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Internal Family Systems for Healing from Trauma

Bear Psychology Podcast

Release Date: 08/27/2026

Internal Family Systems for Healing from Trauma show art Internal Family Systems for Healing from Trauma

Bear Psychology Podcast

If you have experienced trauma or neglect as a child, you may struggle with depression, anxiety, loneliness, and low self-esteem in adulthood. You are not alone. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—including early emotional neglect—affect millions of people and have led to many of the greatest unaddressed public health problems facing our world today. If you struggle with shame or lack of confidence, or if you have difficulty creating or sustaining healthy relationships with others, take heart. There are techniques you can learn to heal the pain of your past and take charge of...

info_outline Using MDMA therapy to improve relationships and manage conflict show art Using MDMA therapy to improve relationships and manage conflict

Bear Psychology Podcast

MDMA or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine is a synthetic psychoactive medicine that alters mood and perception.  It has been shown to be highly effective for treating trauma. Some studies have shown 71% to 86% of participants achieved clinically meaningful improvements, and about half no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. It is now being used to address relational conflict and improving relationships. The book Ecstasy for Couples was written to better understand this exploratory intervention and how couples are using MDMA to better understand each other and work on...

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Bear Psychology Podcast

This guide for mental health professionals offers an insightful, conversational approach to mastering empathic communication with clients. Dr. Douglas Flemons invites readers to join him in a dialogue that incorporates voices from clinical research and practice, philosophy (both Eastern and Western), neuroscience, and the arts. In his book, “Empathic Engagement in Clinical Practice,” Douglas explains the nuts and bolts of empathy and offers guidelines for how therapists can make sense of clients’ thoughts, feelings, and choices from inside their worldview. He also shows how the...

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Bear Psychology Podcast

First responders and healthcare professionals are trained to manage crisis — but repeated exposure to trauma, loss, and high-stakes decision-making can take a cumulative toll. Over time, this can lead to emotional exhaustion, sleep disruption, irritability, and disconnection — not because of weakness, but because the nervous system has been under sustained demand without adequate recovery. In this podcast, psychologist and author Tania Bielak, Ph.D. shares insights from her book The Strength to Serve, offering practical, evidence-based strategies to support mental health in...

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Bear Psychology Podcast

Addiction isn’t just about pain—it can also be a call to something greater. The darkest paths can sometimes lead to the brightest truths by walking the path from suffering to self-discovery. In his book, “The Shadow of a Figure of Light: The Archetype of the Alcoholic and the Journey to Enlightenment” (2024) Cody Peterson explores the essence of Psycho-Spiritual transformation. Peterson looks at addiction as a pathway to wholeness. His book serves as both a guide and a mirror for those seeking to understand the hidden patterns behind self-destruction and the redemptive power...

info_outline Using Polyvagal Theory for Healing show art Using Polyvagal Theory for Healing

Bear Psychology Podcast

Listen to us as we discuss how you can rewire your nervous system for lasting calm, connection, and resilience with cutting-edge, polyvagal theory-based activities. Whether you have suffered a single traumatic experience or faced repeated difficult life events, you can be left feeling hypervigilant, irritable, and disconnected. Daily tasks like attending a work meeting or social gathering can feel overwhelming or even frightening. Most therapies for treating trauma require you to “revisit” your traumatic experience in potentially triggering ways. Best-selling author Dr. Arielle Schwartz...

info_outline The Relationships Workbook for BPD show art The Relationships Workbook for BPD

Bear Psychology Podcast

The Relationships Workbook for BPD - Bear Psychology Radio hosted by Dr. Anna Baranowsky with guest Dr. Daniel J. Fox. When intense emotions, fear of abandonment, or distorted expectations consume you, relationships can slowly erode, replaced by feelings of resentment and hostility. Unstable and high-conflict relationships are a hallmark of borderline personality disorder (BPD). In his book, “The Relationships Workbook for BPD”, Daniel J. Fox guides you step-by-step to help explore beliefs, behaviours and patterns that sabotage connection. Instead you learn how to repair relationships...

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Bear Psychology Podcast

Many people associate the term "enlightenment" with images of a solitary figure sitting atop a distant mountain peak or a monk focused intently on meditation, but what does this concept look like when navigating our lives in today’s complex society? Enlightment, at its core, is about gaining awareness and awakening ourselves to the interconnected nature of existence. Dr. Steve Taylor, a renowned spiritual psychologist, has devoted his life to investigating spiritual awakening. His previous bestselling books provided case histories of dozens of people who experienced profound shifts in...

info_outline The Power of Psychoanalysis show art The Power of Psychoanalysis

Bear Psychology Podcast

From alleviating recurring nightmares to finding oneself by discovering your family’s secret past, psychoanalysis is a turbulent but rewarding form of psychotherapy. Sigmund Freud was the founder of psychoanalysis establishing it in the 1890’s. The approach includes a focus on the unconscious mind, dream interpretation and talk therapy for addressing mental disturbances. Psychoanalysis continues to be a valuable path for gaining inner freedom from a host of mental struggles. In her book, “Untangling: A Memoir of Psychoanalysis” Joan Peters takes us through her journey of...

info_outline Divorce and New Beginnings show art Divorce and New Beginnings

Bear Psychology Podcast

Using Self-Compassion practices after divorce can help both parents and children.  Divorce and/or separation is a stressful but quite common experience for both parents and children. Children often carry guilt, shame, and anger along with many other big feelings that parents often feel ill-equipped to address. In her book, “Two Times as Much Love” Eileen Beltzner tells the story of Alexander, a third-grader struggling with the emotional aftermath of his parents’ divorce, and his journey toward self-understanding and personal growth. Beltzner uses engaging storytelling and...

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If you have experienced trauma or neglect as a child, you may struggle with depression, anxiety, loneliness, and low self-esteem in adulthood. You are not alone. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—including early emotional neglect—affect millions of people and have led to many of the greatest unaddressed public health problems facing our world today. If you struggle with shame or lack of confidence, or if you have difficulty creating or sustaining healthy relationships with others, take heart. There are techniques you can learn to heal the pain of your past and take charge of your future. This workbook will help you get started.

 

Grounded in the evidence-based approach of internal family systems therapy (IFS), this workbook provides a supportive, effective framework for continued healing. By “reparenting” the parts of yourself that were affected by childhood difficulties or trauma, you’ll learn to build unwavering self-compassion, overcome common relationship and communication challenges, and form healthy and lasting connections. You’ll also find soothing meditations, experiential exercises, and other skills to help you regulate your nervous system, so you can break free from the survival mode you’ve been stuck in for years. Finally, you’ll be inspired by real-life stories from other people who have been through similar experiences, and who’ve successfully overcome their trauma.

 

Join the conversation with Martina Williams and Kyle Wehrend as we explore how to reparent your inner child, move past emotional pain and trauma, and build the secure, fulfilling, and connected life we all truly deserve.

Know more about the authors:

Martina Williams, LCMHC, is a clinically licensed psychotherapist, international coach, certified internal family systems (IFS) therapist, and Approved Clinical Consultant who has been using the IFS model since 2011. She was a trauma recovery therapist for twenty-five years and now specializes in working with highly sensitive persons like herself.

 

Kyle Wehrend, LICSW, is a clinically licensed social worker, certified IFS therapist and the owner of Move Within LLC, a private practice that provides individual and group psychotherapy, and facilitates IFS workshops and retreats. He has been working with the IFS model since 2016 and was a co-presenter at the IFS International Conference in 2023.

 

This book is a supportive and empowering workbook to help you heal unresolved childhood wounds, cultivate self-compassion, and form healthy and lasting connections.  If you find yourself wanting to learn more about this topic, then this podcast is for you.

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