Janina Fisher's Perspective on Trauma and IFS

Janina Fisher, Assistant Educational Director of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute and expert on trauma treatment, discusses integrating parts approaches like IFS with somatic and neuroscience perspectives to heal trauma. Inspired by Judith Herman's challenge to traditional Freudian views, Fisher highlights the importance of addressing the body's physiological responses to trauma, not just the event itself. She integrates IFS techniques with Hanno van der Hart's theory of structural dissociation, emphasizing the instinct to function as more than a manager part. Fisher also introduces practical techniques, such as reframing shame as a relationship between critical and ashamed parts, and offers modifications to traditional IFS methods to better suit severely traumatized clients. Her forthcoming workbook, "Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma," aims to empower survivors by educating them about trauma and its effects.