Exploring the model in practice
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a non-pathologising, powerfully transformative, evidence-based model of psychotherapy which has taken the therapy world by storm in the past decade. Developed in the 1980s by Dr Richard Schwartz, the IFS model allows those employing it to understand the individual mind and larger human systems in novel ways. With a growing evidence-base in recent years, and an explosion of interest from Australian psychologists, IFS is establishing itself as an intervention of choice amongst many therapists with Dr Bessel van der Kolk recently hailing it as ‘the treatment method that all clinicians should know to treat clients effectively’.
Initially developed for clinicians working with eating disorders, IFS is a synthesis of two existing paradigms. The first is that multiplicity of mind is normal and helpful, and as such, our personality consists of various ‘subpersonalities’ as part of our ego or psyche. IFS language uses the phrase that we all contain many different parts. The second idea draws on the integrative mechanics of systems thinking, which suggests that systems are integrated and connected such that moving one part in the system results in movement in the whole system. IFS views each person as having access to all the psychological and emotional capital they require and rather than pathologising the individual (as many psychological models do), IFS seeks to empower and propel people toward wholeness and healing in all aspects of their life.
Evidence-based modality
Importantly, IFS is an evidence-based therapeutic modality (Shadick et al., 2013) which has been used for individuals, couples and families for a variety of conditions including phobias, panic, anxiety, depression and physical health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. It is rated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) as ‘effective’ for improving general functioning and wellbeing on the National Registry for Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). More recently Hodgdon, Anderson, Southwell, Hrubec and Schwartz (2021) conducted a pilot study on a population of adults with PTSD and a history of exposure to numerous forms of childhood trauma. Multiple validated scales were administered including the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the Self Report Inventory for Disorders of Extreme Stress (SIDES-SR), the Self Compassion Scale (SCS) and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA).
Participants received 16 weekly individual 90-minute outpatient sessions with a certified IFS therapist who received monthly supervision with Richard Schwartz to ensure fidelity of the model. A portion of IFS sessions were videotaped and coded for fidelity by independent raters. Results showed a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms and associated symptoms related to affect dysregulation, somatisation and dissociation. Additionally, participants reported an increase in self-compassion and interoceptive awareness. Notably, at the one-month follow-up assessment, 92% of participants no longer met criteria for PTSD.
Playing a ‘part’: Exiles, Managers and Firefighters
The IFS model provides an elegantly simple yet nuanced process to allow our ‘feelings’ to be noticed inside us as ‘parts’. But what are parts? Essentially, they are our feelings, thoughts, bodily sensations and cumulative life experiences which exist as independent, living, breathing entities inside us and which are developed through ongoing communication and the fostering of an internal relationship. Think of the movie Inside Out where Riley’s parts are like little people inside of her, each with their own feelings and desires cheering her on or making her recoil back in fear. Riley’s internal family of parts is made up of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust, and each of these feelings is represented by a little character inside her. You might be able to name some of your own parts, which IFS groups as Exiles, Managers and Firefighters.
For example, have you ever felt so vulnerable or young in the face of life’s challenges that you have been thrown into crippling inaction or a devastatingly low mood? (‘I am feeling sad, ashamed, anxious or frightened.’) This is what IFS refers to as having Exiles or vulnerable parts. Exiles are often represented in our internal system as a vulnerable version of our younger self (a little boy or girl or sometimes even a baby) and the name fits because the memories, feelings or sensations are so painful that we tend to try and bury, minimise or deny them. We put them into an internal exile.
Similarly, have you ever heard different voices in your imagination propelling you to manage various behaviours to make sure you avoid a range of painful thoughts or feelings? (‘I must make sure I’m not late or else I’ll feel embarrassed, sad, ashamed, anxious or frightened.’) This is what the IFS model refers to as having Managers – and they represent one aspect of our protective system. Managers are often represented in our internal system as powerful entities (warriors or CEOs, for example) and the name fits because their job is to manage/control the system to ensure difficult feelings do not arise in the first instance.
But if the Manager is overwhelmed and ultimately unable to stop these painful thoughts or feelings from arising, have you ever then responded to them in ways designed to reduce or eliminate them? (‘If I eat that tub of ice-cream or drink that bottle of alcohol I will temporarily alleviate my feelings of shame, anxiety or fear.’) This is what the IFS model refers to as having Firefighters, and they are the other aspect of our protective system. Again, the name fits because having bypassed the watchful eye of the Manager and somehow been allowed to start in the first place, the job of the Firefighter is to douse these painful flames of the difficult emotions and put them out.
Understanding Self-energy
Finally, have you ever felt in the zone in a situation – filled with a calm confidence and creativity – when the odds were against you and everything should have felt doomed? A time when you felt in a powerful place of flow where everything goes right? (‘I’m responding from a place of feeling centred, calm, creative, courageous and confident.’) This is what the IFS model refers to as Self (or Self-energy or being Self-led) and the awareness of and engagement with Self-energy is one of the key aspects which separates IFS from other psychotherapeutic models.
In IFS, Self-energy is characterised by what are known as the Eight Cs: curiosity, compassion, calm, confidence, courage, clarity, creativity and connectedness. Self-energy allows us to reach our fullest potential, and while we are all naturally born with it, and have the capacity to access it, at times it is blocked because our parts are running the show. These are the main elements of the IFS model: Exiles, Managers, Firefighters and Self-energy. In IFS the Exiles, Managers, and Firefighters are simply referred to as parts and the understanding is that they exist on a background of Self as manifest in Self-led behaviour or Self-energy.
