Everything IFS Blog

Internal Family Systems

A softly lit still life of ancient objects on a stone table: an unrolled parchment scroll with handwritten text, a small burning candle, a stone incense bowl releasing smoke, stacked old books, a smooth round stone tablet, and simple brass vessels. The scene feels calm, timeless, and contemplative, evoking ancient wisdom and quiet simplicity.

Chapter 65 – Tao Te Ching

A clear, grounded reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 65, explored through Internal Family Systems to show how simplicity and Self-led presence restore inner harmony.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A calm still life featuring a stone yin-yang symbol resting on a stone platform, surrounded by natural objects including smooth stones, a lit candle, stacked old books, prayer beads, a brass bowl, and soft fabric. The scene is warm, balanced, and contemplative, evoking harmony, simplicity, and timeless wisdom.

Chapter 58 – Tao Te Ching

A grounded exploration of Tao Te Ching Chapter 58, revealing how humility, flexibility, and Self-led restraint create harmony—within society and the inner system alike.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

A contemplative still life on a stone surface featuring a human skull resting on a stone block, an hourglass with sand, a curved blade tool, wooden prayer beads, a brass bowl, smooth stones, stacked old books, and a smoking incense vessel. The scene is softly lit and symbolic, evoking mortality, time, and the consequences of human authority.

Chapter 74 – Tao Te Ching

A grounded reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 74 through Internal Family Systems, revealing why fear-based control fails and how natural transformation unfolds when force is released.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

A tranquil still life on a stone surface featuring a small bonsai tree growing in a shallow stone bowl filled with pebbles, a young sprout emerging from soil, stacked smooth stones, a lit candle, an unfurled scroll, old books, a brass bowl, coiled twine, scattered pebbles, and soft draped fabric. The scene feels calm, natural, and contemplative, suggesting growth, patience, and quiet balance.

Chapter 64 – Tao Te Ching

A clear, IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 64, revealing how early attention, gentle timing, and non-grasping allow change to unfold without force.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

A warm, contemplative still life on a stone surface featuring a small fabric pouch tied with string and adorned with green stone beads, surrounded by carved jade stones, a brass bowl, wooden prayer beads, stacked old books, and soft draped cloth. The scene feels calm, tactile, and timeless, suggesting simplicity, containment, and quiet value.

Chapter 70 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 70, revealing why true wisdom is simple, quiet, and often overlooked and how Self carries hidden inner treasure.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

A symbolic still life on a cloth-covered table featuring a balance scale with brass pans, an open scroll and rolled parchment, stacked old books, an hourglass, scattered coins, stones, and an ornate sword resting against the books. The scene is softly lit and suggests judgment, time, law, and measured authority.

Chapter 57 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 57, revealing how non-interference, stillness, and Self-led presence restore harmony without force.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

A warm, contemplative still life on a stone surface featuring stacked old books, rolled parchment scrolls, a yin-yang disk resting on papers, a lit candle, a small teapot releasing steam, round stone spheres, and a pair of reading glasses. The scene is softly lit and evokes balance, quiet wisdom, and calm attentiveness.

Chapter 60 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 60, revealing how gentle leadership, light touch, and Self-led presence dissolve inner conflict without force.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A serene still life on a stone surface featuring a seated Buddha statue, stacked old books, rolled parchment, a smooth stone sphere in a bowl, a lit candle, a small teapot releasing steam, wooden prayer beads, and dried herbs. The scene is softly lit and evokes meditation, humility, and quiet inner authority.

Chapter 72 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 72, exploring how humility, spaciousness, and Self-led restraint restore harmony without oppression.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A contemplative still life on a stone surface featuring an open old book with a magnifying glass resting on its pages, a human skull placed on stacked books, a lit candle, a small teapot releasing steam, rolled parchment, a shallow bowl with dried herbs, and reading glasses. The scene is softly lit and evokes inquiry, humility, and reflective wisdom.

Chapter 71 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 71, revealing how humility, unknowing, and Self-led awareness dissolve suffering rooted in false certainty.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A calm still life on a stone surface featuring a teapot, a bowl of tea, stacked smooth stones, a lit candle, rolled parchment, wooden chopsticks, a small bowl of rice, and stacked old books. The scene is softly lit and conveys simplicity, patience, and quiet attentiveness.

Chapter 63 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 63, revealing how early attention, non-striving, and small Self-led actions prevent inner difficulty before it grows.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

A serene still life featuring a stone bowl filled with water and floating white lotus flowers, a small candle, a feminine statue with folded hands, a rolled parchment, wooden prayer beads, stacked old books, and a brass vessel. The scene is softly lit and conveys stillness, receptivity, and quiet balance.

