Books
'Parts Work: An Illustrated Guide to Your Inner Life' - Tom Holmes: a great introduction to IFS
'No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma & Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model' - Dick Schwartz: the founder of Internal Family Systems
'Living from My Centred Self: An IFS Wisdom Journal' - Elaine Casquarelli & Karin Lubin: 4 separate workbooks
'Bring Yourself to Love' - Mona Barbara: for couples
Meditation
Guided IFS Meditations on Insight Timer - a series of free guided meditations with Richard Schwartz on the Insight Timer app here.
"True Meditation: Discover the Freedom of Pure Awareness" - Adyashanti: although this is not explicitly parts oriented it is one of the best meditation guides I have come across
Research
IFS and Rheumatoid Arthritis - Internal Family Systems has been shown to reduce pain and depression and improve physical function for people with rheumatoid arthritis. You can read the study by a team at Harvard Medical School on the Journal of Rheumatology's website here.
IFS Treatment for PTSD and Comorbid Conditions: A Pilot Study - "Of the thirteen subjects who were diagnosed with PTSD and completed the 16 sessions of IFS, only 1 still qualified for the diagnosis at the end of the study and at the one-month follow-up." This study is currently under submission to journals. A brief overview is given here.
IFS Shown to Reduce PTSD Symptoms for a Group of Patients with Multiple Childhood Trauma - You can read this study, which has been published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, here.
Other Resources
Inner Active Cards - Sharon Sargent Eckstein: a boxed set of illustrated cards that each depict a 'part' or sub-personality. Whilst everyone's parts are unique and appear to each of us in their own way, these images may be used to help you recognise and connect to your own unique parts.
Emergency Services
I do not provide an emergency service as a therapist in private practice. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and feel the need for immediate emergency support you have a number of options. This kind of distress may involve:
- a psychotic episode which means a serious loss of your usual sense of reality and can include hearing voices and hallucinations
- suicidal behaviour or intent
- other behaviour that is likely to endanger yourself or others
- being at serious risk of harm from someone else
The following services are available: - Call the Bristol Mental Health crisis line on 0300 555 0334. This line is open 24 hours a day, every day.
- Call the Bristol Sanctuary on 0117 954 2952 or 07709265661. This is a safe place to go in a crisis, open from Monday to Friday. They also provide one-to-one support. For more information see here.
- Call NHS 111. This is for when you need help or medical treatment quickly but its not a life-threatening emergency.
- Call 999 emergency services if you are in a life-threatening situation. Alternatively, you can go to Accident and Emergency if you have serious concern for your immediate safety. There is an on-call psychiatrist at the Bristol Royal Infirmary who you can ask to see in an emergency.
- Other support services: you can view a PDF listing other services in Bristol here.