JANUARY 2026 UPDATE
- Jan 2
- 4 min read
Having experienced a year marked by personal and collective upheaval and uncertainty, we may have more closely leaned in to our communities and loved ones. Holidays with family and friends may have brought joy and comfort. We may have found moments to rest in stillness, to come back to our bodies, and to reflect on and integrate our experiences. As we feel our feet on the ground, we remember we are not only on the earth, we are in the earth and the earth is in us. We bring awareness to our breathing bodies and feel internal spaciousness. We open to the energies from the cosmos. Connecting earth and sky, “we assist the soul’s journey embedded in ancient mythologies and contemporary psychologies to marry these seemingly polarized qualities and to establish a vertical axis that is our anchor in turbulent times.” (from Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy).
My heartfelt wish is that, anchored in our Embodied Self energy, we bring compassion to our heartbreak and fear and release what no longer serves us. May we transcend the seeming polarities and realize our connection with all sentient beings. As we open to our ancestors and guides and the ancient streams of wisdom that are always available to us, may our presence and our actions ripple outward endlessly to restore peace, justice, and harmony.
2025 has been a momentous year for Somatic IFS, bringing the Somatic IFS model to IFS therapists in the US and abroad. Our expansion has brought several staff promotions for Mentees, Program Assistants, and Assistant Trainers to assist your learning. 2026 brings more opportunities to experience and learn Somatic IFS.
A new Step 1 Somatic IFS Retreat is scheduled for this October 8-15 in Asheville, NC on the shores of Lake Junaluska. This residential retreat is an experiential immersion into the practices of Somatic IFS—sensation, breath, resonance, movement, and touch. Registration and more information will be available on my website in the next week or two.
A new Step 2 Online training has launched and still has openings! This 54-hr training from November 12, 2026 to January 14, 2027 focuses on the clinical application of Somatic IFS. It will be led by myself and two Assistant Trainers, Marcella Cox and LaDonna Silva.
Our current Step 2 trainees are in the last weeks of the winter training. They have joined together across borders and time zones to learn to bring embodiment and healing to wounded parts. They personally experience how awareness of their own body while attuning, resonating, and holding space for their client’s verbal and nonverbal language can open portals to deep healing.
I have witnessed how their supervised practice groups, facilitated by our compassionate and expert staff, have developed cohesiveness, safety, and trust, allowing for learning and growth to naturally unfold. I will be proud to welcome these graduates as Somatic IFS Therapists, and gratified to imagine the exponential collective Embodied Self presence flowing outward.
Their contact information will be added to the Practitioner’s Directory on my website embodiedself.net
Our Step 1 Somatic IFS retreat in Chester, CT this last autumn.
From participants:
“transformative and life changing.”
“I came away with an entirely new awareness of how to listen to and trust the subtle messages held in my body-mind and how to help my system begin to release long-held pain.”
"I experienced pre-verbal trauma…and I see that through the practices of Somatic IFS I can claim and comfort that little one.”
Staff-led Somatic IFS Programs
In addition to Somatic IFS therapy, the experienced staff—Program Assistants and Assistant Trainers-- offer Somatic IFS consultation and workshops. You will find their contact information in the Practitioner’s Directory of my website. Below are listed some of their offerings:
Marcella Cox
Somatic IFS & Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) for IFS Professionals
Online | 7 Weeks | Mondays, Feb 13 – Apr 6, 2026* | 12–2 pm PT*no group March 16Limited to IFS-trained professionals interested in exploring the powerful synergy of Somatic IFS and the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) to deepen embodied Self energy.For more information and to register, visit the Kindful Body website
Individual and Group Somatic IFS Consultation
6 Weeks | Tuesdays, Mar 24 – Apr 28, 2026 | 1:00–2:30 pm PTLimited to Step 1 Retreat Participants & Step 2 Graduates.
For more information & to register, visit Marcella's website.
Upcoming Workshops
As the lead author of the delivery guidelines for combining IFS and Somatic IFS with Unyte’s Safe & Sound and Rest & Restore Protocols, Marcella will be participating in a free webinar with Dr. Frank Anderson to walk participants through the synergy of these modalities. Hosted by Unyte, the webinar will be held on January 20, 2:30 pm ET. Register to join the free webinar.
Marcella has the pleasure to present on Somatic IFS during PESI’s 2026 IFS Summit, February 19-20, 2026. She will also be presenting on Somatic IFS at Psychotherapy Networker Symposium in Washington DC, March 21, 2026.
Sign up for Marcella’s newsletter to learn about upcoming Somatic IFS groups, workshops and other offerings.
LaDonna Silva and Marcella Cox are teaming together again!
Deepening with Somatic IFS
Online | Meets Monthly for 6 Months | Jan 29, Mar 5, Mar 26, Apr 16, May 21, Jun 11, 2025 | 9:00 - 11:00 am PT
Limited to Step 1 Retreat Participants & Step 2 Graduates
This is a space for continued practice, integration, and renewal to help you stay connected to your body, your parts, and your embodied Self energy.
Dario Martinez
dario@dariomartineztherapy.com
Somatic IFS Practice Group Focused on Integrating Somatic Practices into IFS Work.
Online. We will meet for six sessions--every other Friday morning starting on March 6, 2026 from 10am-11:30 am PST.
Limited to 6 participants who have completed the Somatic IFS Step 1 Retreat.
For more information and to register, please contact Dario Martinez
Debbie Jacobs,
LMHC, ATR-BC, CYT, SEP
Offering online, creative and embodied IFS/SIFS individual and group consultation.
IFS Level 3 trained, Certified Somatic and Expressive IFS Therapist, IFSI Approved Consultant, and experienced IFS Program Assistant.
Please contact Debbie at debbie@makearttherapy.com or makearttherapy.com for more information.
Nicole House
Deepening The Practice of Somatic IFS
Online. Six Fridays from February 20th-March 27th. 10am-12pm CST
Limited to 8 participants who have completed the Somatic IFS Step 1 Retreat, or more.
For more information and to register, contact Nicole House at Nicole@creative-connections.org
LaDonna Silva
LaDonna offers several monthly consultation groups, to inquire please contact LaDonna via her website at www.ladonnasilva.com
Staff member Max Littman has recently released book, Internal Family Systems for Gay and Queer Men
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