What is the IFS therapy model?

What are the main assumptions of IFS therapy?

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We all have parts and none of them are bad!

IFS therapy helps us understand their positive intention

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We all have a Self, an inner core of strength and wisdom

IFS therapy can help us access this inner resource

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IFS therapy: a non pathological approach

Extreme behaviours are the manifestation of a part trying to help us survive

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IFS therapy: a transformational approach

In IFS therapy we believe we each have what we need to heal inside.

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IFS theraphy: a systemic approach

IFS therapy can help us clarify dynamics and slow down the chaos inside.

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Getting on with family is not easy,

especially the one inside us...

This page gives you an overview of the IFS model. If you are new to IFS therapy this is a very good place to start.

If you are familiar with IFS and want to know how my own IFS practice has evolved, go to my Open IFS page

IFS (Internal Family Systems) is a type of individual therapy that understands how we're divided onto ourself and helps us ease inner conflict. IFS recognizes that we all have different sides that sometimes clash. Some parts push us to be 'good', others are reactive and get us into trouble. This may trigger shame and hopelessness, until we try again to be better and the cycle goes on and on.

What makes IFS different? IFS believes that even the most extreme parts, the ones that cause real damage, actually have good intentions. While their methods often backfire, they're trying their best to keep deeper pain at bay. The aim of IFS is to access the inner source of compassion and clarity we all have, so we can attend to our suffering and stop the war inside.

IFS therapy distinguishes between 3 main roles parts play inside of us

Managers - 'Never again' - or -'prevention's better than cure'

They are protectors parts who care about safety and control. They are the responsible face we like to show the world. They create stability and drive self-improvement. Often it is managers who bring us to therapy! When managers work well, they keep us organised and motivated. When they're in overdrive, they can make you feel rigid, anxious, or burnt out. Common managers include: The Inner critic who says we're never good enough. The Perfectionist who strives for excellence. The people-pleaser who can't say no, or the planner catastrophising about the future...

Firefighters - 'Whatever it takes' - 'fight fire with fire'

While managers try to prevent pain, firefighters are protectors who react when it breaks through. When emotional pain floods the system, firefighters jump in to numb or distract - through substances, binge eating, compulsive spending, scrolling, or other ways of soothing and escaping. While these behaviors can be destructive, firefighters' intention is to get you away from unbearable feelings as quickly as possible. At their best, firefighters balance the manager's relentless energy by bringing rest, fun, excitement and pleasure into your life.

Exiles - 'Does anyone care?' - our hidden treasures

What drives both types of protectors in the pain that Exiled parts carry. Exiles are often vulnerable, sensitive inner children who live in trauma time. They carry what IFS calls 'burdens': painful beliefs, feelings, and even sensations they absorbed when they were hurt. Protectors can mistake exiles for the burden they carry. Exiles may feel unbearably alone, abandoned, unlovable, worthless, shamed, or terrified. But underneath that, they are core to our full humanity, they are a source of aliveness and loving connection.

The key to healing in IFS:

Finding our Way Back to 'Self'

Like Psychosynthesis, the approach I trained in initially, IFS therapy posits that, in addition to the various parts often in conflict with each other, we all have within us an indestructible inner source of wisdom and healing: the Self.

When we have known a lot of suffering and betrayal, it may be hard to access and trust the energy of this core Self within. Yet, whatever happened to us, and whatever diagnosis we may have, Self is the experience of a deep and undamaged inner resource.

The aim of IFS therapy is to reconnect with this inner state of calm, curiosity, clarity, compassion, confidence, creativity, courage, and connectedness (IFS therapy calls them the 8 C’s of Self) so that we can respond lovingly to the needs and fears of each parts of us and heal the wounding that keeps us stuck in the past.

Listen to IFS therapy developer Dick Schwartz's short introduction to the IFS therapy model

So what does IFS look like in practice?

And why I do it a little differently

IFS is an individual therapy model that uses guided mindfulness to help you focus on inner experience. Through this — what IFS calls 'Insight' — you can learn to access a state of calm, clarity and compassion which IFS calls Self: your inner compass.

