Going Inside: Healing Trauma from the Inside Out

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

In this episode, I’m joined by Teddy Knebel, an IFS therapist and long-time Program Assistant for IFS trainings, to explore what it really looks like to grow into your voice as a therapist. We talk about the anxiety that shows up when learning IFS, how to relate to parts that want to “get it right,” and why trusting your own unique style is essential to effective therapy. If you’re new to IFS or looking to deepen your practice, this conversation will help you feel more grounded, confident, and connected in your work.

🌿 Key takeaways:

1. Most therapists think they need to “get IFS right”… but what if that pressure is the very thing getting in the way? 
2. You’ve been taught to follow the model—but what happens when your own style starts to emerge? 
3. Anxiety in the therapy room isn’t a mistake… it might be pointing you toward something essential.

Guest Info:

Teddy Knebel is an Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist working with individuals and couples in the DMV area. He has served as a Program Assistant (PA) for over 20 IFS Level 1 and Level 2 trainings through the IFS Institute, supporting therapists as they learn and embody the model. Teddy is passionate about helping both clinicians and clients navigate personal, cultural, and systemic trauma, and brings a grounded, human, and often humorous approach to the work.

Connect with Teddy: https://ifs-institute.com/practitioners/all/112124

More about the Virtual Blue Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xQa7dxpWYA

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts
🧠 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
🌱 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
🧠 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

In this live Q&A episode, John Clarke dives into one of the most common (and important) questions in Internal Family Systems (IFS): how to distinguish authentic parts communication from imagined responses. He explores what real connection feels like, why “waiting and listening” matters, and how to spot when a client is genuinely accessing parts versus performing or guessing.

We also unpack key challenges therapists face in session, including working with analytical clients, navigating multiple parts without shutting them down, and responding to dissociation with more care and curiosity.

Key Takeaways

1. The Difference Between Real vs. “Made Up” Parts. Most people think they’re connecting with parts… but they’re actually guessing. Here’s how to tell the difference.
2. Why You Shouldn’t Rush Parts to Step Aside.What if asking a part to “step back” is actually damaging your work? There’s a better way most therapists miss.
3. What Dissociation Is Really Telling You. Dissociation isn’t the problem—it’s a signal. The question is: what is it trying to protect your client from?

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts
➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

In this episode of Going Inside, I sit down with Monica Cavalcante, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, to explore what Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy really looks like beyond the structure of formal training.

Monica shares her journey from self-study to completing Level 2 IFS training, and how her understanding of the model has evolved through real-world client work. Together, we unpack the gap between theory and practice, the importance of therapist self-awareness, and why IFS is far more complex—and powerful—than it first appears.

3 Key Takeaways

1. Why trying to “get IFS right” might actually get in the way of the work
2. The moment therapists realize the model isn’t as simple as it seemed
3. What most people miss when they try to “figure out” their inner world

Our Guest

 Monica Cavalcante is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Virginia who specializes in trauma and OCD. She integrates Internal Family Systems (IFS), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to support clients in understanding themselves more deeply, reducing anxiety, and creating meaningful, lasting change.

Monica is passionate about helping people build a more compassionate relationship with themselves by exploring the different “parts” that show up in their inner world. Her work focuses on supporting clients in moving through trauma, navigating obsessive-compulsive patterns, and feeling more grounded, connected, and empowered in their lives.

She is the founder of Healing & Integration Therapy, where she offers both in-person and virtual sessions, bringing a thoughtful, down-to-earth, and integrative approach to her work.

Connect with Monica: https://healingintegrationtherapy.com/

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts
➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

In this guided IFS meditation, John Clarke invites you to slow down and shift out of the habit of trying to fix yourself. Instead, you’ll practice simply being with what’s present—your thoughts, sensations, and parts—without judgment or urgency to change anything.

This is the same process you’re inviting your clients into.

Through gentle awareness, body-based attention, and pendulation between discomfort and ease, this meditation offers a direct experience of what it means to relate differently to your internal world—something you can begin to model and bring into your clinical work.

Whether you're a therapist or on your own healing journey, this short practice is a powerful reminder: transformation doesn’t come from fixing—it comes from being with.

3 Key Takeaways

• What happens when you stop trying to change anything at all? This meditation invites you into a different kind of awareness—where nothing needs to be fixed. 
• You can learn to be with discomfort without getting overwhelmed by it. By gently noticing sensations and “pendulating” between ease and tension, something shifts. 
• Not all parts of you will like slowing down—and that’s part of the work. You may notice judgment, resistance, or urgency… and you can be with those parts too.

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts
➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

In this live Q&A episode, John Clarke dives into one of the most common and often overlooked mistakes therapists make when practicing Internal Family Systems (IFS). From working with persistent protectors to recognizing when therapy feels stuck, John shares practical insights to help therapists deepen their work, stay relational with parts, and foster true self-leadership in their clients. If you’ve ever wondered why your IFS work isn’t creating the change you expect, this episode offers a powerful reframe.

