Looking at Clouds from Both Sides: An IFS Perspective on Internal Weather
Joni Mitchell once sang of "ice cream castles in the air" and "feather canyons everywhere." It is a beautiful, expansive way to look at the sky—until those same clouds turn to rain and snow, blocking the sun and making everything feel heavy and grey. When we look at clouds, we are often looking at the same thing from two very different sides: the side of wonder and the side of inconvenience. We see the "illusion" of the shape, then the reality of the storm, and we realize that the sky is never just one thing. It is constantly shifting, moving, and reforming.
Our internal world works much the same way. One moment, we are buoyant; the next, a heavy fog of exhaustion or a thunderstorm of anxiety rolls in. These states aren't failures of our character; they are simply the weather of our being.
Shifting the Perspective: Parts as Protectors
In Internal Family Systems (IFS), we recognize that we aren't just one monolithic "self." We are made up of many "parts," each with its own perspective and history. Often, we view our internal weather from only one side—the side that wants it to go away. We see the anxious part as the enemy of our peace, or the perfectionist part as the barrier to our rest.
But just as we might miss the true, complex shape of a cloud by viewing it only from the ground during a downpour, we miss the true intention of our parts when we only see them as "problems" to be solved. That anxious part isn't trying to ruin your day; it’s likely a protective mechanism, a sentinel standing guard against a perceived threat it learned about long ago. When we look at these parts from "both sides," we begin to see the nuance: the burden they carry and the protection they are trying to provide.
The Internal Bench: Holding the Sky
I often invite my clients to imagine an "Internal Bench." Instead of trying to "fix" the clouds or push the storm away, we practice sitting on this bench and inviting the different versions of the self to join us.
We might invite the young, scared part who feels small; the tired, overextended part who is carrying the weight of the world; and the striving part that feels it must perform to be worthy. On this bench, there is no pressure to change. We aren't here to "fix" the clouds. Instead, we are building a container—a sense of Self—that is large enough and steady enough to hold the entire sky of your experience.
This is the essence of somatic-informed work: learning to feel the texture of the weather in your body without being swept away by it. It’s about capacity, not "correction".
An Intentional Approach to Your Internal Landscape
This type of deep, relational work requires a specific kind of environment. In my practice, I’ve chosen a private-pay model specifically so we can avoid the "problem-first" protocols often demanded by insurance companies. We aren't here to check off symptoms from a list or fit your experience into a cookie-cutter diagnostic box.
Instead, we honor your specific internal landscape. We take the time to look at your clouds from every angle, moving at the pace of your nervous system rather than the pace of a protocol. This is intentional, unrushed care designed for the complexity of being human.
Ready to trade the exhaustion of "fixing" your parts for the quiet power of truly understanding them?
I provide 100% virtual, neuro-affirming somatic therapy for adults across Minnesota who are ready to move from a place of internal conflict into a life of embodied, values-aligned peace.
About the Clinical Approach
My approach to therapy is rooted in the belief that true healing begins when we stop working against ourselves. At Fig Tree Services, I specialize in neurodivergent-affirming, somatic-informed trauma care. My work utilizes an integrative, evidence-based toolkit, including:
Internal Family Systems (IFS): We compassionately explore the parts of you—the exhausted, the protective, and the critic—to help you find inner harmony rather than self-judgment.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): We focus on building the psychological flexibility to pursue a values-aligned life, even while navigating chronic pain or trauma.
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: We use your body’s signals as a roadmap to gently release stored stress and trauma, moving beyond just "talking about" your symptoms.
AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy): We build a deeply relational, attuned space where you can safely feel and process emotions, knowing you are not alone in the work.
...to help clients move beyond trauma-driven adaptation toward authentic self-assertion. This creates a safe, relational container that honors individual capacity and fosters nervous system regulation. To learn more about the therapeutic modalities used at Fig Tree Services, visit www.fig-tree-services.com
