For a few years now, I have been learning and practicing IFS. This incredible approach to working with the psyche was developed by Richard Schwartz forty years ago and has slowly been winning over therapists and clients who are awed by its power and simplicity. Essentially, IFS sees a person as a collection of many, many parts, each playing its own role. Behind the parts, often initially hidden from access, is Self – an unhurtable, ever-loving, ever-knowing, and ever-healing essence of each of us. While all of us, no matter how pronounced our struggles, have a Self which is endowed with infinite capacity for healing, we may initially struggle to believe that it’s true and to touch it. With IFS, we can access Self and see its healing power in an organic and straightforward way.

Under the IFS framework, the issues that bring people into therapy – depression, anxiety, procrastination, anger, interpersonal problems, etc. – are the work of parts which can be befriended and explored. Even those parts of us we most hate or fear, on closer examination turn out to have protective functions which they took on when other parts of us, often young, open and vulnerable, were hurt. To help insure that a similarly painful experience isn’t repeated, some parts take on a protective role, working to manage our inner system in such a way that the pain of the hurt parts isn’t triggered or to put out the flames of painful emotion if the hurt part has been triggered (which inevitably happens). Thus, for instance, a man who grew up hiding in the basement from a punitive tyrannical father’s rage finds himself unable to relax, has trouble sleeping, or is constantly worrying and troubleshooting any possible problem which may arise in his work. All of these behaviors, which he finds burdensome and inexplicable (after all, he’s and adult now and is safe) are “manager-protectors”, who try their best to make sure that he never gets caught unawares and is prepared for any crisis. He may drink too much or smoke weed to numb the break-through pain of his hurt younger self, a job done by the type of protector called “firefighter” in IFS. No matter how often he may tell himself that there is nothing to fear, these parts won’t shift out of their roles until the scared and hurt little kid parts of him (called “exiles” in IFS because of a system-wide effort to push painful experiences out of conscious awareness) are found, befriended, witnessed, retrieved, and unburdened of the pain they’ve carried for years. Using special IFS techniques, this process can be carried out fully which brings a tremendous relief to all the parts involved. When it’s over, the protectors can take on the roles they were born to have. Interestingly, these new roles are often opposite of what they’ve been doing up until the point of unburdening; in this way, a formerly vicious inner critic often becomes an inner cheerleader, or an anxious part becomes a source of encouragement in exploration. 

How is this seemingly miraculous transformation accomplished? With IFS, a person’s Self can be accessed with relative ease. When that happens, the Self is able to offer the parts the kind of attention, support, love, kindness, and attunement they need. Amazingly, the Self knows just what to do to help the hurt parts. With IFS, the therapist does relatively little; he or she acts to help clients get to know their parts and to access Self, which is then able to do the work of healing. Although, of course, there are nuances to this work, most people find IFS intuitive and instantly helpful. Another beauty of this approach is that the clients can continue doing this work on their own outside of therapy sessions. 

Some helpful resources for those interested in learning more about IFS are below. I have completed several IFS trainings and classes to provide IFS-informed therapy, and, although I am not formally certified, I can be your guide through this process.

“No Bad Parts” by Richard Schwartz: https://ifs-institute.com/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/492-richard-schwartz-ifs-psychedelic-experiences-without/id863897795?i=1000505309243

https://www.youtube.com/live/VBYrJOK4Dtk?feature=share