Future webpage for Michelle Glass’ healing memoir and other related materials.
(Published December 2024)
Michelle Glass is a Certified Level 3 IFS Practitioner, Oregon Licensed Psilocbyin Facilitator, and Alternative Counselor in Eugene, Oregon who has 20 years of IFS experience and has accumulated over 380 hours of direct study with Richard Schwartz, PhD, the founder of IFS. She developed and is the author of the Daily Parts Meditation Practice®: A Journey of Embodied Integration for Clients and Therapists, which has become a valued method of deep embodiment of the IFS Model and healing integration. The DPMP® was trademarked in Spring 2022 and contains six tools of integration which is now also available in both English and Spanish. These tools of integration can also be found within the IFS-inspired app called Sentur. She has given workshops on the DPMP® online and across the globe.
Her focus has shifted to IFS and Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy. Michelle is currently writing a workbook for psychedelic preparation and integration using the DPMP® tools. A complementary series of IFS-inspired preparation and integration for psychedelic journeys will be available in early 2025 (as well as available within the Sentur app). She offers a 22-Hour Comprehensive IFS Introductory for Psychedelic Facilitators course a few times a year, as well as provides smaller workshops aimed to help IFS-trained professionals better support their clients who are seeking out psychedelics outside of their services. Michelle received a Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy from Naropa Institute and Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in 2022. In addition, she served as the Editor for OUTLOOK, the Foundation for Self Leadership’s magazine, for seven years.
She used IFS to heal from a traumatic childhood and is now an enthusiastic Hope Merchant. Michelle wants to help everyone experience that same healing. She takes great pleasure in bringing more Self-energy and Self-leadership to psychedelic facilitators, creating safer medicine spaces. Michelle is honored to have both Dick Schwartz and Gabor Maté as mentors and friends. She is the proud mother and step-mother of three incredible grown children. Outside of her work life, she enjoys regular visits to ocean, gardening, canning and drying garden produce, camping, cooking, listening to podcasts, writing, and time spent with friends and family.
She invites you to contact her through www.thelistenerllc.com or on the IFS Daily Parts Meditation Practice® Facebook private and public group pages.
For more information and/or to contact her, please visit: www.thelistenerllc.com.
DPMP® Testimonials
“I lacked the tools to give clients to help them organize this process or inspire their creativity in it. Enter Michelle Glass…As I travel around the world teaching IFS, I hear frequently from IFS clients who have been using the DPMP® and loving it. I also hear from IFS therapists that they not only are having good results when their clients use it, but that they are finding it helpful for their own parts work. This book will deeply enhance your journey toward being Self-led."
—Richard Schwartz, PhD, Founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS)
"In this creative volume, Michelle Glass teaches a method of deeply
integrating the seemingly disharmonious voices within, by firmly establishing
secure relationships between Self and hitherto isolated and fragmented
parts."
—Gabor Maté M.D., Author, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
"With this book, you can trust both the message and the messenger
implicitly. In IFS, we hold true the message: 'all parts are
welcome,' but sometimes we accidentally neglect parts after
unburdening. The Daily Parts Meditation Practice® will
go a long way to prevent that from happening, while also strengthening the
parts' gifts uncovered along the way. With these practices, transformation
is a journey, not a destination. It is deeply honoring and so clearly
presented. To experience the wisdom of this book is to experience the
dedication and generosity of Michelle Glass and all her parts. Her commitment
to her own life and, therefore her healing, has led to incredibly powerful
transformations that she offers here in an abundance of creative
examples."
—Mariel Pastor, LMFT, IFS Lead Trainer, Creator of Character Mapping
“Daily Parts Meditation Practice® provides inspiration and
tools for those interested in an IFS practice for working with their inner
life. Through her own deep and thorough practice, Michelle offers clear and
engaging examples of how we can apply this work to our own lives. I can’t imagine
a better person to guide us on this journey than Michelle Glass.”
—Paul Ginter, Licensed Psychologist, IFS Lead Trainer
“Michelle dives right into the deep end in her artistic, soulful and poetic
exploration of the inner world. Using her personal journey as well as a
fictional case study, Michelle offers clear, hands-on templates for
identifying each part's unique story and for building strong, loving
internal connections. If you want to deepen your own IFS or meditation
practice, or just further expand your inner journey, this book offers a
compassionate, creative and inspiring invitation.”
—Cece Sykes, LCSW, Psychotherapist and Senior IFS Trainer
“Michelle’s book offers clear, helpful guidance for how to use IFS as a daily
psycho-spiritual practice. She provides several tools and pathways for people
to choose from and she shares her own inspiring journey of self-exploration and
healing. Her manual will empower you to do this work on your own or help you
get the most out of your work with a therapist. And, therapists can benefit as
much as clients.”
