Jay Earley: Making Peace With Inner Conflicts

Today on The Soul of Life I speak with Jay Earley, author of Self-Therapy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Inner Wholeness Using IFS. A frequent subject on this show, Internal Family Systems is a model of spiritual and therapeutic growth that I’ve practiced for the last 12 years or so that to me is the most effective tool box that I’ve ever found to address a wide range of psychological and health-related issues. "The crucial part is not just recognizing that we’re made up of parts—subpersonalities—but that they’re really like little people living inside of us. And we can talk to them and they can talk to us and we can develop a relationship to them." Jay and I hone in on the IFS concept of befriending our protectors. Not just thinking abstractly about your psychological defenses, but experiencing them in real time with a sort of appreciative inquiry and leadership, the results of which you experience in your body and mind. Mike Elkin, one of my recent guests on the show described IFS like hypnosis, except it’s far more sophisticated and you can learn to do it on yourself. And that’s been Jay Early’s passion: teaching lay people the steps to learning IFS in everyday life. In self-practice. All of us can relate to having a voice inside of you that tells you when you’ve made a mistake. For many people this mental habit can interfere with life and restrict their natural instinct and ability. But have you ever considered that you can actually interact with that part of you? Not just get that critic voice to go away, but get it to work with you and fit into your life in a more helpful way. We talk about: - How to deal with inner conflicts, called polarizations - The Procrastinator-Taskmaster polarization - Why polarizations are the root cause of all emotional and behavioral symptoms - How to get to know and deal with your Inner Critic - Applying Self-Leadership to polarizations in the outside world Enter my current sweepstakes giveaway (https://swee.ps/lZirCOTlY): Win a Couples Vacation to the Caribbean ($1,299 Value!). Ends 10/15/21 1. All inclusive airfare for two 2. Two night stay included Check out my Mini-Course for couples: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHjcz6Ly2y9gr2mtMHIxu-fXXl8rE_PYJ Learn more about my 7-week, live, online basic mindfulness and IFS course for couples: https://souloflifeshow.com/mindful-marriage Join my Facebook Group called "Bring Love Alive:" https://www.facebook.com/groups/601405257684922 My Book, Love Under Repair: How to Save Your Marriage and Survive Couples Therapy https://amzn.to/2X3kPBL My Counseling Practice: https://keithmillercounseling.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulOfLifeShow or Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoulofLifeShow ​ Want to book Keith as a guest on your podcast? Contact him at [email protected].