IFS Therapy: a New Paradigm in Healing

 Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a new form of therapy that is compassionate, inclusive, spiritual, powerfully healing, and deeply respectful of our inner life. It recognizes that our psyches are made up of subpersonalities or “parts.” We can think of them as little people inside us. Each has its own perspective, feelings, memories, goals, and motivations. We are all familiar with the experience of having polarized internal parts—one part of that tries to lose weight and another part that eats uncontrollably. We can all identify with parts like the inner critic, the abandoned child, the pleaser, the angry protector, and the loving caretaker.

Richard Schwartz, Ph.D., a family systems therapist and professor, developed IFS while working with severely traumatized patients. He recognized that parts interact with each other in a variety of ways and are organized in systems. He distinguished three primary types of parts.

“Managers” are the parts clients usually encounter first in exploring themselves. These parts handle the external world and protect against pain. Examples are the caretaker, judge, intellectualizer, entertainer, defender. “Exiles” are young vulnerable parts that hold childhood trauma and pain. They might feel abandoned, worthless, frightened, or oppressed. “Firefighters” are impulsive parts that protect against exile’s pain in extreme ways such as addictions, rage, and dissociation.

IFS recognizes that every part has  a positive intention for the client, no matter how problematic its behavior or how irritating its inner voice might be. This makes it possible to develop a cooperative relationship with all of one’s parts in the process of psychological healing.

IFS has a effective method of understanding and working with these parts to release the historical burdens they carry and heal the system, to support healthy functioning.

The IFS Process

IFS recognizes that each of us has a spiritual center, a true Self. This Self manifests the qualities found in higher consciousness: compassion, curiosity, caring, and connectedness. A major paradigm shift in IFS therapy is that the Self is seen as the agent of change. The Self welcomes all parts with curiosity and compassion. The relationship between the Self and the parts is the primary means for transformation. The therapist evokes and supports the Self of the client. He acts like a coach in assisting the client’s Self to understand and appreciate each protector’s attempts to defend the client from pain. This permits the Self to develop a trusting relationship with the protector.

The Self feels compassion for the pain of the exiles and also for the burdens that drive the protectors to act the way they do. The Self is also able to stay calm and centered despite the sometimes intense emotions that parts may feel. Though the Self may often be obscured by the parts, the focus in IFS therapy is to access it and support the development of these higher qualities. This results in a “self-led” system.

While remaining solidly in Self, the client obtains permission from the protector to work with the exile it is protecting.  Following the IFS procedure, the Self uncovers the exile’s history, motivations and beliefs, clearing the way for unburdening and healing it. This then allows the protector to relax its dysfunctional behavior.

IFS therapy is effective across a broad spectrum of inner work. It originated through work with trauma patients, and has a unique way of supporting the Self to negotiate with traumatized parts so they can be explored without overwhelming the system. It is also an excellent modality for working with couples, who learn to speak “for” their parts rather than “from” them. In addition spiritual explorers have used this modality to ease ego identities and have more expansive experiences.