No Bad Puppets: Parts Work, Play, and IFS with Mark Saltzman

That Wellness Podcast with Natalie Deering: Internal Family Systems (IFS) with a Twist

What happens when the healing world of Internal Family Systems meets the imaginative art of puppetry?

In this episode, I sit down with Mark Saltzman, LMP — a self-proclaimed puppet nerd, bodyworker, grief educator, and IFS practitioner — to explore how puppets can bring our inner parts to life in the therapy room and beyond.

Mark and I chat about the serendipitous way we met at the IFS Conference, and how puppetry became a playful yet powerful tool for accessing the body’s wisdom and deep emotional truth.

We talk about:
- The benefits of using puppets to externalize and connect with parts
- How embodiment and play foster safety and Self-energy
- Why there are no bad puppets (or parts!)
- Using puppets for direct access, exile work, and legacy burdens
- How you can start using puppets on your own for part connection

This episode is equal parts (pun intended) creative, curious, and compassionate — reminding us that healing doesn’t have to be so serious all the time. Sometimes, play opens the deepest doors.

About Mark Saltzman, LMP:

Mark Saltzman is a Licensed Massage Practitioner with over 30 years of experience, trained at Bastyr University’s Bellevue Massage School. His work blends therapeutic bodywork, somatic IFS, and creative expression to help clients reconnect with their inner world through the body.

A Level 2 IFS practitioner and certified Grief Educator, Mark’s approach integrates touch, presence, and imagination — guiding clients to meet their parts with curiosity and compassion. He’s also the founder of Kiwuppet Studios, where he designs and performs puppets that bring emotional worlds to life.

Connect with Mark:

Email: [email protected] | [email protected]
Websites: www.kiwuppet.com | www.sotetherapies.com

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Want to work with Natalie? Contact her below

Website: https://www.ndwellnessservices.com/

Contact: https://www.ndwellnessservices.com/contact

Instagram: @nataliedeering

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