Announcement of Future Publication and Request for Stories

 

Greetings,

 

As you know, the telling of one's own healing story can be a profound experience.  And for those of us witnessing another's story we can experience our hearts opening to parts within others and to parts within ourselves.

 

For the purpose of encouraging and supporting the potential healing that exists in telling and witnessing stories, a new collection of healing stories is being planned for publication.  The Healing Story will share personal accounts of Internal Family Systems Therapy^SM with the IFS community and beyond. 

 

The inspiration behind this project came to me recently after discovering a young exile of my own and writing a story as a way of welcoming this part into my heart.  This experience was so moving and so healing that I was inspired to find a way to encourage others to deepen their connection to parts through story telling.   My hope is that The Healing Story will inspire others to open their heart to parts within themselves and to parts within others.  In addition to opening hearts, I hope the personal work shared in The Healing Story will reveal the spiritual and mystical depths of the IFS model and support the experiential way of learning IFS Therapy. 

 

To encourage those of you who have parts apprehensive about making a submission I want to reassure you that the editorial process aims to be supportive, helpful, and Self-led.  Personally, I am very open to reading works in progress and to providing any support or guidance one might want during the writing process.  Final versions of your story do not need to be perfect.  So if you're like me, not perfect, especially at writing, I encourage you to feel safe knowing that together we can help fine-tune your story and ready it for publication.  I'm sensitive to how difficult it can be to reveal one's writing to others, let alone to an editor, because I have parts reluctant to share my writing with others. Please know that whatever you have to share will be honored and respected.

 

I warmly invite you to consider contributing your healing stories to this collection.  If you choose to do so, I hope the process of telling your story can be a healing experience in whatever way works for you.

 

Affectionately,

 

Noah Rubinstein

Submission Guidelines:

1.         All submissions will be accepted for consideration until 10/31/2004. 

 

2.         Up to 3000 words maximum (less can be more) typed and double-spaced.

 

3.         All written forms (poetry, essay, monologue, tales, script format, etc.) are accepted.

 

4.         Please make the focus of your story on the IFS healing process. This may include a description of how parts were burdened, how parts were discovered, how relationships with parts or between parts developed, how parts were healed, and anything in between or thereafter.   For examples of healing stories please see past editions of the IFSA Self-to-Self Newsletter.

 

5.         Stories can be about your own healing or the healing of another (friend, family member, client).

 

6.         Photographs (digital format) of any artwork accompanying a healing story are accepted for consideration, though not required.

 

7.         To protect confidentiality please change the identifying information of others.

 

8.         Submit a paper copy and a floppy disk copy (Word format) of your document(s).  If you are submitting photographs of artwork in digital format too large for a floppy disk, feel free to email the file to the email listed below.             

                                                                             

9.         Include your name, email if you have one, and mailing address with submission, on a separate page.  Though you may choose to be published anonymously, your name and contact information is required because written authorization to publish your work is needed.

 

10.       Please include a self-addressed and stamped envelope with your submission

             

11.       Please send your submission to:

 

           The Healing Story

            Noah Rubinstein

            PO Box 2333

 

What to expect after submission:

 

1.         Please allow up to 4 weeks for initial confirmation that your submission was received.  If you do not receive a confirmation stating your submission was received please contact us.

 

2.         Authors of accepted submissions will be notified no later than 12/31/04.

 

3.         On notification of acceptance, authors will be asked to complete and return a consent form that gives authorization for your work to be published.

 

4.         A committee of people trained in Internal Family Systems Therapy will review submissions without knowledge of authors' identities.

 

5.       The editorial process aims to be supportive, helpful, and Self-led.  All submissions will receive Self-led feedback from the committee.

 

6.         Unfortunately, due to limitations of space and editorial considerations not all submissions may be accepted.

 

7.         In some circumstances authors may be asked to remain anonymous in order to protect the confidentiality of others.

 

8.         This collection will be published and distributed for sale to the IFS community and beyond.

 

9.         The majority of proceeds will be used for IFS projects and to advance the IFS movement.

 

10.       All published authors will receive a free copy of the publication.

 

 

For Further information:

Or any questions please email Noah Rubinstein at noah@goodtherapy.org

or by phone at 425-861-0644