Internal family systems (IFS) therapy is a relatively recent advance in psychotherapy that is evidence-based and has been spreading rapidly, especially in the last five years or so. It is gentle, effective, goes deep and is based on a simple and elegant map of the psyche. It was formulated by Dr. Richard Schwartz and has been acclaimed by world-renowned experts like Bessel van de Kolk.
IFS sees the human mind as consisting of many different parts which together form the internal family system. There are two main types of parts: protective parts (that IFS calls managers and firefighters) and vulnerable parts (or exiles). Some of the protective parts perform roles that allow us to function well in society, and others ensure that the vulnerable parts – often younger parts that were hurt or wounded in some way and then exiled – are not triggered in order to protect both them and the system as a whole from being overwhelmed.
As well as protector and vulnerable parts, the IFS map of the psyche identifies a core essence or essential nature that it calls Self. This Self remains undamaged and unaffected by the individual’s experience, however extreme or traumatic. It lies just beneath the protective parts and can be readily accessed through respectful dialogue with the protectors. It possesses a number of qualities like curiosity, compassion, clarity, calm and courage, and has the ability to heal extreme or vulnerable parts by witnessing their story and accompanying them with these qualities.
In an IFS therapy session, the therapist helps the client to get to know their parts, their internal family system, and also to access their Self. The client is then guided through the process of healing and integration.
For more information about individual sessions of IFS therapy, please contact us.
