Somatic IFS Newsletter June, 2023
I hope you are all well and (for those of you in the northern hemisphere) are enjoying this early summer season. Watching sunsets on Lake Michigan is one of our favorite past-times, regardless of the time of year. We also celebrate Pride Month, and, today, Juneteenth. These holidays remind us to continue to work towards equality, justice, and peace for everyone.
Since my last newsletter, the earth has orbited halfway around the sun, and many more of you have signed up for the newsletter. Welcome! I am so grateful for your interest in Somatic IFS. Many of you have participated in programs, and others have indicated an interest. I will fill you in on Somatic IFS programs during the last six months and give you a preview of the next twelve.
Past
So far in 2023 I have taught five Somatic IFS Step 1 and Step 2 programs as well as a few shorter programs. In January we had a week-long retreat at Mt Madonna in California. February brought two week-long retreats in Costa Rica, and March took me to Switzerland to bring Somatic IFS to French-speaking Swiss IFS therapists. April through the end of May found us again at our computers with a 54-hr online Somatic IFS Training, graduating thirty more fully-trained Somatic IFS Therapists.
Future SIFS Programs
There will be five Step 1 In-person programs between now and the end of April, 2024. All the Step 1 SIFS programs are seven-day experiential immersions into the five practices of Somatic IFS, open to IFS-trained people. They are prerequisites for the Step 2 Trainings.
This October there will be a retreat in Ireland, and November will bring Somatic IFS to the Jewish Orthodox community in Brooklyn. Both of these Step 1 programs are full with wait lists, but there are three more SIFS retreats that may interest you.
2 Somatic IFS Retreats in Costa Rica:
Week 1 - Saturday, February 10 - Saturday, February 17, 2024
Week 2 - Saturday, February 24 - Saturday, March 2, 2024
Location: Pura Vida Spa and Retreat Center, a mountain-top oasis with lush gardens, delicious healthy meals, exceptional bodywork and spa treatments, yoga classes, and a choice of eco-adventures. I have led Somatic IFS retreats at Pura Vida every year since 2008.
For more details about the location: Pura Vida Spa
A limited number of scholarships are available for participants who identify as BIPOC/racialized or gender diverse.
Use this link to register for Week 1 or Week 2
Somatic IFS Retreat in Gozo, Malta:
April 21, 2024- April 27, 2024.
Click: https://www.souliology.com/sifs to Register Your Interestand you will be automatically directed to a registration form for completion. and you will be automatically directed to a registration form for completion.
The retreat location is the beautiful Mediterranean island of Malta where our experiential exploration of our bodymind systems will be supported by the natural beauty of the island and the amenities of the luxurious boutique style family run hotel.
This Malta Retreat as well as the Ireland Retreat is organized by Ciara McGriskin who attended the SIFS retreat in Costa Rica. She has a remarkable story about how she came to this retreat, but the day before she left for home, something even more remarkable happened. She was getting a session from a bodyworker who stopped the treatment and said, “ I must tell you something. What I am getting from your body is that you are going to invite Susan to your country to lead a retreat there. You must find Susan and let her know.” Ciara was flabbergasted. She had no notion of organizing retreats. But soon she and her husband formed “Soulioligy” which offers retreats in Ireland and Malta, many of them taught by IFS trainers.
Somatic IFS Staff
Those of you who have attended any of these programs know how crucial the staff is to their success, offering Embodiment Practice Groups and Supervised Practice Groups for participants to delve deeper into the teachings. I am grateful for their dedication to Somatic IFS since I cannot do this alone. In addition to staffing the programs, they are expanding the reach of Somatic IFS as they incorporate it into their areas of expertise. Many of the staff are offering consultation and therapy. Some are specializing in yoga and SIFS. They are offering SIFS google groups, presenting workshops at the IFS conference, and planning on bringing SIFS to marginalized communities. You can find their information in the Practitioners Directory on my website.
Two of the Somatic IFS staff have chapters in a book edited by Jenna Riemersma--Marcella Cox on Disordered Eating, and Patty Rich on Sexuality. I also have a chapter on Somatic Practices. This book will be available at the end of August.
I leave you with one more holiday to celebrate. On June 21, we in the northern hemisphere will experience the longest day of the year where we are most directly receiving the sun’s warmth and light. Humans have honored this solar event in every culture with various rituals to cultivate and strengthen our connection with the earth and the divine energies all around us. In addition to enjoying early harvests and summer fun, the Summer Solstice reminds us to turn inward, to open to the expansion and abundance available to us, to express our gratitude for all the earth has given us, to honor and shine our inner light, and to find the nourishment needed to grow and evolve. Happy Solstice!