Key Takeaways

•  Many therapists unintentionally dismiss parts by asking them to “step aside”—but what if that approach is actually disrupting the healing process? 
•  Feeling “stuck” in therapy isn’t always about going too slow—there’s a deeper distinction that can transform your clinical intuition. 
•  The real skill that changes everything in IFS isn’t what you think—it’s simpler, but far more powerful when mastered. 

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador

➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE

➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

In this episode, John Clarke answers therapists’ questions about applying Internal Family Systems in real clinical situations. Topics include working with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), perfectionistic protector parts, and fear-based panic responses. John also shares a simple lens that can change how therapists understand client behavior. 

3 Key Takeaways

1. A simple framework that can change how you interpret what clients say in session.
2. Why therapy stalls and how slowing down with protector parts changes the work.
3. The question that helps high-functioning clients reconnect with their true Self.

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts
➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

What happens when a spiritual awakening feels more like a psychological breakdown?

In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Peter Legård Nielsen to explore spontaneous Kundalini awakenings through the lens of IFS. Peter shares his own harrowing experience of a sudden awakening at age 18 that led to insomnia, terror, and years of destabilization, and how IFS ultimately helped him transform that trauma into integration, healing, and meaning.

We explore how to discern Kundalini energy from trauma responses or unattached burdens, how therapists can safely approach this territory, and why relationship — not suppression — may be the key to working with overwhelming spiritual energy.

3 Key Takeaways

1. When awakening feels like trauma. 
2. What if the key to integration isn’t shutting the energy down… but building a relationship with it?
3. How to distinguish between benevolent spiritual energy and destructive forces — and why intention matters.

Our Guest

Peter Legård Nielsen is a writer of fiction and non-fiction, a certified IFS therapist and organizer of the official IFS trainings in the Nordic countries, as well as a certified advanced Rolfer. 

📘 Book:
Spontaneous Kundalini Awakenings: Healing the Damage Through IFS
https://www.amazon.com/Spontaneous-Kundalini-Awakenings-Healing-Through/dp/8785223042

🌐 Author Website:
www.peterlegaardnielsen.dk

📧 Email:
[email protected]

📘 Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/peter.nielsen.3950178
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063352442892

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador

➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE

➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

In this live Q&A episode of Going Inside, I answer real-time questions from therapists about high-achieving clients, ADHD and over-functioning, shutdown responses during trauma work, and the deeper question: are memories actually parts?

We explore how protector parts drive work addiction, why some clients can’t stop checking email, what’s really happening when someone gets sleepy during parts work, and how polarized masculine protectors impact relationships. This episode dives into the subtle complexities of IFS while keeping it grounded and practical for therapists in the room.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re moving too fast in trauma work — or whether a client’s ambition is actually fear in disguise — this one’s for you.

Key Takeaways

1. How high achievement can actually be a trauma strategy.
2. Sleepiness in session is rarely random.
3. Are memories actually parts?

Resources & Offerings: 

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts
➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me: 

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy 

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

What if you could access clarity, compassion, and grounded leadership in just a few minutes?

In this short guided meditation, John invites you to pause and take inventory of what you’re carrying — from your professional roles to your personal responsibilities — and reconnect with Self energy. This practice helps you shift from doing to being, from reacting to leading from the heart. Whether you’re between sessions or starting your day, this 6-minute reset is a simple way to return to your center.

3 Key Takeaways

• Discover what you are carrying right now that isn’t even yours
• Identify what would change if you led from your heart today
• Reveal where your Self Energy comes from

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts
➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador
➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE
➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN

Connect with me:

https://www.johnclarketherapy.com/
https://www.instagram.com/johnclarketherapy/
https://www.tiktok.com/@johnclarketherapy
https://www.youtube.com/@johnclarketherapy

Have a question or takeaway? Send us a message, we read every one.

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

In this live Q&A episode of Going Inside, John Clarke dives deep into the intersection of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Somatic Experiencing (SE). Therapists asked real questions about how to ground clients with complex trauma, whether SE can bypass protectors, and how to handle burnout, fear of messing up, and imposter syndrome. John offers raw, nuanced insights—from co-regulation to clinical contracting—that will resonate with any trauma-informed therapist striving to do deeper, more relational work.

🔑 3 Key Takeaways

1. Is SE bypassing your client’s protectors? Learn how to spot subtle protector bypassing even with gentle somatic work—and how IFS can help re-establish choice and agency.
2. Why grounding may be overemphasized: John challenges the assumption that therapists must ground first, proposing self-energy and relational presence as grounding in itself.
3. Burnout starts with belief systems: Discover how internal polarizations and unexamined fears silently drive overworking—and how IFS can unwind the deeper exile dynamics.

Resources & Offerings:

➡️ Free parts work handouts for your clients → https://go.johnclarketherapy.com/handouts

➡️ 1-Month Grace Period with Jane – Use code JOHN or visit: https://meet.jane.app/john-clarke-ambassador

➡️ 10% Off at Grounding Well – Use code GWJOHNCLARKE or visit: https://www.groundingwell.com/GWJOHNCLARKE

➡️ 10% Off at Dharma Dr. – Use code JOHN or visit: https://dharmadr.com/JOHN