Understanding Your Inner Parts: IFS Therapy, Trauma, and Self-Energy with Ryan Austin

In this episode, hosts Dustin Oliver and Ryan Austin, a licensed professional counselor, dive deep into the world of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. Together, they explore how IFS helps individuals understand their inner parts, navigate emotional trauma, and reconnect with their core Self-energy for lasting healing.

Ryan shares insights from his clinical work, including his experience with accountability courts, and discusses how childhood patterns, coping mechanisms, and numbing behaviors like addiction impact adult relationships and mental health.

The conversation also touches on the privilege of setting boundaries, cultural views of therapy, and the critical role of trust in the therapeutic process. Whether you're a therapist, someone in therapy, or curious about how IFS can help you heal, this episode offers a thoughtful, accessible introduction to one of today’s most transformative therapeutic modalities.

Connect with Ryan Austin:

⁠Ryan Austin Therapy⁠

Connect with boy meets therapy:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@boymeetstherapy⁠⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠@boymeetstherapy⁠⁠

Website with Free Resources: ⁠⁠boymeetstherapy.com⁠

Episode Guide & Chapters: 

00:00 Introduction and Name Struggles

01:49 Ryan's Journey as a Licensed Professional Counselor

05:22 Understanding Accountability Court

10:04 Introduction to Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

17:23 The Deeper Meaning of Therapy and Self-Care

22:46 Navigating Financial Fears and Self-Validation

24:32 The Impact of Cultural Perspectives on Therapy

26:13 The Privilege of Setting Boundaries

28:21 The Importance of Therapeutic Relationships

30:29 Understanding Core Self-Energy

36:05 Using IFS to Treat Trauma

40:25 Patterns from Childhood and Relationship Dynamics

45:28 Breaking Patterns: The Journey of Self-Discovery

51:06 Numbing and Addiction: Coping Mechanisms Explored

56:24 Listening to Our Parts: A Path to Self-Understanding

01:00:14 The Importance of Trust in Therapy

01:05:32 Sitting in the Slow: Embracing the Journey

Created and Produced by Dustin Oliver