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Taylor Simon, AMFT, APCC
Psychotherapist
San Francisco CA
Informed by Internal Family Systems, Parts Work is a therapeutic modality that works with the multi-faceted dynamics of being human. It allows us to look at the many different parts of who you are and identify which parts have been disconnected. There may be parts that actually feel at odds with eachother, creating a disjointed experience of life. Over time we’ll give voice to each part, name their core desires, and gradually reintegrate them to create a greater sense of wholeness.
We have come to understand that the effects of trauma reside not only in the mind — but also in the body. Experiencing a traumatic event, or growing up in an emotionally unhealthy environment, can cause dysregulation in your nervous system, leaving you in a perpetual state of survival. Rewiring the fight or flight patterns you’ve been living in helps to connect your mind and body and create a new loop where your thoughts can signal your body that it’s safe to relax.
Healing attachment and relational trauma from childhood is a process. A critical part of that process is grieving the fact that you didn’t have a parent who was able to meet your needs in the healthy way you deserved. While this can be painful to acknowledge, it’s also empowering to realize that you are now the best person to reparent yourself.
When suffering is all you’ve ever known, it can be hard to imagine that life could actually be better. The impact of toxic family dynamics in childhood follows us into adulthood and creates a distorted image of ourselves and the world around us.
I say “us” because I’ve been there too.
After feeling marginalized in my family and later going through an abusive relationship, I found myself in a painfully fractured place. I didn’t know how (or if) I could collect the seemingly broken parts of myself and create a whole, integrated being. But there was a dim yet undeniable spark inside of me that said, “There has to be more for me than this.”
And so began my own journey into therapy to resolve childhood trauma. I was willing to excavate the most painful parts of my past so I could become the version of myself that I sensed already existed and desperately needed to be uncovered. The process was slow and challenging, but eventually, I started to find relief. I began to discover my unique gifts that were hidden behind all the hurt.
As my own trauma recovery unfolded, I became fascinated with the resilience of the human spirit. It’s my unshakeable belief that although traumatic experiences can make you feel inherently flawed and broken beyond repair — the true self has a natural drive toward wholeness.
This core belief informed my career trajectory. I earned my Master’s degree in integral studies and psychodynamic theory at the California Institute of Integral Studies(CIIS).
Surprisingly, trauma courses are not part of the standard curriculum in many programs. So I intentionally sought them out because I always knew I wanted my practice to focus on therapy to heal childhood trauma and PTSD.
As a result of my education at CIIS and training at UCSF, I’ve become a clinician that holds mysticism in a clinically grounded framework.
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy at Polaris Insight Center:
Medical screening and psychiatric evaluation
Preparation sessions
Initial phase series (lozenge or IM) of 4-6 sessions over 2-4 weeks
Maintenance sessions (1x/week or as needed)
Ketamine groups
Integration and ongoing therapy as needed
Preparation for the psychospiritual medicine journey:
History and intake around why this particular medicine and why now
Exploration of your goals, hopes, and intentions
Exploration of what you are willing to offer up to the process
Exploration of what’s in the shadow, what wants to be changed, what you want to put in for the alchemical transmutation
Practicing a general surrender and readiness for the journey ahead
Integration after your journey:
Inventory of the experience
Exploration of meaningful lessons and takeaways
Discussion of ways to implement your learnings to build a bridge from these huge experiences to daily life
Processing any changes to your relationship with self and spirit
Mining challenging journeys, which often have the most personal growth potential, for the wisdom they hold