Meet Marilyn and Learn More about Authentic Movement + IFS
Meet Marilyn
Marilyn Unger Riepe, MA, MSW, LICSW is the founder of Move into Self-Compassion, Authentic Movement workshops for IFS practitioners and friends. Marilyn is an IFS therapist with an MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and an MSW in Clinical Social Work. She is passionate about IFS and Authentic Movement and is eager to share the ways somatic movement can enhance our connection to our parts and to Self energy. Marilyn has a private practice in Sudbury, MA, specializing for over 30 years in treating individuals, couples, and families.
“The deepened connection to Self, to the other and to the Universe that I experience through Authentic Movement/Internal Family Systems, gives me the foundation I need to be an instrument of change. My activism born of a righteous, passionate outrage, holds hope over despair, when communicated with the curiosity, compassion, confidence, courage, clarity, creativity, calm, curious, connection of Self Leadership.” -MUR
Internal Family Systems
“Founded by family therapist and author, Dr. Richard Schwartz, Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) presents a paradigm shift in ways of thinking about personality. The IFS model suggests that our "inner self” is not a single persona but rather a complex system of multiple, distinct parts (thoughts, feelings and beliefs) each with its own viewpoints and desires and agendas. These parts (managers, firefighters, etc), no matter how counterproductive they may seem to us, always have the well meaning intention of trying to protect us from feeling the hurt of our (exiles), our core developmental or life traumas.
These parts are very much like having our own inner team or, internal family, as the model indicates. At the heart of this system is an undamaged Self (Soul, Spiritual Center, Buddha Nature) in every human being.
IFS therapy facilitates connecting our parts to the healing essence of Self. When our parts feel the compassionate, loving connection of Self energy, they begin to align and allow the Self to lead our inner systems with Compassion, Calm, Curiosity, Connectedness, Confidence, Courage, Creativity and Clarity.
This transformational healing through Self, helps all of the parts of us to discover who we were meant to be -to ourselves, to others and to the world.”
-Foundation for Self Leadership “OUTLOOK”, Nov. 2020
Authentic Movement
Authentic Movement is a moving meditation, inspired by Carl Jung’s practice of Active Imagination. Central to Authentic Movement is the presence of another, the witness. The witness is a non-judgmental, compassionate presence who creates the safe holding environment in which the mover is freed to discover and respond to her/his own images, sensations and emotions. The power of this gentle presence allows the mover to become her/his own inner compassionate witness with a deepened, embodied connection to Self. Each participant has the opportunity to discover the Self energy inherent in being both mover and witness, to see and be seen. This simple and elegant form can be applied in many settings both creative and therapeutic.
Doing this work together with your skillful guidance is like jumping into a river where everybody finds they know how to swim, even though they may never have done this practice before. There’s an incredible flow that just carries people along so they find themselves much further along in their journey by diving in and doing this work together. The growth and connection is both in the field between the participants and in the heart where we know that we know, but don’t tend to explore much when left to our own devices. Doing the process together, we get stronger and clearer in our inner knowing. There’s a reliability of a lot of shared joy as people discover together how well this process works.
-Gwendolyn Attwood