

IFS Trauma Coaching
A different approach to addiction recovery
Dr. Patrick Carnes, the pioneer of sexual addiction treatment, has said "true abstinence will not be achieved until the wounds are addressed." In other words, he's saying we will stay stuck in our addiction until we face and process the past trauma or dysfunction that continues to trigger our unwanted behaviors.
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One highly effective way of processing the wounds and traumatic experiences that might be driving our compulsive sexual behaviors is called Internal Family Systems (IFS).
IFS upholds the notion that addiction is a response to buried pain, whether from childhood or from current experiences. This perspective is supported by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research, which shows a significant correlation between the number of stressful or traumatic childhood experiences and addiction in adulthood.
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The IFS approach to recovery is non-pathologizing and innately trauma-informed. On the path to recovery, you will be supported in trusting your God Image, your authentically wise and loving core that is made in the image of God and led by the Holy Spirit, as your healing source. In doing so, you will discover that you have the intrinsic tools to relieve your suffering and past pain and that compulsive external crutches, such as porn, are no longer needed to pacify your inner wounding.​
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When clients come to me, they are often in the grip of a short-term solution (sexual addiction) to a long-term problem (disconnection and the sense of shamefulness). They feal defeated and discouraged. I love introducing them to the hope offered by the IFS approach.
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IFS is based on the idea that the human psyche has many parts. For example, it's likely that a part of you really wants to stop acting out sexually, while another part of you might be urging you to go ahead and indulge one more time.
When one part gets hurt, which happens when we experience things like rejection or loneliness or feeling unworthy, other parts help by stepping into protective roles. Some protective parts have a proactive role in that they help the client perform daily tasks and maintain social connections (these are called Manager parts), while others have a reactive role, in that they distract from or soothe emotional pain (these are called Firefighter parts).
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This dynamic is illustrated in the diagram below. I'd love to walk you through it in a complimentary coaching call and help you determine if IFS coaching is a good fit for you.
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