—Paul Neustadt, MSS, IFS Co-Lead Trainer
“This manual provides a unique opportunity for everyone—clients and therapists,
to bring greater healing with hope and confidence. Michelle Glass uses her own
journey to illustrate a process that is clear and easily adaptable to the
specific needs of each person. She brings great care and detail to help create
maximum benefit for people who want to be more in alignment. It will bring
great value for those who want to read her story and follow her process; and
will also be very useful as a resource where people can pick and choose her
ideas or use them to help support creating their own.”
—Rina Dubin, Licensed Psychologist, IFS Assistant Trainer
“Michelle Glass' DPMP® is a deeply respectful way of getting to know
the parts of one's internal system that moves beyond cursory awareness to the
development of deep and evolving relationships with and between one's parts.
Her approach provides a roadmap for establishing a daily practice that makes
sure no part is forgotten or overlooked.”
—Jeanne Catanzaro, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Certified IFS Therapist
“Michelle has created a wonderful resource for the IFS community with her book,
Daily Parts Meditation Practice®. She offers clear, creative
ways to identify, get to know, unblend from, stay connected with and
integrate our parts and the system with which they live. The sharing of
her personal journey is yet another example of the benefits of Self-connection
and the healing power of IFS. Bravo!”
—Frank Anderson, M.D., Executive Director, The Foundation for Self Leadership
“As a Senior Lead Trainer in the Internal Family Systems model of
psychotherapy, I highly recommend Michelle Glass’s book, Daily Parts
Meditation and Practice®. I am frequently asked how to
develop the internal system and have more Self-energy. IFS is a model
where when parts relax from being in more extreme roles and they embody their
essential qualities and function within the system, “Self-energy” like
compassion, curiously, calmness, and courage naturally emerges as a more
central felt state.
“Michelle’s book is an excellent companion for this process. She outlines
what she found as crucial in her own journey of healing and provides tools that
are instinctual, practical, and helpful. I find her writing to be accurate
and in alinement with the essential primacies of the Model.
“The book can also be a valuable asset for therapists using the model for themselves as well as their clients. The skill of mapping is extremely valuable for both therapist and client. Michelle does an excellent job both in describing and illustrating this process. The description and examples of different systems can be helpful identifying various parts and recording how they interface with one another.
“The title of the book represents the importance of a daily practice and is
more than a workbook, with outlined daily tasks to be
completed. Chapter seven beautifully describes how to establish a daily
meditation which I have come to believe is essential for healing and changing
life long survival patterns.”
— Chris Burris, LPC and LMFT, IFS Senior Lead Trainer
“Michelle Glass has written a compelling book for anyone who has
wondered how to keep track of their parts or who has felt overwhelmed by the
process of learning about them. She offers a conversation about and
choices within a Daily Parts Meditation Practice®, which
have both a structure and guidance for alternatives in the personal creative
process for each person. This is a lovely addition to the IFS
field.”
—Joanne Gaffney, RN, LICSW, Certified IFS Therapist
DPMP® Participant Testimonials
"I'm so very glad to have participated in your workshop as what I learned then and from your book are doing wonders for building further trust with and providing support to my parts on a daily basis."
— Shoko Tomita, participant, Melbourne, Australia
“Michelle provides such a compelling and informative presentation. Her words of wisdom on the IFS topic were inspiring and will be implemented into my healing journey. Her time given was very much appreciated and impacted the want to unblend my parts and find ‘true Self.’”
— A.H., NY
"Michelle is a kind, respectful and humble presenter. It was a privilege to be taught and guided by her over the course of two days. It has benefitted me both personally and professionally."
— Gail Kenny, Psychologist in Brisbane, Australia
“It was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to hear and participate in Michelle’s enlightening presentation. It was a privilege to have had her insight and wisdom on the topic during my journey. I’m looking forward to implementing this approach into my healing journey and finding my true Self.”
— D.B., NY
“I originally purchased this book to enrich my own personal journey, and have since introduced the DPMP® to my own clients. DPMP® is now an integral part of my trauma informed PHP, helping so many in developing and maintaining relationships with their own parts!"
— Clare Brown, LPC, LCAT, LFYP, Director of SolStone: Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service, Elmira, NY
“Creating the chain of my parts was helpful, as my husband could see all the parts of my life.”
— Cathy, participant, New York
“The PCCs are perfect. They help me stay with it (part/s) and integrate them. I see it and can instantly feel the part.”
— Client
IFS and Psychedelic Course Participant Testimonials
This should be adopted and taught in all Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy programs for harm reduction.
