Internal Family Systems (IFS) was developed in the 1980s by Dr. Richard Schwartz and is an evidence-based approach used to treat various issues and mental health conditions, including trauma-related symptoms, depression, anxiety, perfectionism, low self-esteem, shame, self-harm, and more.
With an increased interest in therapeutic approaches that include "parts" or "inner child" work, like Internal Family Systems (IFS), you might be wondering if it's normal to have parts. Some people worry that having parts is an indication of “Multiple Personality Disorder” (now referred to as Dissociative Identity Disorder). You might also be wondering if we all have parts. The answer to these questions depends on who you ask. According to the Theory of Structural Dissociation, the presence of parts is an indication of dissociation, or depending on the severity of symptoms, a dissociative disorder. In other words, you either have dissociative parts, or you don't. But with so many people benefiting from therapy that includes parts work, is it possible that dissociation is just part of the human experience to varying degrees? While some people with dissociative disorders do have sub-personalities (this is a big topic that is worth it's own blog post), IFS is a non-pathologizing approach that sees the presence of parts as a normal human experience rather than a mental illness.
According to IFS, parts are categorized as Exiles, Managers, and Firefighters. In addition to parts, everyone has a core Self that is resilient and undamaged, regardless of what you've been through. The Self is characterized by such qualities as compassion, perseverance, creativity, playfulness, curiosity, confidence, courage, patience, calmness, perspective, connectedness, clarity, and presence. Exiles are young parts that we might more casually refer to as “inner child” and that hold the painful or overwhelming emotions, memories, and beliefs from our past. Managers, on the other hand, are protective parts that control the day-to-day aspects of a person's life in an effort to prevent you from feeling the emotional wounds held by Exiles. Firefighters are reactive parts that get triggered whenever Exiles are activated. Like Managers, Firefights want to extinguish painful feelings, but their methods of coping are more extreme and can lead to behaviours such as substance use, binge eating, self-harm, and anger outbursts. Parts are often in conflict with each other, and can get "blended" with the Self, which can result in emotional reactivity, distress, and unhealthy ways of coping. That being said, IFS is based in the belief that there are no bad parts and that parts can shift into more positive and healthy roles.
The goal of IFS is to help people identify and understand their parts through a lens of compassion and curiosity, to reduce inner conflict and achieve harmony within their internal system, and to elevate their core Self to a leadership role. Generally speaking, I think parts work is about healing attachment wounds from the inside out (stay tuned for a post about this topic). In my clinical practice, I find that most clients benefit from doing some parts work, and especially those with with structural dissociation, as is typically found in complex/childhood developmental trauma. Overall, IFS is a powerful and effective approach that can help alleviate symptoms associated with mental health challenges like anxiety and depression. It aids individuals in better understanding their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, finding healthy ways of coping, and promoting a greater sense of peace within themselves and in their relationships.
If you're interested in exploring this approach to counselling, book a Client-Therapist Matching Consultation to get matched with an IFS therapist on our team. We are also offering IFS at a reduced-cost starting in September 2024. You can join the waitlist for these sessions here.