What is Indigenous Focusing-Oriented (IFOT) therapy?
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy (IFOT) is a holistic, relational, and body-centred approach to healing that brings Indigenous perspectives into Focusing-Oriented Therapy.
IFOT recognizes that our experiences do not exist in isolation. Our well-being can be shaped by our relationships with family, community, culture, the land, ancestors, the generations that came before us and the ones yet to come.
Rather than focusing only on symptoms or asking, “What is wrong?”, IFOT creates space to explore everything that may be influencing a person’s well-being.The approach can be particularly meaningful when working with trauma, grief, intergenerational experiences, cultural disconnection, identity, loss, and the ongoing effects of colonization.
IFOT is not a single set of techniques that is applied the same way to everyone. Instead, the therapeutic process is adapted to the individual, their cultural context, and what feels meaningful to them.
How IFOT Works
A central part of Focusing-Oriented Therapy is learning to slow down and listen to the body's felt sense.
Sometimes we know that something is wrong without being able to explain exactly why. We may feel tension, heaviness, numbness, discomfort, or a sense that something is “stuck” before we can put the experience into words.
IFOT creates space to gently notice these experiences rather than immediately trying to analyze or change them.Together, you may:
- slow down and create space for your experience
- notice sensations, emotions, images, or feelings in the body
- explore experiences that may be difficult to put into words
- identify what feels important or meaningful
- listen for what your experience may be communicating
- explore connections between personal, relational, cultural, and intergenerational experiences
- recognize strengths, resources, and sources of resilience
- develop a deeper sense of connection with yourself and what matters to you
The goal isn't to force an answer or interpret your experience for you. Instead, therapy creates space for your own understanding and knowledge to emerge.
What IFOT Can Help With
IFOT may be supportive for individuals experiencing:
- trauma and complex trauma
- intergenerational or historical trauma
- grief and loss
- cultural disconnection
- identity concerns
- shame or self-blame
- emotional overwhelm
- anxiety and chronic stress
- relationship difficulties
- feelings of disconnection or isolation
- experiences that are difficult to put into words
- transitions and significant life changes
- questions of meaning, belonging, or purpose
It can also be used as part of a broader therapeutic approach alongside other therapies.
The Felt Sense
Listening to what your body already knows.
One of the central concepts in Focusing is the felt sense.
A felt sense is a physical or bodily awareness of something that may not yet have clear words.You might notice:
- a heaviness in your chest
- tension in your stomach
- a feeling of being “stuck”
- warmth or openness
- an image or memory
- a sense that something doesn't quite feel right
- an experience that is difficult to explain
Instead of immediately trying to understand or change the feeling, Focusing invites you to become curious about it.
With gentle attention, something new may emerge—a word, image, understanding, emotional shift, or sense of movement.
Within IFOT, this process can be understood within the broader context of a person's relationships, culture, history, community, and connection to the world around them.
Healing Through Connection
We are shaped by the relationships around us.
Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy recognizes that well-being can be connected to relationships with:
- family
- community
- culture
- ancestors
- land and place
- nature
- identity
- spirituality or personal beliefs
- sources of strength and belonging
These relationships will look different for every person.
There is no expectation that a client will participate in cultural, spiritual, or traditional practices that are not meaningful to them.
Instead, IFOT creates space for clients to determine which relationships, teachings, traditions, and sources of meaning are important within their own lives.
Is IFOT Right for Me?
IFOT may be a good fit if you:
- want therapy that considers the whole person and their relationships
- feel disconnected from yourself, your culture, or your community
- carry experiences that are difficult to put into words
- are working through grief, trauma, or loss
- are exploring identity or belonging
- are interested in a body-centred approach to healing
- want to explore the effects of experiences across generations
- value a collaborative and culturally responsive approach
- want therapy that respects your own understanding of what healing means
If you're unsure which therapy approach fits best, that's okay.
Your therapist can help explore different approaches and determine what feels most appropriate for your needs.
Therapy should be tailored to you—not the other way around.
IFOT vs Just Talking
What your body is experiencing.
What emotions are present.
How your relationships and environment shape your experience.
Where strengths and resilience already exist.
What connection and healing mean to you.
What your experience might be communicating.
Why We Use IFOT at Foothills Integrative
At Foothills Integrative, we believe that healing should make room for the whole person and the context in which they live.
For some, experiences of mental health and trauma may be connected not only to individual experiences, but also to family, community, culture, history, land, identity, and the impacts of colonization.We use an Indigenous Focusing-Oriented approach because it:
- recognizes the importance of relationships and interconnectedness
- honours the client's own knowledge and lived experience
- creates space for body-based and emotional experiences
- recognizes the potential impacts of intergenerational and collective trauma
- supports identity, connection, and resilience
- allows culture and personal meaning to be part of the therapeutic conversation
- emphasizes collaboration rather than imposing a single definition of healing
- can provide a gentle way to explore experiences that are difficult to put into words
Rather than assuming that healing looks the same for everyone, IFOT allows the therapeutic process to be shaped by who you are, what you have experienced, and what healing means to you.
Take the Next Step
If IFOT feels like it might be the right fit, the best first step is a conversation. We offer a free 20-minute consultation to help you explore fit, ask questions, and determine what approach feels right for you.
No pressure, just presence.
In-person sessions in Okotoks, and virtual therapy across Alberta.
Common Questions About IFOT
IFOT was developed specifically from Indigenous perspectives and in response to the experiences of Indigenous peoples, including the impacts of colonization and intergenerational trauma.
For this reason, it is important that the approach be used thoughtfully and respectfully rather than simply being presented as a generic therapy technique.
IFOT can be and is used with any population, regardless of cultural identity. You do not need to be Indigenous to participate in Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy, and you don't need to engage in spiritual or ceremonial practices to take part.
IFOT is grounded in Indigenous knowledge and understandings of healing, but the approach can be used with people from different cultural, religious, and spiritual backgrounds. How we incorporate it into our work together depends on your individual needs, preferences, and comfort level.
Your therapist can discuss whether an Indigenous Focusing-Oriented approach is appropriate for your particular circumstances.
No. There is no expectation that you participate in any cultural, spiritual, or traditional practice that is not meaningful to you.
Your therapist will respect your beliefs, boundaries, and preferences.
No. IFOT does not require a verbal retelling of your experiences. We work with the felt sense about things. We will talk about the felt sense, not about the event itself.
IFOT builds on Focusing-Oriented Therapy by incorporating Indigenous perspectives and understandings of healing, relationships, interconnectedness, and the broader context of a person's experience.
It is not simply traditional Focusing with Indigenous terminology added.
Research into Indigenous Focusing-Oriented Therapy is constantly expanding. IFOT has been described and studied as a culturally responsive approach to healing, particularly in relation to trauma, intergenerational experiences, colonization, identity, and connection.
Because the research base is smaller than that of approaches such as CBT or ACT, we believe it is important to describe IFOT accurately rather than overstating the evidence.
Yes. Therapy can be integrative and adapted to the individual. IFOT may be combined with other approaches when doing so is appropriate and consistent with the client's needs, preferences, culture, and goals.
