Internal Family Systems: Understanding Your Inner World
Internal Family Systems: Understanding Your Inner World
All human beings have one commonality, we all share the same nervous system. But our experiences, interactions, and trauma lead to us developing 3 crucial parts or neural networks. Parts that protect us from suffering, parts that react to suffering, and parts that carry pain and suffering. Internal Family Systems Therapy helps you access the self - your higher consciousness and equip it with the tool to observe all these parts, and orchestrate them to live harmoniously.
So What Is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
Internal Family Systems therapy is a non-pathologizing take on psychotherapy. It highlights the multiplicity of the mind. It emphasizes the natural multifariousness of the mind. Its core assumption is that there are NO “bad” parts of us, only parts of us that have been pushed into taking on “bad” functions or roles. IFS seeks to equip folks with the ability to reach the Self so they can tend to their wounded parts and begin to live a self-led life.
What Are Some Core Concepts Of IFS?
Understanding the Self
The Self is the purest essence of who one is. It is innately good, and cannot be shattered or tampered with. When one is able to be self-led, their inner world is in harmony. When one is not, the self blends with the system's other parts. When this happens, the first step is to detach the self from the grasp of the system's other parts.
Being in Self is marked by the 8 C’s of “self-energy”
Curiosity
Calm
Clarity
Connectedness
Confidence
Courage
Creativity
Compassion
Exiles
Exiles are the parts of us that carry painful feelings and memories. They are most often the youngest parts that we carry. They hold pain in relation to neglect, abandonment, abuse, shame, ridicule, and embarrassment. A part turns into an exile when the part holds so much pain that all other parts work towards locking it away from the system's consciousness.
Managers
Managers are the at-the-ready protectors of the system. They are proactive and preventative. Their main role is to keep the system prepared and in equilibrium. Their job is to keep the wounded/exiled parts out of one’s conscious awareness. Managers sometimes are able to imitate the self to such an extent that they may appear to be one's true self. For example - a micromanaging boss, or a critical caregiver.
Firefighters
Firefighters work to put out the fire reactively. They step in when exiled parts come to the surface and managers are unable to manage them. Their goal is to stop the system from feeling the pain that exiles may be carrying. This might take the form of substance use, reckless driving, or overworking.
The Unburdening Process
The Unburdening-Process includes the steps that have emerged within IFS to help one’s Exiles let go of a wound or burden that they may be carrying - these exiles may hold pain that is decades old. This process includes the Self being aware of and present with the pain that the Exile is carrying, it helps the exile heal by offering it a compassionate experience through letting go of the pain they have been carrying.
What Can Internal Family Systems Therapy Help With?
This therapy was developed in the 1980s primarily for people suffering from eating disorders. Since then, however, the scope of treatment has broadened in being effective with a range of other clinical issues such as:
Anxiety
Trauma Disorders
Depression
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
Suicidal Ideation & Self-Harm
Eating Disorders
Substance Use Disorders
Stress Management
Shame
Relationship Issues & Couples Work
Chronic Pain
How Can You Get Started With Internal Family Systems Therapy?
At Repose, all of our clinical staff are trained in the use and implementation of Internal Family Systems Therapy. You can begin a life of being self-led by taking the first step and enquiring about our treatment options. You can do this by scheduling a 15-minute consultation with our Client Concierge. Our client concierge can help match you with a therapist that is the right fit for you. If IFS isn’t for you, you can also explore some of the other therapies we offer such as somatic experiencing, EMDR, Trauma Focused CBT, Expressive Arts & Dance Movement Therapy & Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy.
- Prerna Menon, LMSW, CTP