Internal Family Systems
What is Internal Family Systems?
Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based transformative therapeutic and personal development model. IFS offers an unique approach to chronic stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and overall unhappiness and stuckness in life by relating to the different aspects of our psyche rather than just cognitive understanding and pathologizing. It views the mind as naturally multiple, composed of a system of protective and wounded inner parts (i.e. aspects of the mind, ego states, subpersonalities). These parts can become extreme in their emotions, beliefs and behaviors due to unprocessed wounds of the past leading to inner conflict and dysfunction that spills out into our external life.
At the core of IFS is the belief that our true Self—the wise, loving, and whole spiritual essence of who we are—is both distinct from these parts and the natural leader of our internal system. Known by many spiritual traditions as the soul, atma, buddha nature, highest self, inner light, etc, this true Self holds the innate wisdom, qualities and capacity to heal and harmonize the system. By accessing our true Self and compassionately relating to our parts, we can begin to understand and attune to our parts' needs, desires, and concerns, providing them the love, safety and belonging they so desperately need. This naturally leads to deep healing that integrates and frees up energy in our system, restoring its balanced state and allowing us to experience an authentic, aligned, and meaningful life lived from a place of Self.
Why is IFS so effective?
Unhealed wounds and trauma live in the body and subconscious mind. In extremely simplified neuroscience terms, this means that unprocessed overwhelming or intense experiences are stored in our implicit memory—the database of our unconscious memory—and encoded into our nervous system. Whenever something happens in the present that reminds our system of a past unresolved experience, our nervous system automatically (below our conscious thinking) responds by trying to protect us, activating our fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown states as if we were reliving it again. Over time, this can lead to chronically dysregulated nervous systems that operate on deeply ingrained neural pathways, driving our automatic thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and beliefs. These unconscious patterns manifest as different parts of our psychology, each carrying their own hidden histories and emotional burdens.
This understanding aligns seamlessly with the somatic (body-based) nature of IFS, which emphasizes the connection between mind and body (soma means “the living body experienced from within”). In IFS, we use the body as a guide in the healing process, recognizing that it holds the key to unlocking the stuck energy and secret stories of the subconscious parts within. Each session begins with intentional practices that guide you into a felt sense of embodiment, serving as a powerful doorway to accessing your core Self, the primary healing agent in our work. By actively integrating techniques such as grounding, breathwork, and mindful touch and movement, we foster this mind-body connection, allowing you to engage with the experiences of your inner parts and support the release of wounds or trauma stored in the body and subconscious mind that are otherwise inaccessible.
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