfect For You If:

  • You're seeking to understand the different aspects of your inner experience

  • You want to develop greater self-compassion and self-leadership

  • You're navigating trauma, anxiety, or depression with a holistic approach

  • You experience internal conflict or feel pulled in different directions

  • You're ready to heal childhood wounds and protective patterns

  • You want to understand the deeper wisdom behind your behaviors and reactions

  • You're seeking an approach that honors all parts of yourself without judgment

  • You feel called to develop authentic self-leadership and emotional resilience

  • You're interested in exploring the archetypal dimensions of your psyche

  • You want to move from self-criticism to self-compassion and acceptance

"Self is not a part; it's the essence of who you are when you're not blended with parts."

— Dr. Richard Schwartz

How Your Inner World Can Change

When you engage in Dr. Bren's IFS therapy process, profound shifts occur across all dimensions of your internal experience:

  • Self-Leadership – Move from being controlled by parts to leading from your authentic Self with compassion and clarity

  • Inner Harmony – Transform internal conflict into cooperation between your various parts

  • Emotional Healing – Develop the capacity to heal wounded parts with love and understanding

  • Authentic Expression – Express yourself from Self-energy rather than from protective or reactive parts

  • Trauma Resolution – Process and integrate traumatic experiences held by exile parts

  • Self-Compassion – Replace harsh internal criticism with loving acceptance of all your parts

  • Behavioral Freedom – Break free from compulsive patterns driven by protective parts

  • Relational Transformation – Improve relationships as you relate from Self rather than from wounded parts

  • Spiritual Connection – Access the deeper wisdom and love that reside in your core Self

  • Integrated Wholeness – Experience yourself as a complete, multifaceted being rather than fragmented parts

Clients often describe their IFS journey as "finally coming home to myself." The work doesn't just change your symptoms—it transforms your entire relationship with yourself and how you engage with every aspect of your life. Rather than simply managing difficult emotions, you'll develop the capacity to heal them at their source.

What is Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy?

A Groundbreaking Approach to Inner Healing

Internal Family Systems therapy with Dr. Bren is a revolutionary approach that recognizes the natural multiplicity of the human psyche. Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz in the 1980s, IFS views the mind as naturally composed of different parts, each with their own thoughts, emotions, and protective functions.

"You are not broken. You are not a problem to be solved. You are a Self with parts that need your attention."

— Dr. Richard Schwartz

Unlike traditional therapy approaches that may pathologize symptoms, IFS recognizes that all parts developed for good reasons and deserve compassion. My approach combines this foundational IFS understanding with Jungian depth psychology and archetypal wisdom, creating a comprehensive path to healing that honors both your wounded parts and your inherent wholeness.

This process goes beyond symptom management—it's about developing authentic self-leadership and creating internal harmony. Through understanding your parts and accessing your Self-energy, you'll develop the capacity to heal from within and create lasting transformation in all areas of your life.

"The goal of IFS is not to eliminate parts but to help them find their non-extreme roles."

— Dr. Richard Schwartz

Your IFS Therapy Journey

Working with my approach, you'll move through a carefully designed process that builds self-awareness, self-compassion, and the capacity for authentic self-leadership.

Initial Consultation

Your IFS journey begins with a comprehensive exploration of your internal system and current challenges. Using both IFS principles and depth psychology, this intake process creates a complete picture of your inner world:

  • Parts Mapping – Identifying the various parts of your internal system and their roles

  • Self-Energy Assessment – Recognizing your capacity to access Self-leadership and compassion

  • Protective Patterns – Understanding how manager and firefighter parts have developed to protect you

  • Exile Exploration – Gently identifying wounded parts that carry trauma and pain

  • Integration Goals – Establishing your vision for healing and wholeness

This foundation ensures that your therapy work addresses your unique internal system and supports your journey toward self-leadership.

"To confront a person with their shadow is to show them their own light." — Carl Jung

Understanding Your Internal System

The next phase involves gaining deeper insights into the specific parts that make up your internal family:

  • Manager Parts – Exploring the protective parts that try to control your environment and prevent pain

  • Exile Parts – Connecting with wounded parts that hold trauma, grief, and unmet needs

  • Firefighter Parts – Understanding reactive parts that emerge when exiles are triggered

  • Self-Energy – Cultivating access to your core Self with its qualities of compassion, curiosity, and calm

  • Archetypal Patterns – Recognizing universal patterns and complexes that influence your parts

These explorations provide deep understanding of your internal landscape, creating the foundation for healing and integration.

