What if overcoming food addiction isn’t about changing yourself but about identifying and releasing foreign influences within your mind? In this episode of the Food Junkies Podcast, Dr. Vera Tarman sits down with Robert Falconer to dive into the concept of “unattached burdens” and explore how these external influences may drive our cravings. Falconer, an expert in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, is the author of “The Others Within Us: Internal Family Systems, Porous Mind, and Spirit Possession,” which examines how unattached burdens might impact our behaviors and addictions.
Robert Falconer holds an undergraduate degree in cultural anthropology, focusing on the history of religions, and a master’s degree in psychology. With over 50 years of experience in psychotherapy, Falconer specializes in IFS Therapy and has authored multiple books, including a co-authored work with IFS founder Richard Schwartz. His latest book introduces the concept of unattached burdens, blending psychological insights with a spiritual dimension that challenges traditional Western views of the mind.
Key Topics Discussed:
- Personal Journey: Falconer shares his career evolution over five decades, moving from Gestalt therapy to IFS and beyond. Insights into navigating criticism and maintaining an open, resilient approach.
- Understanding Internal Family Systems (IFS): Falconer introduces IFS, explaining its basic concepts and how it frames addiction as a struggle between internal “selves.”
- A look at how Falconer’s ideas diverge from the traditional IFS approach, particularly with the theory of unattached burdens.
- Exploring “The Others Within Us”: What are unattached burdens, and are they literal or metaphorical?
- The Concept of a Porous Mind: The “porous mind” as a way to understand openness to external influences. How this concept redefines addiction and compulsive behaviors, offering an alternative approach to understanding cravings.
- Unattached Burdens and Spirit Possession: Drawing parallels between spirit possession across cultures and psychological theories in the West.
- Evidence and Ethical Considerations: Falconer discusses the evidence for external influences on thought and behavior.
- Ethical questions surrounding spirit guides in therapy and the use of hallucinogens for accessing these influences.
- Applying These Ideas to Food Addiction: How unattached burdens might provide new insights into food cravings and compulsive eating.
