Being Well Podcast: How Real Change Happens with Elizabeth Ferreira

In this episode of the Being Well Podcast, Forrest is joined by associate therapist Elizabeth Ferreira to discuss parts work, psychological defenses, and how real change happens. They talk about the inner child work Forrest recently did during an episode with renowned therapist Terry Real, and how that led to meaningful changes in their relationship. Elizabeth and Forrest unpack the therapeutic process Terry led Forrest through, and discuss clinical technique, why small shifts can lead to big changes, the challenges of working with developmentally young material, and why insight alone is rarely enough.

The episode with Terry we refer to throughout this conversation is titled “Terry Real: Relationships, Trauma, and Inner Child Work.”

Key Topics

• 0:00: Introduction
• 2:40: Elizabeth’s reaction to Forrest’s work with Terry
• 5:05: Avoidance vs. anxiety
• 7:21: Unpacking Terry Real’s therapeutic approach
• 14:37: Avoiding through “fixing”
• 20:54: What’s changed since then?
• 31:00: Elizabeth’s experience with inner child work
• 42:32: How does real change happen?
• 51:54: “You can’t make your partner change.”
• 55:15: Recap

Forrest is now writing on Substack, check out his work there.