On today’s podcast, I chat with Tanis Allen, a certified IFS therapist and longtime member of the IFS community. Tanis has been around since the earliest days of the model, and she just released a new book called The Self-Led IFS Workbook: Learn IFS Skills to Understand and Love All Your Parts published by Penguin Random House.
We talk about her early experiences learning IFS in the ‘90s, her work with clients struggling with suicidality and eating disorders, and what it was like to write a book that makes the model accessible to everyone. Tanis shares insights on how to begin IFS on your own, the challenge of translating an oral and experiential tradition into clear written steps, and her favorite exercise for working with stuck parts.
Key Takeaways:
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“Your awareness is the beginning of Self.” Tanis explains how simply noticing what’s happening in your body or mind is the first step into the IFS process.
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How do you know you’re in a part? Tanis breaks down how to begin this work, even if you’re doing it on your own.
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“IFS is such a strong community… we sit in circles together and learn this together.” Tanis reflects on the power of shared learning and the influence of the “wise women” who helped shape the model.
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Why she added her own transcripts of parts work to the book, and what she discovered about herself through writing them.
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Her favorite exercise (the Four Drawing Exercise) and why it’s so transformational for working with stuck parts.
Favorite Quote:
“Clients will often ask me, you know, does this make me like a multiple personality person or something? And, you know, the answer is no, we're all made this way, actually. And it does feel kind of weird sometimes. But the more we do it, the more we practice it, the less weird it feels." -- Tanis Allen
About Tanis Allen
Tanis Allen, LMSW, ACSW, is the author of The Self-Led Internal Family Systems Workbook: Learn to Use IFS Skills to Understand and Love All Your Parts. A member of the IFS community for over 25 years, Tanis has spent her career practicing, teaching, and living the IFS model. She serves as a mentor and IFS clinical consultant for other therapists and is the founder and director of the IFS Great Lakes Retreat, a beloved annual gathering held each fall in northern Michigan.
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Jeff Schrum co-produces The One Inside. He’s a writer and IFS Level 2 practitioner who specializes in helping therapists create with clarity and confidence.
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