A practical guide to the 5 pillars of embodied Internal Family Systems—tools and exercises for healing trauma

"McConnell is an expert guide to learning to listen to somatic stories and finding the way to Embodied Self."—Deb Dana, LCSW, author of The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy on Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy

With body-based exercises, foundational tools, and practical guidance, The Somatic Internal Family Systems Therapy Workbook shows you how the 5 practices of Somatic IFS—somatic awareness, conscious breathing, radical resonance, mindful movement and attuned touch—work together to build embodied safety, integrate unresolved harm, and facilitate trauma healing.

The workbook opens by inviting the therapist to explore their own Internal System, offering an embodied approach to experiencing the model. Chapter 1 explores and explains foundational concepts like somatics, embodiment, Parts, Self, and the cultural influences that shape and shift our embodied experiences. Chapters 2–6 move into theoretical grounding, clinical applications, and practical exercises for each of the five practices. They offer tools to:

Develop clients' ability to name, describe, and convey sensations
Recognize and track for signs of overwhelm
Work with Parts that fear body awareness
Understand the purpose and clinical benefits of conscious breathing
Restore the Embodied Self
Explore therapeutic shifts from doing to to being with clients
Heal attachment wounds
Integrate mindful movement into healing developmental trauma
Understand and practice attuned touch

Each practice is designed to be used whenever it will be of benefit: the tools and exercises are non-linear and adaptable, and aren’t limited by a prescriptive sequence. The workbook also explores links between current psychotherapeutic practice and ancient healing modalities, grounding SIFS in a larger web of effective somatic trauma healing and embodiment approaches.