Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Do you ever catch yourself saying, "a part of me feels ________"? If so, you've already grasped the concept of Internal Family Systems. This modality of therapy inhabits the idea that we are all made up of various sub-personalities or parts. The Pixar animation "Inside Out" easily portrayed the entertaining and colorful inner workings of the mind with character driven responses and actions. In the movie, the parts (or emotions) live inside the headquarters of Riley's mind and each character responds in turn with anger, fear, joy, disgust or sadness. Below are two video clips to provide a more demonstrative portrayal of Internal Family Systems.
The therapy in a nutshell:
I have found Internal Family Systems to be one of the most effective modalities in treating inner experiences. It is a gentle approach that explores the inner workings of your mind all with the presence of "Self," the calm, curious and compassionate core that lives inside each of us. It is important to note that I have not been officially trained or certified through the Center for Self Leadership, but do find that my experiential use of the modality, along with weekly clinical supervision focused solely on IFS, has led me to value the importance of incorporating it into my work with clients.
Handouts:
| IFS Parts |
Additional Resources:
