Kind Words

  • Working with Hallie has changed my relationship with myself and my parts in extraordinary ways. I have greater access to Self-energy, more compassionate communication within both my internal and external family, and tools I can access even when my system is highly activated. Many of my parts have been able to return to their more playful, joyful selves. What feels so special about Hallie is the quality of her presence. I feel deeply seen and heard, never hurried toward change, and met with a level of acceptance and nonjudgment that allows even my most guarded parts to soften. Parts burdened with shame are met with deep compassion and zero sense that they are wrong. Our work with grief has been especially pivotal. The parts of me that carry grief and painful memories, along with the parts that fear what might happen if I fully feel or remember, experience deep safety with Hallie. She stays with me in my grief with a steadiness and tenderness so beautiful I struggle to find ordinary words for it; there is something almost magical in the way she witnesses my grief, and that has been profoundly transformative. Even while writing this, my IFS perfectionist part has been changed by our work. She is learning that she does not have to perform, impress, or get everything exactly right in order to be met with compassion. Hallie’s presence has allowed me to know and experience myself in entirely new ways, and the impact on my life has been extraordinary.

    —E.R.