Unattached Burdens and Guides in IFS

Carl Jung discovered, that as we go deeper and deeper into our psyches we start to find things that transcend our personal life experiences. These realms, the others within, or what I also call the further reaches of IFS.

Until I published The Others Within Us in April 2023, there were no books and no trainings focused exclusively on the area of Unattached Burdens and Guides in IFS. It is an odd field, almost disreputable, perhaps even the neglected stepchild of IFS.

One of my favorite things to do is to see a therapist and their client together when they believe there’s an unattached burden involved.

I only came to take this really seriously when I had a client in whom this phenomenon was undeniable. Before that I did not want to believe that these phenomena were real; it made me realize that my worldview was way too small. I became curious and have pursued the subject for more than years now, and have been working with clients and other therapists in this area.

Searching for the Origins of Unattached Burdens and Guides

This whole area is considered a little unsavory and very few therapists will deal with it. I have a huge interest in working with Unattached Burdens and Guides and a deep curiosity about their place within historical and cross-cultural perspectives, and conceivable theoretical understandings.

Since the IFS world discovered my curiosity and facility in working with these phenomena I have received many referrals and just published The Others Within Us, my book which focuses on these phenomena. Read more here: https://robertfalconer.us/the-others/

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“I have worked with Bob many times in IFS level one trainings and he is very skilled and experienced at introducing the model. Also, Bob is the first person I think of when it comes to dealing with unattached burdens. He teaches about this with exquisite clarity. With a client of ours, I was privileged to witness his fearless confidence and skill in working with these and in sorting them out from a complex protective system.”

Mary Duparri. MA, LPC IFS assistant trainer.