All parts are welcome
A big element of the genius of IFS is that all parts are welcome. In IFS we understand that each of our parts has a positive intention for our overall system and the harm mostly arises when we try to suppress our inner parts, push them away and ignore them. When we do this, they become even more extreme and the issues intensify. Even our parts who exhibit destructive behaviours, such as gambling, compulsive shopping or over-eating, have positive intention for us, but the behaviour is just a maladaptive strategy – usually exhibited in the wrong place or at the wrong time (or both) – that can be understood through the IFS lens.
Think of a symphony orchestra; all the instruments and performers in the orchestra are important, but the conductor (Self) needs to ensure that all the instruments are in tune and the performers come in and leave at the appropriate time. If they are not able to be heard inside the symphony orchestra, the temptation for some performers can be to play louder or come in when it is not their allocated time. But a more harmonious approach is for the conductor to ask the various performers to start, stop and adjust their playing and their volume at strategically (and auditorily) pleasing moments. This is the key to audible harmony in the orchestral world and it is also the key to inner psychological harmony in our real world.
When Self is the natural leader of the internal system and parts can allow space for Self to lead, there is more internal collaboration and harmony. The standard IFS approach – administered by the conductor (Self) – is to acknowledge the part, understand its role within the individual, ask about its objectives, hopes and fears, and then if appropriate, request that it step back a bit or provide some space for more Self-led behaviour and energy to come in.
Unblending and Unburdening
While Self-energy is a fundamental quality in all of us, it can be easily masked by protective parts who tend to take over when we feel strong negative emotions. When this happens, we can be overwhelmed by frightened or controlling parts of us (a process in IFS known as blending). But in IFS, all parts are welcome, so when they are invited by the symphony conductor (Self) to step forward, explain their purpose and reveal their fears, they feel heard and validated. Because the effort has been made to welcome them and provide the right level of validation and support, these parts are then often open to creating space for more Self-led behaviour and Self-energy in the system. This process is known in IFS as Unblending.
A final process in IFS which needs to be outlined is that of Unburdening, whereby the burdens of shame, fear or unworthiness (just to name a few), which are generally carried by the Exiles, are let go or emotionally processed. This typically takes place during an inner ceremony or ritual, thereby creating space for their natural (and ultimately more helpful) qualities to come in and improve the functioning of the whole system. The unburdening of a part allows for it to be free of its formerly destructive role and beliefs, resuming its positive natural qualities instead. The processes of Unblending and Unburdening typically follow a protocol which is supportive and predictable. The work is guided by the therapist and combines a tight algorithm of questions with a free-flowing imaginative space which ultimately allows for the internal parts to be heard, validated and supported. Initial research into the IFS process of Unburdening indicates it may correlate with the process of memory reconsolidation (Ecker, Ticic, Hulley and Neimeyer, 2012) and have a neurologically positive impact at the synaptic level.
What happens in an IFS session?
IFS therapy can look like traditional talk therapy but it is particularly focused on the client’s internal world in terms of images, body sensations or a general awareness of parts. The therapist will encourage the client to extend some Self-energy – typically in the form of curiosity or compassion – to the part with whom they are working. Thus the process of welcoming the part and creating a Self-to-part relationship is facilitated. Much of the work is very similar to two people talking, except that in IFS the conversation is occurring between the client’s Self and their various parts. The client’s part may give a rationale for its behaviour, explain its role in the system, or outline its fears. These conversations are facilitated by the therapist in clinically appropriate and therapeutically safe increments.
Case study
As an example, think of a 40-year-old man – we’ll call him John – who is experiencing crippling anxiety and shame which manifests in extreme feelings of anger and worthlessness. In working with his IFS therapist, John is encouraged to close his eyes, notice his emotions and identity the various parts inside him which carry those emotions. With the right level of support, thoughtful questioning and careful use of the IFS processes, John is able to gain several insights. First, he can identify his anxiety as a Manager whose job it is to ensure he ‘gets everything right all the time’. Then he can recognise his feelings of anger as a Firefighter whose job it is to create a distraction in him and those around him, thus avoiding any anxiety.
Finally, he can get in touch with a five-year-old Exile who carries high levels of fear and shame from violence inflicted on him by his parents. Work of this depth would generally not occur in one session but would take numerous sessions with an experienced and appropriately trained therapist.
When John can use his Self-energy to witness and unburden his five-year-old Exile, his Manager and Firefighter no longer need to work so hard and are therefore also transformed by the IFS process which alleviates internal distress and suffering within his system.
IFS in the Australian context
IFS has rocketed into popularity in recent years because of its intuitive, gentle, effective and innovative style. Those interested in obtaining IFS therapy should seek a psychologist with advanced training and certification which provides an acceptable baseline and understanding of the processes involved. For those psychologists seeking to be trained in IFS, there are three levels of training to complete with the Level One program providing approximately 100 hours of training, many of those hours completed with a three-to-one student/staff ratio, ensuring a high level of expertise and fidelity to the model.
Because of the flourishing popularity of IFS with therapists there is a backlog of people seeking training at present but options for introductory programs and supervision groups exist in Australia for those wanting to step into the space. Additionally, because the majority of US-based training has gone online, there are opportunities for Australian psychologists to access IFS training directly from the IFS Institute. IFS is a burgeoning movement and an empowering paradigm which is establishing a broader evidence base and growing in popularity with therapists and those seeking therapy alike.
Contact the author: [email protected]
Register now for Internal Family Systems (IFS): An introduction for psychologists
APS Professional Development 1.50 CPD hours live webinar