Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Get to know every part of yourself with compassion and curiosity.
What is IFS?
Internal Family Systems is a therapeutic modality that acknowledges that we are all made up of various parts. Within each of us, there is an internal system made up of many protective parts and vulnerable wounded parts. There is also a core, undamaged Self made up of love, compassion, curiosity, creativity, calm, connection, clarity, courage, and confidence. This Self is in us all and knows how to bring healing to our inner parts. This Self compassion and love inevitably ripples out into our external world and relationships, too.
You might notice that a part of you is ready to start therapy and another part of you is nervous. You might feel that you absolutely love being a mom while also missing your old life prior to children. There might be a part of you holding painful memories from your past and other parts of you who work hard to avoid those uncomfortable emotions.
All parts are inherently good! They are all welcome in therapy, even if some parts of you don’t like other parts. Parts are often forced into extreme roles during difficult experiences. When we slow down and get to know them with curiosity and compassion, they tend to be less loud or disruptive. The goal of IFS is not to get rid of any parts, but rather to embrace and make room for all of them to exist together harmoniously. This work can sometimes move slowly, but slow tends to be fast in our internal worlds. We’ll move together at the pace that feels right for all of your parts.
Questions? Answered.
Does this mean I have multiple personalities?
Nope! IFS acknowledges how all humans are made up of various parts. By getting to know these parts more, they can work together instead of against each other.
This sounds like the movie Inside Out..
It does! This is one of the most common ways to understand internal systems. You probably have more than just five parts though.
What does a session look like using IFS?
Traditionally, we notice a part of you that you want to get to know further. You might close our eyes to bring further focus to you internal rather than external world. We bring attention to how that shows up in and around your body, what thoughts, memories or images come up as we place attention to this part. We welcome parts of you that are scared or worried about “going inside” and hear their concerns as well. I often hear “this sounds weird, but…” and it ends up making perfect sense within the context. As time goes on, both within session and treatment overall, trust is built both with me as your therapist and internally within your own system.
Do you only do IFS in sessions?
Short answer: no. While IFS does heavily influence the way I see the world and the way I practice therapy, I also still draw from other various modalities including ACT, DBT, and mindfulness.