Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a psychotherapy developed by Richard Schwartz, PhD and is based on an internal system of “parts”, much like a family. These parts make up your psyche or “ego”. Unfortunately, some of these “parts” may be developmentally delayed and stuck in old programming, utilizing dysfunctional coping skills developed early in life that may not serve you well in adult life.
Additionally, this internal family of parts may not always get along. Think about a time when you were torn between two different activities. One part of you wanted to go out and have fun with friends, while another wanted to stay home and be alone. By understanding the roles that these internal parts play, you can begin to interpret your feelings and actions more accurately and work with them to achieve greater harmony in your inner life.
IFS also incorporates the concept of a “Self” that can serve as an inner advocate for the internal family, getting to know and understand the ways that parts try to protect you; looking for, re-parenting, and unburdening wounded exiles, those parts that you have buried in an attempt to protect yourself from pain.
The eight qualities of your core “Self” are calmness, compassion, curiosity, courage, creativity, connection, confidence, and clarity. The more you develop the mindful capacity to remain in Self, the greater your ability to live from a place of genuine peace and self-mastery.
Books to learn more:
Self-Therapy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness and Healing Your Inner Child Using IFS, A New, Cutting Edge Psychotherapy by Jay Early, PhD; this is an excellent reference book to learn the IFS model, written for lay-persons and easy to understand and follow, with self-help sheets outlining the process.
Self-Therapy Workbook: An Exercise Book for the IFS Process by Bonnie J. Weiss, LCSW; this is a companion to Jay Early’s book (above) and a useful tool for progressing through the system of IFS.
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Website with resources for learning and using IFS as a self-led therapy by Jay Early, PhD, author of Self-Therapy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness and Healing Your Inner Child Using IFS: http://personal-growth-programs.com/
From the experts:
About the IFS Therapy model: https://www.selfleadership.org/about-internal-family-systems.html
Find an IFS therapist: http://www.selfleadership.org/find-an-ifs-therapist.html