Psychedelics and IFS: A Partnership in Relational Healing

The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model helps us get into fuller, richer relationships, inner and outer. In IFS, that is health. Psychedelics are quite “mindblowing,” but one way of thinking about them is that they also allow us into richer, fuller inner and outer relationships, partially by helping our minds or souls manifest, all parts present.

Psychedelics are rapidly entering the mainstream of Western mental healthcare. Without adequate containers, without adequate cultures of psychedelia, the power of psychedelics can dissipate quickly or fuel limited, strange, or even dangerous journeys. Those of us in Western mental healthcare need to find or create pairings that are worthy of the work – and the ease – at hand with psychedelics. Enter the psychotherapy part of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). Because of this great overlap between IFS and psychedelics, they can have a beautiful, profound, and health-bringing partnership.

In an effort to explore, do, and better understand the relationship between IFS and psychedelics, participants will explore elements of preparation, inner journeying, and integration through IFS-guided practices, both individually and in group processes. These experiential components will serve as our “text,” offering shared material to reflect on, analyze, and discuss. Ample time will be devoted to discussion, as, after all, another way of stating richer, fuller relationships of minds and souls manifesting together is dialogue.