A MISSION FOR MICHAEL
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Ever felt conflicted in your thoughts and feelings? Like one part of you feels a certain way, and another part feels the opposite? Perhaps you sometimes feel like you believe two opposing thoughts at once.
There’s good news: you’re not alone, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy has an explanation. IFS therapy is a tool to understand yourself on a deeper level, by looking at the parts of you that make up the whole.
These “parts” are sub-personalities, and they’re within all of us. They can urge us to play out healthy or unhealthy roles, and that’s perfectly normal.
However, when we go through trauma or extreme life events, these experiences effectively hijack our parts, driving us to act in unhealthy or even destructive ways. These behaviors can then influence our feelings about ourselves and our relationships with others.
But what is the internal family system and how does this form of therapy work? In this article, we’ll cover:
Dr. Richard Schwartz, the founder of the IFS approach, suggests that the mind is made up of multiple parts, all of which you are born with. All of your parts are good – they have uses and resources that you need as you learn, grow, and develop.
However, if you experienced trauma or deep relationship difficulties (such as with your parents or caregivers as a child), these parts likely became protective, stepping into extreme or detrimental roles.
At one point in time, the protectiveness of these parts was essential. It helped you get through the trauma or relationship difficulties you faced. Yet, when the environment you needed protection from changed, the parts didn’t change with it. They became stuck in time. And as a consequence of this, they no longer serve you, and actively work against you.
Schwartz suggests that you need to truly understand these parts to shake off their protectiveness. Internal family systems therapy helps you do this, and we’ll explain how next.
Think about the last time you were critical of yourself, or you lashed out at someone you love. What did you think of yourself after these moments? Did you tell yourself, “I’m such an angry person” or “Why can’t I be better?”
This is a common thought process, because according to IFS, we often identify with our parts, telling ourselves:
But here’s the thing: you aren’t your parts, and your parts aren’t the problem. When people assume that their parts are the problem, they start a battle against themselves, which only makes their parts even more protective.
So, what is the problem? The problem is the burden your parts start carrying when you go through difficult past experiences.
Thankfully, just like carrying a heavy rucksack, these burdens can be taken off and set down. The job of IFS therapy is to help with this unburdening. IFS allows you to take a closer look at your parts and identify what painful thoughts and feelings are related to these.
Then, hit them with a healthy dose of self-compassion and acceptance in IFS, and you can start to transform your protective parts into healthier versions of themselves. As a result, they can become useful to you.
That brings us on to the 8 C’s of internal family systems, one of which is compassion.
The internal family systems model argues that you’re born with a core Self. Within this core Self is your inner calm, compassion, clarity, curiosity, courage, connectedness, creativity, and confidence.
In essence, your Self is your undamaged inner core. By getting to know your parts and the cargo they carry, you can make space for your core Self to come to the forefront. When this happens, you live life being guided by the 8 C’s, which helps you heal your relationship with yourself and others.
Alongside the 8 C’s, internal family therapy is grounded in the 5 P’s. These are extra attributes of the Self that show themselves when you transform your unhealthy parts. These are:
A Mission For Michael (AMFM) is a treatment provider that offers free and confidential assessments for those exploring their treatment options. Our assessment is often a component of our admission process, but it can also be a valuable resource that helps you understand your current treatment needs, as well as identify the benefits you could gain from treatment.
Our free private assessment will explore your current symptoms and goals so that we can provide you with a personalized referral for treatment. We can also help you understand the cost of treatment so you can make an informed decision. For more information about trauma-informed care options with A Mission For Michael, call us today.
IFS therapists follow six key stages, with each building your understanding and awareness, to form a full picture of what’s going on:
You will repeat this process multiple times during IFS, focusing on one part and then moving on to the next.
To learn more about the IFS process, we encourage you to contact A Mission For Michael (AMFM).
It’s important to say straight off the bat that not nearly enough research has been done to understand how successful internal family therapy is. However, the evidence we do have is promising. Let’s delve into what the research says.
One study showed that IFS reduced symptoms of depression in a small group of college women, suggesting that IFS treatment may be helpful for those struggling with depression.
Another highlighted the potential benefit of IFS therapy for people with PTSD who had also faced childhood trauma. While the study only assessed 17 people, it did find big decreases in PTSD symptoms after multiple IFS sessions, as well as a reduction in symptoms for depression in these people, too.
