What is Internal Family Systems or IFS therapy?

Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a therapeutic approach developed by Richard Schwartz in the 1980s. It is based on the premise that the mind is composed of distinct “parts,” each with its own perspectives, emotions, and memories. These parts can be thought of as subpersonalities that represent different aspects of an individual’s experiences and behaviors. In IFS, the goal is to help clients recognize and differentiate these parts, facilitating a dialogue among them to promote internal harmony and healing.

IFS identifies three primary types of parts:

Exiles, which hold pain and trauma.

Managers, which strive to maintain control and prevent the Exiles from being hurt.

Firefighters, which act impulsively to distract or numb the individual when Managers fail to maintain control and the Exiles’ feelings emerge.

Central to IFS is the concept of the Self, an inherent core of compassion, wisdom, and confidence that can lead the internal system toward healing. IFS encourages clients to engage with their parts in a non-judgmental manner, fostering self-compassion and aiding in addressing internal conflicts. The therapy aims to help individuals understand and integrate their various parts, ultimately leading to greater emotional well-being and a more cohesive sense of self.

Here is a great video of Dr. Schwartz leading a simple IFS meditation.

If you enjoyed that exercise then there is a wonderful book Dr. Schartz wrote that is called No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. This book has great little exercises while explaining how IFS came to be and how it works. There is also a workbook that was made, which you can do on your own or do and bring into your next session. The work book is called The Self-Led Internal Family Systems Workbook: Learn IFS Skills to Understand and Love All Your Parts by Tanis Allen LMSW ACSW.

IFS is very deep work and when done right will cause healing in ways you have never felt before in therapy. I recommend that you make sure you do not have much going on the rest of your day after an IFS session. People have reported a lot of zoning out or blanking and then in between having deep thoughts around the topic that was discussed during the session. Journaling is deeply encourages after an IFS session to help sort through thoughts and feelings associated with the topic.

In conclusion, IFS is a wonderful tool to help you work through old wounds that are holding you back today. There are many tools out there where you can do some of this work on you own but paring good homework with a good therapist that guides you through the things that are hard to go through alone is usually how you will get the best results from IFS. If you are ready to take your next step in your healing journey then you should make an appointment and let me help you be the best you can be.