– Dr. Barbara Karlsen, CA
I can start using this material with my clients right away because I feel confident about working with protectors and helping clients get to know their parts.
– Anonymous
It will definitely help me improve my prep and integration skills as a PAT, an area that I feel I need more growth in. Surprisingly, I'm taking some of the concepts (esp. polarization) and thinking about how to use them to improve my couple therapy practice!
– Ben Trelease
IFS for Psychedelic facilitators is an excellent course that provides enough knowledge about the IFS model to begin working with it immediately after the course. The way Michelle teaches helped me retain the information, have deep experiences with my parts, and feel confident to use this model in my personal life and in my work.
– C. A.
“The first day of your class has way exceeded my expectations. Having now completed the course, I would like to add that your stewardship and presence through the entire course stood out for me over any classes I’ve taken in the past.”
– K.K.
The depth and breadth of this course led not only to an increased understanding of the application of the IFS model to Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy but also led to a powerful inner transformation which paralleled, if not exceeded, any journey I’ve been on to date. The way Michelle organized and presented the material made seemingly complex concepts easily understood. The experiential portions of the program brought the concepts to life in a profound way which impacted my entire system deeply. The container Michelle created by being in Self energy throughout the entirety of our time together demonstrated clearly why anyone doing this work must be dedicated to creating true inner harmony in their own systems. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have learned from Michelle and to have connected to the community she attracted with this offering and her presence.
– Megan Norris
I know it will make me a more attuned facilitator. I also know exactly how I'm going to start my next session.
– Brooke B.
I enrolled due to my friend recommending Michelle so highly and my interest in gaining more working knowledge of IFS. The didactic portions were succinct and clear and were punctuated by meaningful dyad work and demonstrations. Michelle is a sophisticated instructor who can compassionately hold space for both learning and healing concurrently. It was a wonderful investment in myself as a clinician and as a person.
– Marissa Tunis, Psy.D.
Excellent – I gained a lot of information and insight in a short amount of time!
– Anonymous
Michelle modelled how to hold a powerful safe container and to weave exiled parts with Self.
– Anonymous
Excellent training! Michelle is super knowledgeable and the personal stories of her work in IFS were so helpful. The training felt highly professional, and the pace was just right. I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of this course with Michelle, she was incredible, and I was in awe of her expertise. From a learning standpoint, she is an incredibly skilled trainer. IFS can seem challenging, but she makes it easy to grasp and I am walking away with the foundational knowledge.
– A. C.
Michelle clearly presented the material during the didactics and her PowerPoints were beyond amazing! She was available and Self-led. Her demos were beautiful and really helped calm down my parts of feeling like we should be going through the unburdening in each session. I learned ways to weave IFS into every phase of the medicine work - preparation, journey, integration. This was immensely helpful as there is such synergy between the IFS and the PAP models. Michelle shared and demonstrated the Model in such a clear way. I feel so much more confident using IFS with my clients both in and out of the medicine space.
– J. A.
Psychedelic Client Testimonials
I would not be here or have done a journey if the meet-and-greet hadn’t screamed, ‘safe to proceed.’ Integration was as valuable as the journey itself and I’m so glad I knew to make lots of space and time for it. Michelle’s gentle and thoughtful guidance created a lovely opening that really matched what I was hoping to experience. My life feels reconfigured and unstuck. Deep, deep, deep gratitude. Thank you, Michelle, for everything you offered.
What an absolute incredible gift Michelle has given me! I’m grateful from each part of me and my heart if full and tender. What used to have power over me, no longer does. There’s more goodness in the world than I know now from having this deeply moving journey.
Michelle provided such a kind supportive and loving presence. What a privilege to have been held by such grace. I appreciate all the thoughtfulness with which you bring to this work. Your Self-energy, presence, and love were deeply felt creating a profound container for me to go inside to be with everything needing my attention.
This weekend my wife asked me when my next journey might be. She told me that my journey has transformed our relationship. For the first time in her life, she is feeling seen and heard by me because of my journey with you. Thank you, Michelle!
General Testimonials
"We are all very fortunate to have Michelle bringing her unique range of skills to this deep work. She brings a quiet wisdom that comes from her own journey of healing. Her openness and receptivity combine with a keen ability to be present for the other that invites much safety and acceptance. Her integrity is consistent in every step."
– Rina Dubin, Ed.D, IFS Assistant Trainer, Boston, MA
"Michelle brought a warmth and compassion to our work that set all of me at ease from the outset – I felt welcomed. She skillfully helped me to open a gentle conversation with concealed parts of me, to hear their story, to begin their healing. I have worked with a number of IFS practitioners, and some have the intuitive feel of the art of IFS, and some do not. Michelle has this."