Chapter 61 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 61, revealing how humility, yielding, and Self-led receptivity create strength without domination.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A symbolic still life featuring a sword resting across a stone bowl filled with water and floating lotus flowers, a bronze warrior helmet placed on stacked books, a serene standing figure, rolled parchment, and a lit candle. The scene is softly lit and conveys restraint, quiet strength, and calm authority.

Chapter 68 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 68, revealing how non-contention, yielding, and calm Self-led presence embody true strength.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A serene still life on a stone surface featuring a shallow stone bowl filled with water and floating white lotus flowers, a small standing figure, stacked smooth stones, rolled parchment, wooden prayer beads, a small bowl of grains, and a lit candle. The scene is softly lit and conveys stillness, humility, and quiet balance.

Chapter 66 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 66, revealing how humility, receptivity, and Self-led presence create effortless influence without force.

Tao Te Ching

3 min read

A calm still life on a stone surface featuring two shallow stone bowls filled with water and floating white lotus flowers, a small standing statue, a lit candle, stacked old books, wooden prayer beads, rolled parchment, and a small heart-shaped stone. The scene is softly lit and evokes gentleness, compassion, and quiet balance.

Chapter 67 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 67, revealing how compassion, simplicity, and humility form the deepest source of strength and protection.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

A simple still life featuring a shallow stone bowl holding a smooth stone, a rolled parchment tied with string, a piece of weathered wood, and a small gold nugget, resting on soft fabric. The scene is softly lit and conveys containment, simplicity, and quiet value.

Chapter 62 – Tao Te Ching

An IFS-informed reading of Tao Te Ching Chapter 62, revealing the Tao as a refuge for all beings and the inner sanctuary where no part is ever excluded.

Tao Te Ching

4 min read

Traditional East Asian ink painting of a sage turning inward while symbolic colors, tones, and flavors swirl around her—representing overstimulation—captured in a soft, contemplative Taoist style.

Chapter 12 – Tao Te Ching

Laozi teaches that overstimulation blinds the senses and scatters the heart. Through the Internal Family Systems (IFS) lens, this chapter reveals how protectors chase intensity to avoid discomfort, while Self restores clarity, sensitivity, and inner quiet. True peace comes not from outer stimulation but from choosing depth over distraction.

Taoism and IFS

3 min read

A traditional Daoist ink painting showing an elderly sage seated beside a quiet river, surrounded by mountains, pines, and lotus flowers. The sage gazes toward a floating yin-yang symbol, representing the unity of the nameless source and the ten thousand things.

Chapter 1 – Tao Te Ching

Chapter One of the Tao Te Ching reveals the heart of Taoist wisdom: the difference between the nameless Source beneath all things and the named world of forms. This commentary blends ancient Taoist insight with IFS clarity, showing how the Mystery mirrors Self-energy and how desire, grasping, and naming shape our perception of reality.

Tao Te Ching

5 min read

Two adults sit facing each other in elegant upholstered chairs on a sunlit terrace, engaged in a calm, attentive conversation. A small table with soft pink flowers rests between them, with tall greenery, pale stone columns, distant mountains, and water in the background. The image conveys thoughtful communication, deep listening, collaboration, and respectful dialogue for a Motivational Interviewing course.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) Course

A free IFS Academy course on Motivational Interviewing (MI) for beginners, taught in plain language as the real method of Miller and Rollnick. Covers what MI is, the spirit of MI (PACE), the core skills (OARS), the four processes, change talk and sustain talk, evoking, and planning, across twelve short lessons. Ends with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work practice.

Everything IFS

A bright, realistic counseling conversation in a peaceful sunlit office, where a man speaks openly with gentle hand gestures while a woman listens with relaxed, attentive warmth. The image reflects Motivational Interviewing as a way of being: a respectful, compassionate relationship grounded in partnership, acceptance, curiosity, and trust in the person’s own capacity for change.

Module 12 — MI as a Way of Being | Motivational Interviewing Course

A free IFS Academy course on the closing idea of Motivational Interviewing: MI as a way of being rather than a toolkit. Covers how every MI skill expresses one underlying stance, why the spirit is what people actually feel, how to recognize good MI from the receiving end, turning MI inward toward your own ambivalence, and using MI in everyday conversations with family, friends, and colleagues. Ends with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work practice.

Everything IFS

A bright, realistic counseling conversation in a warm sunlit office, where a practitioner extends an open hand while speaking with a client seated across from her, an open notebook resting between them on the table. The image reflects Motivational Interviewing’s elicit-provide-elicit approach by showing information and advice being offered collaboratively, with respect for the person’s perspective, choice, and response.

Module 10 — Sharing Information and Advice the MI Way | Motivational Interviewing Course

A free IFS Academy course on sharing information and advice the MI way, using Elicit-Provide-Elicit. Answers whether you can give advice in Motivational Interviewing, and covers asking permission first, the elicit-provide-elicit method, offering options instead of directives, and the chunk-check-chunk rhythm for longer information. Ends with Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work practice.

Everything IFS