Open thread 004
What's IFS (Internal Family Systems)?, Alien Information Theory, & The Invisible Night School
Welcome to another week, friends! Lots of books this week: recommendations, reading groups, Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Bookchat
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut - Previously mentioned, this is my favorite novel of the last decade. It’s been exciting seeing others pick it up. If you’ve read it, let me know your thoughts.
It’s an experiencer book without being an experiencer book, if you know what I mean.
Alien Information Theory: Psychedelic Drug Technologies and the Cosmic Game by Andrew Gallimore - I’m running a small group read of Gallimore’s first book. It’s an intense, and intensely beautiful, work. If you’re interested in joining, send me a DM on Twitter: 2-4 chapters, biweekly 60-90min conversation.
Benefitting immensely from Internal Family Systems (IFS, or “parts work”) for healing and connection. IFS, for me, possesses the emotional richness of classical talk therapy with the applied utility of CBT. It’s highly systems-based, and is built on the idea that rather than being one, collective identity, we are - instead - a collection of different “parts” or sub-personalities.
The naming convention for this method is really terrible. It has nothing to do with literal biological families. The limitations of language strike again!
Watch Dr. Richard Schwartz explain Internal Family Systems (IFS) - great intro talk on IFS, how it works, and the theory/experience behind it
Other recommended resources:
No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard Schwartz - An overview on IFS, and beginner exercises to explore your “parts”
Self Therapy Workbook: An Exercise Book for the IFS Process by Jay Earley
I joined Erica Lukes on UFO Classified last Friday (10/14/2022) to talk about the importance of integrity and accountability and the traits of good stewardship in ufology. We also discussed the opportunity - and challenges - to conducting direct research on ‘experiencer’ phenomena, and what an ethical interview process may entail.
The Invisible Night School is back! We’re streaming Wednesday 9p ET/6p PT
#005 - Campbell Moreira: Plasma Physics, UFOs, & the Scientific Method
#006 - Nick Coffin-Callis: The 1994 Lake Michigan Sighting
Finally, We Own the Night: Art Bell and the Legacy of Coast to Coast AM is underway! Aiming to have an online, living archive available for public research in the next few weeks.
Until next time - be well.
Yours,
Leah
Leah,
Captivating post! So happy I discovered it via Invisible College Night School. I'm especially fascinated by the books you recommend.
That said, I want to also throw in a HUGE thumbs up for IFS. I discovered it about a year ago and it's been a complete game-changer for me, allowing far more progress than I had been with traditional talk therapy in a much shorter time. This is largely because once I saw what it could do, I did not hold back - I read several of Schwartz's more recent books in short succession, found a practitioner and even spent 6 days this past July at Kripalu doing an intro training with Dick Schwartz.
To loop it back around, while the IFS has positively impacted many areas of my life, I'm now realizing that it's been a primary factor in my growing ability to move through the UFO/UAP space with far greater openness, critical discernment, and focus on constructive contribution. Earlier attempts to navigate the UFO community were derailed by feelings of confusion and overwhelm. I now see that these were unprocessed trauma responses that first needed to be unburdened before I could go deeper into the field.
Again, thanks so much for the posting. I look forward to following your work and sharing more about IFS.
Kindest regards,
~d