What Is IFS Therapy?
What Is IFS Therapy?
Internal Family Systems, often shortened to IFS, is a type of therapy based on the idea of multiplicity. Developed by Dick Schwartz in the 1980s, IFS holds that we are naturally subdivided with multiple parts inside our minds. You can hear this reflected in the language we use: “A part of me really wants to accept that job offer” or “When I go home for the holidays I feel like a child, not the adult that I am.” While the idea of multiplicity is not unique to IFS, it’s the only modern form of psychotherapy that uses it as a foundational principle.
In IFS, the subdivisions of your internal system are called parts. Parts may take the form of emotions, thoughts, bodily sensations, or inner voices (like an inner critic). They work to protect you, even though sometimes it appears on the surface like they’re hurting you or making things more difficult.
For example, on the surface, anger may look like a bad thing. When you feel angry you might lash out at others or feel out of control. But anger is serving a purpose. In IFS, you learn how to have a relationship with your anger. You can understand its purpose and role. Perhaps anger comes up in response to situations in which you feel unsafe or disregarded. Anger might help you to be heard or feel protected.
When we talk about “you” learning to have a relationship with your anger, who are we talking about? “You” in this context is your Self. The Self is innately good, whole, and healthy. It is the natural leader of your internal system. When your Self is in charge, you know by how you feel. People who are in Self describe feeling calm, connected, curious, creative and compassionate. They have confidence, clarity, and courage. When you have Self energy, you are grounded in reality and can respond flexibly and authentically to people and situations around you.
IFS therapy helps you to develop more Self energy, get to know your parts, and bring your whole system into balance.
How Does IFS Work?
IFS works by helping you to identify and build relationships with your parts. In Self, you are able to get to know and understand each of your parts- what drives them, what worries them, how they view the world, what they would really like to be doing. Parts need to be heard by the Self in order to begin to trust the Self. As you build trust with your parts, it becomes easier to hold Self energy and to help parts act in ways that are healthy and helpful, without being harmful.
In addition to being heard, some parts need to be healed. In IFS, this is called unburdening. We all have parts of us that hold intense emotions, thoughts, or memories. You might be aware of them all the time, such as a persistent feeling of shame or self-doubt. Or maybe only every now and then you feel an overwhelming sense of panic or fear. IFS helps you to attend to those parts and release the heaviness of what they’re holding.
As you get to know your parts, unburden those that need healing, and develop more access to Self, you naturally move to a state of greater balance, peace, and well-being.
Who Can Benefit From IFS?
IFS is an effective form of therapy for addressing a wide range of mental health concerns from anxiety and depression to chronic pain and trauma. It’s also used by mental health professionals supporting clients experiencing eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and substance use disorders.
Other concerns that are often addressed in therapy such as self-esteem/self-concept, perfectionism, anger, and relationship issues can be effectively addressed using IFS. Individuals looking to uplevel their understanding of themselves, their relational and behavioral patterns, and sense of balance also benefit from IFS therapy.
If you’d like to read more about IFS, click here to read an in-depth article I wrote for ChoosingTherapy.
And if you’re interested in IFS and whether it might be a good fit to help you address your specific concerns, please reach out!
