Descripción
Powerful skills grounded in internal family systems therapy (IFS), neuroscience, and polyvagal theory to help you navigate your autistic brain, body, and mind.
In this groundbreaking book, autistic psychologist Sarah Bergenfield explains how and why autism is an embodied condition of sensory surplus--a conclusion she has reached through personal experience and empirical evidence. Psychotherapist Martha Sweezy joins Bergenfield in offering an adaptation of the internal family systems (IFS) therapy approach, as well as skills grounded in neuroscience and polyvagal theory to help you manage the sensory disorganization caused by an overwhelming world, so you can understand and advocate for your needs and cultivate lasting self-acceptance.
Autism is a condition of perceptual diversity--characterized by differences rooted in heightened sensory awareness and intensity, and experienced simultaneously in the body, brain, and mind. Our responses to sensory stimuli, changes in routine, and lack of predictability manifest as the symptoms that others may observe, such as difficulties with communication, socialization, shutdowns, and sensitivities.
This book will guide you as you let go of the negative effects of being marginalized, othered, shamed, or stigmatized--so you can reclaim your confidence, live authentically, and flourish.
Author: Sarah Bergenfield,Martha Sweezy
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
Published: 04/02/2026
Pages: 168
Binding Type: Paperback
ISBN13: 9781648486357
ISBN10: 1648486355
BISAC Categories:
- Psychology | Psychopathology | Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Psychology | Neuropsychology
- Self-Help | Personal Growth | General
About the Author
Sarah Bergenfield, MA, is a certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) practitioner. Sarah specializes in supporting autistic clients in various stages of their diagnostic journey. A speaker and presenter, Sarah teaches about autism and how IFS can be used to increase understanding and self-acceptance. She lives in New Jersey.
Martha Sweezy, PhD, is an assistant professor in psychiatry part-time at Harvard Medical School, a research and training consultant at the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at the Cambridge Health Alliance, and a psychotherapist in private practice. She teaches IFS therapy nationally and internationally, and has authored, coauthored, and coedited numerous books on various applications of IFS.
Foreword writer Beth Ann Malow, MD, is a neurologist whose clinical and research interests focus on improving health and quality of life for individuals on the autism spectrum. Malow has carried out foundation, industry, and federally funded trials of melatonin and behavioral sleep education in autism and other populations, including in community settings.