IFS uses parts-language to break down entangled inner dynamics into separate components and learn about the different needs and fears motivating each part. IFS calls this practice 'unblending'. Instead of being pulled between extremes, we become curious about what drives each side. This process often leads to connecting with the deeper pain hidden underneath the chaos.

IFS believes this pain is carried by exiled parts and that healing comes from 'unburdening' them from the extreme beliefs, emotions and sensations they picked up often in early life. Traditional IFS has structured 'healing steps' for unburdening, which entail going back to the time exiles were hurt, bringing them into the present and using a shamanic ritual to let go of wounds.

Unburdening can sound like the holy grail in IFS... and when it happens, it's great. But my experience is that chasing it too hard can get in the way. That is why, my Open IFS approach is light on shamanism and rather puts relationship first: between parts and Self, as well as between you and me.

IS some of the IFS don't fit for you?

You may be interested in my 'OPEN' IFS approach...

OPEN IFS...

IFS Therapy FAQ's

Is IFS therapy a form of family therapy?

No, IFS is not family therapy, it is an individual therapy. The focus in IFS is on the first word, internal – you’ll develop ways to understand and effectively coordinate different parts of you (thoughts/feelings/beliefs) that interact with each other much like a family inside. However, what you learn in IFS therapy can be applied to external systems like family, work, school, and you may find that individual IFS therapy will help you understand how to navigate interpersonal dynamics and conflicts in your life.
What are the benefits of IFS therapy?
- IFS therapy has been recognised as an evidenced-based therapy, meaning it is a therapy approach which has been proven scientifically to produce positive results in treating many mental health conditions.
- IFS therapy offers a clear, non-pathologizing method of understanding your symptoms and regulating your emotions.
- IFS therapy provides an effective alternative to other popular treatment models, such as CBT or DBT, that may not be working for you.
- In IFS therapy, you will develop the ability to rely on yourself over time and not become dependent on your therapist for support.
- The pace and intensity of IFS therapy is set by you, not your therapist, empowering you to experience healing that is compassionate, safe and offers hope.
- IFS therapy attends to often conflicting beliefs and emotional experiences parts of us carry that when left unresolved can sabotage your efforts toward healing.
What type of problems does IFS therapy treat?

IFS therapy has been shown to be effective in improving the symptoms related to
trauma,
complex trauma
anxiety
relationship problems
loss and bereavement
mood (depression/bipolar)
body mage, eating,
self-harm and addictions
physical health conditions.
IFS therapy has been shown to be equally effective with improving personal resilience/self-concept and overall well-being by addressing specific life-stressors such as relationships, career, or recurrent patterns that can impact multiple areas of life.
How does IFS therapy differ from other therapy models?

IFS therapy focuses on how internal parts of yourself interact . When those parts have negative thoughts, impulsive behaviors, or overwhelming emotion, IFS therapy helps you understand why this is and offers them a more hopeful alternative way of doing things.
IFS therapy treats the system not the symptoms.
IFS therapy is a gentle and respectful method to work with the different internal conflicts that typically slow down progress in therapy.
IFS therapy contends there are no “bad” parts, so the goal is not to shame, change, or eliminate any part of you but to develop a relationship between them and the “Self”.
IFS therapy can assist you in achieving balance and harmony within your internal system instead of constantly feeling “there’s something wrong” with us.
IFS therapy can help you give voice to, nurture, guide and consider your internal parts rather than automiatically reacting out of stress or trauma responses.
IFS therapy offers hope for the possibility that you can change how you experience, understand, and respond to situations and experience well-being.

IFS Therapy Resources

There are a growing number of books and resources on Internal Family System Therapy, here are is my selction of videos/podcasts and books to learn more about IFS therapy model.

IFS Therapy Introduction (17mins)

Richard Schwartz, Ph.D, founding developer of IFS, speaks about Parts & Voices, the Self, Healing and how Internal Family Systems got its name.

IFS Therapy Mini Training (1hr)

Drinking too much? Obsessing about food? Addicted to your phone? Hooked on porn or betting? In This excellent workshop ( 1 hr 6 mins) Lead IFS traner, Cece Sykes explains how to apply the IFS model to welcome and normalize common fears and polarities involved in abuse or compulsivity.