– Steve R., Miami, FL
"I highly recommend Michelle's work based on my own experience of her deep capacity to listen and support her client's needs and motivations. I would add that Michelle has experience with people who are going through their own "spiritual crises and awakenings" by reclaiming their childhood ordeals."
– Roberto Ziemer, São Paulo, Brazil
"Michelle has a compassionate and calm presence that creates safety and an atmosphere for deep healing. Her attunement and tracking are remarkable. Michelle is a highly skilled IFS practitioner and I have great confidence in recommending her."
– Marilyn Hunt, MS, LMFT, IFS Program Assistant, Lafayette, CA
"From my first meeting Michelle a few months ago, she has been one of the most inspiring, connected people I have met in my life. She has a presence and receptive quality that few are gifted with."
– Clare M Brown, LPC, LCAT, LFYP, Elmira, NY
~ A Few Musings ~
Light Bearers Being Safe Harbors for Suffering Beings
(Intention: Please teach me what I need to know about global suffering and my role in its healing, if it is anything different than what I am doing now.)
It’s cliché to say that there are no words to capture a psychedelic journey. Words are only pieces of how to capture it. This psilocybin journey felt so very much like Ayahuasca to me. But it was the addition of Julián and Claudia’s singing and music – them bringing the jungle, the energy of the medicine here with the mushrooms. The medicine is not just the mushrooms – it is all of it and at the base it is the energy – the life force of the sun that ignites in our hearts that we breathe in and actually burn oxygen. We are literally on fire – the sparks inside of us each. We have forgotten who we are in our core, at our most elemental energetic center. This creates suffering. There are so many varied ways to lose touch with our essence and once set in, our cultures and communities, and family’s burdens stack more wounding on top of more wounding.
Psilocybin taught me what global suffering feels like energetically. It is deafeningly loud, gratingly heavy, and solidly dark – almost elemental as if the atoms of metal are being ground and pulverized. But without the conscious tending of it, of the alchemical process of healing our wounds and suffering, it gets stuck like cogs locking and grinding harder – taking more energy than would be necessary when we turn towards it with our loving compassionate hearts on fire – our essence.
Suffering is beautiful – it is part of this experience here on Earth – a very dense and hard place to live. There is a grander master plan at work in the design of global suffering – the disintegration of people, families, communities, governments, and our lands. And it is each of our purposes here to re-awaken to our essence, to heal our wounds and then to be a bright beacon of light for one another. Light Bearers being safe harbors for suffering beings to take refuge as they begin their alchemical, natural process of re-membering.
The energy of pain and suffering is almost too much for our physical bodies – it pulverizes bones and tears our cells and fabric of our tissues as we bleed and we can almost feel like we are literally dying. When we can help people remember what is dying is the burdens and the separation of themselves from their essence (parts and Self) and the separation from God, the great mystery, and one another, the process becomes a little more palatable. Even more so when we ask honey and the bees to bring their gift to our healing work. Honey sweetens, I touches us energetically to the spark of fire, of light, within us – helping us to remember who we are.
We each need to shine our lights as brightly as they were designed – as bright as the sun. I’m blessed to be called to this work having been in the alchemical fires so very many, many times and able to hold it all – all the global suffering, as we each find our ways home. Turning carbon into diamonds. — Michelle Glass, CIFSP
June 14, 2024
Naropa Practicum Psilocybin Journey at Cora Center
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“Self Has No Power that the Parts Do Not Allow” ~ Richard Schwartz
There is a very important piece that is not often talked about in IFS and that is the tenet and quote from Richard Schwartz, PhD: “Self has no power that parts do not allow.” This is important because the power to unblend resides with each part’s desire to do so and their willingness. There is absolutely no judgment about that piece. If parts are unable or unwilling to unblend, it is for good reasons (continue reading to learn more about the reasons). And at the same time, I believe all parts inherently know that when they do unblend to allow for Self-energy they feel better. Yet, for some parts it is a dilemma. Again, no judgment and also no pressure. It's not right or wrong to be blended or unblended.
Unblending is a simple concept that is not always an easy task. It simply involves a part (or parts: feelings, thoughts, sensations, and behaviors) to not "drive our metaphorical bus" or be all of us in the moment. [For clarity's sake, I mean that it is the volition of a part to not drive the bus / unblend, rather than another part pushing that one out of the driver’s seat.] For some it can be pulling their energy out of you in bits and/or sitting next to you (or on your lap), for others it can feel like turning the dial down from 100 to something lower, for others it's just a relaxing and opening of space.