What’s more, some research shows that IFS can reduce pain, particularly in those with long-term health conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. A small study found that internal family systems therapy lessened people’s pain and improved their physical function.
So, it’s possible that internal family therapy has tons of benefits for different mental health conditions. But until the research catches up, we can’t say for sure.
IFS comes with its fair share of skeptics. But criticism isn’t unique to IFS – all therapy approaches face skepticism, and rightly so. When it involves helping people with their mental health, a certain level of skepticism is healthy.
There are four main internal family systems criticisms:
It doesn’t account for all influential factors, such as our environment and social relationships. External influences like our work, school, and home environment can have a big impact on our sense of self. But if we’re born with a compassionate Self, surely these factors shouldn’t influence us?
It creates an over-reliance on therapists, as we need a skilled internal family systems therapist to work through our different parts and help us uncover our inner Self.
Some experts believe we’re not born with a confident inner Self, especially if they believe in attachment theory. Attachment theory argues that inner compassion and confidence come from our relationships with others. If we’re treated with kindness, empathy, and respect, we start to see ourselves as important and worthwhile. This contradicts what Schwartz suggests in IFS therapy.
There is stigma around the idea of sub-personalities, as we have been taught as a society that this may be a sign of a personality disorder. For some people, this stigma is difficult to get past.
Despite these criticisms, increasing research is revealing the potential benefits of IFS treatment. As our awareness continues to increase, the skepticism may fall away.
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We accept most major insurance providers and can check your coverage levels for you.
If we are not an appropriate provider for care, we will assist in finding a care provider that can help.
All of A Mission For Michael’s Clinical Directors are trained in the internal family systems approach. With IFS, we can help you identify your parts, recognize the cargo your parts are carrying, and shed these, so you can live life in a calmer, more confident, and self-compassionate way.
Contact us today at (844) 577-0021 to learn more about our internal family systems therapists.
A Mission For Michael’s residential treatment facility in California offers a variety of trauma recovery programs. We offer a wide assortment of alternative treatments that can support you in your recovery, such as somatic therapy, art therapy, narrative therapy, and gardening group therapy, all of which can enhance traditional trauma-informed therapies.
A Mission For Michael’s holistic treatment centers in Virginia gracefully blend traditional therapeutic approaches with alternative treatments, including yoga therapy, music therapy, creative therapy, pet therapy, and reiki. We also explore the role of nutrition and physical activity in your recovery and help you find a healthy balance that you can maintain in your home environment.
The AMFM therapy clinic in Washington State utilizes a variety of therapeutic approaches that can be helpful in trauma treatment, including CPT, CBT, and DBT. Our holistic care program provides you with personalized support to help you navigate your symptoms and begin healing from your past traumas.
Internal Family Systems – IFS Institute. (2019, March 5). Dr. Richard Schwartz explains Internal Family Systems (IFS) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdZZ7sTX840
Internal Family Systems – IFS Institute. (2018, November 19). What is Internal Family Systems? (17 Mins) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym8o762U7uc
Haddock, S. A., Weiler, L. M., Trump, L. J., & Henry, K. L. (2016). The efficacy of internal family systems therapy in the treatment of depression among female college students: a pilot study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 43(1), 131–144. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12184
Hodgdon, H. B., Anderson, F. G., Southwell, E., Hrubec, W., & Schwartz, R. (2021). Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among Survivors of Multiple Childhood Trauma: A Pilot Effectiveness Study. Journal of Aggression Maltreatment & Trauma, 31(1), 22–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2021.2013375
Shadick, N. A., Sowell, N. F., Frits, M. L., Hoffman, S. M., Hartz, S. A., Booth, F. D., Sweezy, M., Rogers, P. R., Dubin, R. L., Atkinson, J. C., Friedman, A. L., Augusto, F., Iannaccone, C. K., Fossel, A. H., Quinn, G., Cui, J., Losina, E., & Schwartz, R. C. (2013). A randomized controlled trial of an internal family systems-based psychotherapeutic intervention on outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis: a Proof-of-Concept study. The Journal of Rheumatology, 40(11), 1831–1841. https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.121465
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