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." — Carl Jung

In-Depth Healing Process

Building on your understanding of your internal system, I employ an integrated approach that combines IFS methodology with Jungian depth work. This creates lasting transformation through compassionate inner dialogue and Self-led healing.

"The Self has an innate wisdom about what each part needs to heal." — Dr. Richard Schwartz

The healing process centers around developing Self-leadership—the capacity to lead your internal system from a place of love, wisdom, and authenticity. Each session creates space where you can:

  • Develop Self-compassion through guided practices that cultivate loving acceptance of all your parts

  • Dialogue with parts using IFS techniques that foster understanding and healing

  • Unburden exile parts by helping them release the pain and beliefs they've been carrying

  • Negotiate with protective parts to help them trust your Self-leadership and find new roles

  • Access archetypal wisdom through Jungian techniques that connect you with deeper patterns of healing

  • Practice Self-leadership in daily life situations that previously triggered part reactions

  • Integrate healing across all dimensions of your experience for lasting transformation

Between sessions, you'll engage in carefully designed practices that strengthen your connection to Self-energy and support ongoing dialogue with your parts. These practices help you embody new ways of being that emerge from Self-leadership rather than part-driven reactions.

This developmental process empowers you to become your own inner healer, creating sustainable change that continues to deepen long after formal therapy concludes.

"Self-energy is our essence—it's who we naturally are when we're not constrained by parts."

— Dr. Richard Schwartz

Core Tools & Approaches

My IFS therapy integrates multiple approaches to support comprehensive healing:

  • Through guided conversation with your parts, you'll develop the capacity to listen to each part's concerns, understand their protective roles, and offer the compassion they need to heal. This internal dialogue transforms inner conflict into cooperation and understanding.

    "When parts trust that Self is present and capable, they naturally move into their non-extreme roles."
    — Dr. Richard Schwartz

  • Exile parts often carry burdens—painful beliefs, emotions, and memories from past experiences. Through gentle IFS unburdening processes, these parts can release what they've been holding and return to their natural state of joy, creativity, and vitality.

    "Every exile has gifts waiting to be reclaimed."
    — Dr. Richard Schwartz

  • Drawing from Carl Jung's analytical psychology, I help you recognize how archetypal patterns and complexes influence your parts. This depth perspective adds richness to your understanding and supports more profound healing through symbolic and archetypal work.

    "In Jungian terms, parts can be understood as complexes, and Self as the Self archetype—the organizing principle of wholeness."
    — Dr. Bren

  • The heart of IFS work involves accessing and strengthening your connection to Self-energy—the natural qualities of compassion, courage, clarity, and calm that reside at your core. Through various practices, you'll learn to lead from this authentic center.

    "Self-leadership is not something you have to learn; it's something you have to uncover."
    — Dr. Richard Schwartz

  • Parts often express themselves through the body. By developing awareness of bodily sensations and reactions, you can better recognize when parts are active and support them in finding safety and healing through Self-led attention.

    These approaches work together to create a comprehensive healing experience that honors both the psychological and spiritual dimensions of your inner world.

The Benefits of IFS Therapy

Transform Your Relationship with Yourself and Your World

"The goal is not to get rid of parts but to develop a loving, trusting relationship with them."
— Dr. Richard Schwartz

My IFS approach offers unique benefits that address both psychological healing and spiritual development:

  • Self-Compassion – Develop a loving, accepting relationship with all aspects of yourself

  • Emotional Regulation – Learn to support parts in healthy expression rather than being overwhelmed by them

  • Trauma Healing – Process and integrate traumatic experiences held by wounded parts

  • Authentic Living – Express yourself from Self-energy rather than from protective or reactive patterns

  • Relational Skills – Improve connections with others through greater self-awareness and Self-led responses

  • Spiritual Connection – Access the deeper wisdom and love that reside in your essential Self

  • Behavioral Freedom – Break free from compulsive patterns driven by parts in extreme roles

  • Inner Peace – Transform internal conflict into harmony and cooperation

  • Personal Empowerment – Develop true self-leadership and confidence in your ability to handle life's challenges

  • Integrated Wholeness – Experience yourself as a complete, multifaceted being with access to all your gifts

This comprehensive approach doesn't just address symptoms—it fundamentally transforms your relationship with yourself. By developing Self-leadership and healing your parts, you create lasting change that ripples out into every area of your life.