This brings me to another important concept and that is the continuum. There is a continuum of blending - from 0% to 100%. When parts feel strongly then it may feel like they blend in the upper range of 80-100%, when they are more relaxed they can be in the middle range of 20-60%, and when they unblend even more they are down in the low range of 0-20%. When parts unblend to larger degrees, it opens up more and more space for Self-energy (the 8Cs: calm, connection, curiosity, compassion, confidence, courage, clarity, creativity). These are not absolute numbers but relative. The reason parts blend (and blend strongly) is because they also inherently know that they need to be "known" and witnessed (felt, seen, heard, and understood). Unfortunately they don't always know (or they forget) that when they blend to the very high end that there is little of our Self-energy available to meet and hold them to be known. So, it becomes a process of trial and error and a learning curve that takes as long or as short as parts need. No judgment.
I like to use the analogy of the sun and clouds for Self and parts. We know the sun is always shining, even at night - it is just on the other side of the world. Even during the daytime when it is the most intense weather pattern (tornadoes, hurricanes, hail storms, etc.) the sun is always there, just above the clouds. The same is true for our parts. Self is always present. Self, like the sun, does not need to be strengthened, as it is always in its full capacity. Even when our parts blend in and blend strongly, Self is there. But, the ability for parts to receive Self-energy from oneself is limited when they blend to that degree (just like it is harder for us to feel the warmth of the sunshine or sun rays when there are thick clouds or other big weather looming). This is when it becomes critical for another person, like an IFS therapist/practitioner or Self-led friend or partner, to provide strong Self-energy for someone else.
Sometimes I have invited parts (with permission and no expectation) to try a 'parts dance.' This is an experiment for them to test out what it feels like to unblend. We invite the part that is most blended and inquire if they are open to trying the experiment. If so, we proceed. We invite that part to blend in to a high degree (they decide the number) and notice how much Self-energy can they feel? Then we invite them to pick another number maybe in the 50-80 range and see what they notice about their access to Self-energy. Then if they are willing to try a low number and notice Self-energy. Then, we let the part dance up and down the continuum at their own pace choosing their percentages of unblending that feel comfortable and to feel Self-energy. It has been an appreciated experiment by many clients because parts have their own freedom to experiment and ultimately feel and get to know Self. This experiment brings us back to where I started: Dick’s quote, “Self has no power that parts won't allow.” When they begin to have more of a felt sense of Self-energy it becomes something more and more desired and a reinforcing attractive outcome because when they are held by our Self-energy they are deeply witnessed/known and then can unburden. It is a process.
Sometimes in some systems, when one part does the parts unblending dance and chooses a lower number, we find that another part is “driving the bus” behind the first one, and so it can be seen as a patiently persistent commitment to be with each part through this multi-part dance. Keep in mind that we don’t need 100% Self, just a “critical mass of Self-energy” which would be somewhere on the right side of the continuum. The Self-energy of the IFS therapist or practitioner is key in any IFS session, but even more so when a system of parts have many protectors fearing unblending and being with or in Self-energy. While it can be discouraging for both the client and IFS therapist or practitioner, keeping the truth that Self is in there and is available provides hope (i.e., Hope Merchant of the IFS professional) that when the system is ready parts will be held and tended and made even safer than they were prior to the development of Self-to-part relationships.
A dear IFS Trainer and friend has always taught another important piece about IFS that is unfortunately sometimes not heard by some students in trainings: "It's not that Self is good and parts are bad. It is that the burdens parts carry make life harder for our parts." So, we can send our parts our deep compassion for their struggle in receiving many familial and cultural messages that they are bad and for their growth in breaking loose of their own patterning as we patiently await their readiness.
It’s such an essential piece of understanding. To me there’s a whole spiritual underpinning with it. In my opinion, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We were born in these bodies, encapsulating our essence/Self. The neural wiring and chemistry of our bodies make it essential that our humanness, our parts, take front seat and vie for control and functioning. These behaviors, beliefs, feelings, and somatics become patterns that are further entrenched and strengthened with each repetition. This makes it harder and harder for parts to unblend from Self and/or continue to unblend, especially in the absence of caregivers who model Self-energy. Parts get angry wondering, “if Self is so amazing, good, and strong where was it during ____” (traumatic experiences) not realizing the power they have had all along (much like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz). To me this has been one of the biggest chords of compassion in the symphony of compassion - the fuller experience of this unblending and awakening (of parts / humanness) of who we truly are (Self / greater than this human experience). To me, this might just be the core of the awakening process. The Nature of Self podcast interview with Dick Schwartz talks about this at about the 16:45 minute mark. — Michelle Glass, CIFSP
Website:
www.thelistenerllc.com