Search a title or topic

Over 20 million podcasts, powered by 

Player FM logo
Artwork

Content provided by Natalie Deering. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Natalie Deering or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.
Player FM - Podcast App
Go offline with the Player FM app!

Befriending the Inner Critic with IFS - A Conversation with Chris Burris

1:03:28
 
Share
 

Manage episode 508343514 series 3447075
Content provided by Natalie Deering. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Natalie Deering or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

In this episode, I sit down with one of my IFS mentors Chris Burris, LMFT, Senior Lead Trainer for the Internal Family Systems (IFS) Institute, to explore one of the most challenging and misunderstood aspects of our inner world: the inner critic.

Chris shares his personal journey with IFS and how the model offers a radical permission to approach ourselves—and our parts—with more love, kindness, and curiosity. Together, we discuss:

  • Why people are more than the behavior of their parts

  • The nature of inner critic parts and why pushing them away doesn’t work

  • How cultural messages often teach us to fight or silence the inner critic, rather than befriend it

  • Common “suck points” when working with critics in therapy

  • The role of legacy burdens in shaping our inner critics

  • What it means to carry the critical energy of others inside us

  • The importance of following intuition in the healing process

  • Practical exercises to begin befriending your inner critic on your own

This conversation is both grounding and liberating, offering a compassionate reframe for anyone who struggles with self-judgment or harsh inner voices.

About Chris Burris:

Chris Burris, M.Ed., LCMHCS, LMFT (he/him), is a Senior Lead Trainer for the Internal Family Systems Institute, providing Level II and III trainings worldwide. He has been an IFS Therapist since 1999 and a practicing psychotherapist since 1987. With a background in marriage and family therapy and a mind-body approach, Chris has worked extensively with individuals, couples, families, and groups.

He is the author of Creating Healing Circles: Using the Internal Family Systems Model in Facilitating Groups, and has been leading experiential group trainings since 2003 on topics such as Self-leadership, men’s work, rites of passage, sacred activism, healthy relationships, and performance enhancement. Chris has also trained in nature-based models through the Animus Valley Institute, School of Lost Borders, The Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and The Center for Conscious Eldering.

Resources:

___________________________________

Want to work with Natalie? Contact her below

Website: https://www.ndwellnessservices.com/

Contact: https://www.ndwellnessservices.com/contact

Instagram: @nataliedeering

_____________________________

Donate to the podcast Here!

Interested in sponsoring an episode of the podcast?

Upgrade your business and let more people know about your amazing services or products by reaching hundreds to thousands of people by sponsoring an episode for only $100! Please email [email protected] for more information. Thank you for the support!

*Please support the podcast by following, rating, and leaving a review*

  continue reading

99 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 508343514 series 3447075
Content provided by Natalie Deering. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Natalie Deering or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

In this episode, I sit down with one of my IFS mentors Chris Burris, LMFT, Senior Lead Trainer for the Internal Family Systems (IFS) Institute, to explore one of the most challenging and misunderstood aspects of our inner world: the inner critic.

Chris shares his personal journey with IFS and how the model offers a radical permission to approach ourselves—and our parts—with more love, kindness, and curiosity. Together, we discuss:

  • Why people are more than the behavior of their parts

  • The nature of inner critic parts and why pushing them away doesn’t work

  • How cultural messages often teach us to fight or silence the inner critic, rather than befriend it

  • Common “suck points” when working with critics in therapy

  • The role of legacy burdens in shaping our inner critics

  • What it means to carry the critical energy of others inside us

  • The importance of following intuition in the healing process

  • Practical exercises to begin befriending your inner critic on your own

This conversation is both grounding and liberating, offering a compassionate reframe for anyone who struggles with self-judgment or harsh inner voices.

About Chris Burris:

Chris Burris, M.Ed., LCMHCS, LMFT (he/him), is a Senior Lead Trainer for the Internal Family Systems Institute, providing Level II and III trainings worldwide. He has been an IFS Therapist since 1999 and a practicing psychotherapist since 1987. With a background in marriage and family therapy and a mind-body approach, Chris has worked extensively with individuals, couples, families, and groups.

He is the author of Creating Healing Circles: Using the Internal Family Systems Model in Facilitating Groups, and has been leading experiential group trainings since 2003 on topics such as Self-leadership, men’s work, rites of passage, sacred activism, healthy relationships, and performance enhancement. Chris has also trained in nature-based models through the Animus Valley Institute, School of Lost Borders, The Foundation for Shamanic Studies, and The Center for Conscious Eldering.

Resources:

___________________________________

Want to work with Natalie? Contact her below

Website: https://www.ndwellnessservices.com/

Contact: https://www.ndwellnessservices.com/contact

Instagram: @nataliedeering

_____________________________

Donate to the podcast Here!

Interested in sponsoring an episode of the podcast?

Upgrade your business and let more people know about your amazing services or products by reaching hundreds to thousands of people by sponsoring an episode for only $100! Please email [email protected] for more information. Thank you for the support!

*Please support the podcast by following, rating, and leaving a review*

  continue reading

99 episodes

All episodes

×
 
Loading …

Welcome to Player FM!

Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.

 

Copyright 2025 | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | | Copyright
Listen to this show while you explore
Play