Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is grounded in the belief that the mind is made up of multiple sub-personalities or "parts," each with its own perspectives, intentions, and memories. These parts are seen as distinct aspects of our personality that influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
How does IFS work?
The aim of IFS therapy is to help individuals understand and integrate the different parts of their psyche so they can achieve greater self-awareness, emotional healing, and internal harmony. Some of the goals of IFS therapy include self-leadership, emotional resilience, enhanced relationships, empowerment and growth. ​
The core concepts are:
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1. 'Parts' or viewing the mind as an internal system of various parts, which often develop as a means of coping with life experiences:
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Managers: proactive parts that try to control situations and emotions to protect the individual from pain.
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Exiles: vulnerable parts that hold onto pain and trauma from past experiences.
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Firefighters: reactive parts that attempt to distract the individual from feeling the pain held by the exiles, often through impulsive behaviours.
2. 'The Self' is characterised by qualities such as curiosity, compassion, calmness, and confidence. It is the natural leader of the internal system and has the ability to heal and integrate the parts.
3. 'The healing process' of identifying the parts, developing self-leadership and healing the parts of their burden and traumas.
What mental health concerns does it support?
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Trauma and PTSD
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Anxiety and depression
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Relationship issues
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Eating disorders
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Chronic stress
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Low self esteem
Trauma and PTSD: IFS helps individuals to recognise the parts that hold traumatic memories (exiles) and the parts that protect them from these memories (managers and firefighters). It then helps by facilitating communication and trust between the Self and the traumatised parts so that trauma can be released and healing can take place.
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Anxiety and depression: IFS helps to identify the parts that contribute to feelings of anxiety and depression, and helping these parts to understand their roles and reduce extreme protective measures. It also encourages the Self to create an internal environment of acceptance and support.
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Relationship issues: IFS improves relationships by enhancing self-awareness of how parts affect their interactions with others, resolving internal conflicts that can manifest in relationships, and fostering empathy.​
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Eating disorders: IFS supports recovery from eating disorders by recognising parts that use eating behaviours as a coping mechanism, working with parts that hold pain or trauma contributing to disordered eating, and helping the Self lead the system towards healthier coping strategies and body image.
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Chronic stress: IFS alleviates chronic stress by recognising parts that contribute to or exacerbate stress. helping parts understand their roles and reduce extreme responses to stressors, and using the Self to foster a calm and compassionate internal environment, enhancing resilience to stress.
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Low self esteem: IFS helps build self-esteem by identifying parts that are overly critical or hold negative beliefs about the self., facilitating the healing of parts that contribute to low self-worth and reframing their perspectives, and encouraging the Self to lead with confidence and self-compassion, promoting a more positive self-image.
What are the advantages of IFS?
IFS therapy offers a holistic and compassionate approach to a wide range of issues by focusing on the internal parts that drive behaviours and emotions. Through Self-leadership and internal harmony, individuals can achieve profound healing and personal growth, leading to improved mental health and wellbeing.
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Emotional healing: Helps individuals process and heal from past traumas and emotional wounds.
Self-Awareness: Enhances understanding of one's internal world and patterns of behaviour.
Internal harmony: Promotes balance and harmony among the various parts, reducing internal conflict.
Empowerment: Encourages individuals to take an active role in their healing process through Self-leadership.
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A transformative, evidence-based psychotherapy approach that works on different parts of your personality to empower and connect you with your Self for greater internal harmony. ​