Lecture 5 - IFS Flashcards
IFS - how it came to be
› Dr. Schwartz developed Internal Family Systems (IFS) in response to clients’ descriptions of various parts within themselves.
› He focused on the relationships among these parts and noticed that there were systemic patterns to the way they were organized across clients.
› He also found that when the clients’ parts felt safe and were allowed to relax, the clients would experience spontaneously the qualities of confidence, openness, and compassion that Dr. Schwartz came to call the Self.
› He found that when in that state of Self, clients would know how to heal their parts.
IFS model of mind
IFS Therapy uses a plural model of mind; we all have an internal
system of countless parts who interact internally with each other
and externally with other people.
In addition, we all have a core resource that is not a part, which is
characterized by balance, curiosity, and compassion, “the Self.”
In this inner system, some parts take on protective roles in
response to relational injury which is ubiquitous in childhood one
form or another and cannot be avoided.
IFS attends to the need of parts in both categories: protective and
injured.
Psychopathology and IFS
Psychopathology in IFS is viewed as a behavioral manifestation of activated protective parts.
PTSD and IFS
Symptoms of PTSD or other psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety or dissociation are conceptualized as the internal system’s best attempt to survive and cope with distressing and overwhelming emotions and memories held within vulnerable parts.
IFS and drugs example
For example, for a client who is abusing drugs or alcohol, the problematic use of substances would be viewed as a protective parts’ best attempt to manage, numb, and/or distract from some underlying, intolerable emotional pain such as feeling unloved
Self compassion
Self-compassion, a particular focus of IFS, has been shown to mediate the association between childhood trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms
Because survivors of trauma often exhibit a notable and disruptive degree of self-blame and shame regarding traumatic experiences (López-Castro et al., 2019), fostering self-compassion may be a particularly effective change agent.
Self-compassion has been associated with multiple indicators of well-being (Neff et al., 2007) and lower levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and body shame
IFS and mindful observation/connection with bodily sensations; connection to Self
In addition, IFS utilizes mindful observation and connection with bodily sensations in order to increase interoceptive awareness, another potent therapeutic target for increasing ability to tolerate the difficult feelings and sensations experienced in PTSD (Van der Kolk, 2006).
Finally, IFS utilizes the inherent wisdom of the Self to address and rework cognitive distortions that are commonly associated with childhood traumatic experiences in a non-confrontational and non-shaming manner.
Parts
Three categories:
- Exile - injured part; primary in its influence on the behavior of other parts.
- Manager - proactive protector; maintaining the individual’s functioning despite what the exiles feel.
- Firefighter - reactive protector; distracting
from and suppressing the emotional pain of exiled parts, which breaks through
despite the best efforts of the manager.
Exiles
› Revealed in feelings, beliefs, sensations and actions, these parts
have been shamed, dismissed, abused or neglected in childhood
and are subsequently banished by protectors for their own safety
and to keep them from overwhelming the internal system with
emotional pain.
› A great deal of internal energy is expended to keep exiles out of
awareness.
Protectors or Managers
› Proactive helpers who focus on learning, functioning, being prepared and
stable.
› Managers are vigilant in trying to prevent exiles from being triggered and
flooding the internal system with emotion. As a consequence, they are
hardworking and use a variety of tactics-not least determined, relentless,
criticizing and at times shaming-to keep us task-oriented and impervious to
feelings.
Reactive Protectors or Firefighters
› Reactive protectors share the same goal as managers they want to
exile vulnerable parts and extinguish emotional pain. However,
reactive protectors are emergency response workers.
› They get activated after the fact, when the memories and
emotions of exiles break through despite the repressive efforts of
managers.
› Reactive protectors tend to be fierce and use extreme measures
that managers abhor, like alcohol and drug-abuse, binge eating,
excessive shopping, promiscuity, etc.
Self
› Calmness
› Curiosity
› Connectedness
› Compassion
› Creativity
› Courage
› Clarity
› Confidence
IFS therapy
identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system.
The sub-personalities are often in conflict with each other and with one’s core Self
IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self.