The Benefits of IFS Therapy

Transform Your Relationship with Yourself and Your World

"The goal is not to get rid of parts but to develop a loving, trusting relationship with them."
— Dr. Richard Schwartz

My IFS approach offers unique benefits that address both psychological healing and spiritual development:

  • Self-Compassion – Develop a loving, accepting relationship with all aspects of yourself

  • Emotional Regulation – Learn to support parts in healthy expression rather than being overwhelmed by them

  • Trauma Healing – Process and integrate traumatic experiences held by wounded parts

  • Authentic Living – Express yourself from Self-energy rather than from protective or reactive patterns

  • Relational Skills – Improve connections with others through greater self-awareness and Self-led responses

  • Spiritual Connection – Access the deeper wisdom and love that reside in your essential Self

  • Behavioral Freedom – Break free from compulsive patterns driven by parts in extreme roles

  • Inner Peace – Transform internal conflict into harmony and cooperation

  • Personal Empowerment – Develop true self-leadership and confidence in your ability to handle life's challenges

  • Integrated Wholeness – Experience yourself as a complete, multifaceted being with access to all your gifts

This comprehensive approach doesn't just address symptoms—it fundamentally transforms your relationship with yourself. By developing Self-leadership and healing your parts, you create lasting change that ripples out into every area of your life.

"When Self is in leadership, parts naturally move into their gifts."
— Dr. Richard Schwartz

"When Self is in leadership, parts naturally move into their gifts."

— Dr. Richard Schwartz

Client Success Stories

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"Working with Dr. Bren through IFS therapy has been the most profound healing experience of my life. Learning to dialogue with my parts instead of being controlled by them has transformed everything—my relationships, my work, my relationship with myself. The integration of Jungian understanding added such depth to the work. I finally feel like I'm living from my true Self rather than from old protective patterns."

— Sarah M., Marketing Executive

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"After years of traditional therapy that helped but never quite got to the root, IFS with Dr. Bren was a revelation. Understanding my parts and learning to lead from Self-energy has healed trauma I carried for decades. The compassionate approach helped me develop genuine self-love for the first time. This work doesn't just change your symptoms—it changes who you are."

— Michael R., Teacher

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"Dr. Bren's integration of IFS with archetypal understanding was exactly what I needed. As someone drawn to both psychology and spirituality, this approach honored all dimensions of my experience. Learning to access Self-energy and heal my wounded parts has been life-changing. I finally understand why I react the way I do and have the tools to respond differently."

— Jennifer L., Therapist

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Embracing Your Shadow: A Free Guide

  • Unlock a new level of self-awareness and personal growth with this comprehensive guide to understanding and accepting all parts of yourself.

    • Explore how the Shadow affects your thoughts, feelings, and actions

    • Learn Ken Wilber's 3-2-1 Shadow Work Process to embrace and integrate your Shadow

    • Experience profound benefits including enhanced self-understanding, emotional harmony, and deeper relationships

  • Dive into this comprehensive guide to uncover the mysteries of your Shadow. From understanding its influence to practicing transformative exercises, this resource will empower you to embrace your true essence and cultivate a more fulfilling life.

Begin Your Journey Today

"You have everything you need inside you to heal."
— Dr. Richard Schwartz

Are you ready to discover the healing wisdom within yourself and develop authentic self-leadership? My IFS therapy offers a compassionate, transformative space for your journey toward inner harmony and wholeness.

Take the first step toward self-leadership:

Contact Dr. Bren today:

"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."
— Carl Jung

FAQs

  • Your first session involves exploring your internal system and understanding the different parts that make up your inner world. Dr. Bren will help you identify protective patterns and begin developing Self-compassion. The process is gentle, allowing you to move at your own pace.

  • IFS approaches trauma by recognizing that wounded parts (exiles) carry traumatic experiences while protective parts work to prevent further pain. Through Self-led healing, you can provide the safety and compassion these parts need to process and release their burdens.

  • Dr. Bren integrates IFS methodology with Jungian depth psychology and archetypal understanding, creating a rich approach that honors both the practical healing work of IFS and the deeper symbolic dimensions of the psyche. This integration supports more comprehensive transformation.

  • Yes, online IFS therapy can be highly effective. The internal dialogue work of IFS translates beautifully to virtual sessions, allowing you to engage in healing from the comfort of your own space while maintaining the depth and intimacy needed for transformation.

    "Self is the essence of who you are when you're not taken over by parts." — Dr. Richard Schwartz

  • IFS therapy can help anyone seeking greater self-understanding, emotional healing, and authentic living. It's particularly effective for trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, perfectionism, addiction recovery, and anyone wanting to develop greater self-compassion and self-leadership.

The Blog

These blog posts offer thoughtful guidance and practical tools to help couples strengthen communication, deepen connection, and navigate challenges together. Whether you're facing conflict or simply want to grow closer, you'll find insights to support a healthier, more fulfilling relationship.