Internal Family Systems

IFS is a modality that conceives of every human being as a system of parts. 

“Parts” take on different roles, in order to protect the core essence (Self). Parts may be experienced in any number of ways -- thoughts, feelings, sensations, images, and more. Parts are categorized into the following: 

EXILES

Young parts that have experienced trauma and often become isolated from the rest of the system in an effort to protect the individual from feeling the pain, terror, fear, and so on, of these parts.

MANAGERS

Parts that run the day-to-day life of the individual. The attempt to keep the individual in control of every situation and relationship in an effort to protect parts from feeling any hurt or rejection. Can do this in any number of ways or through a combination of parts -- striving, controlling, evaluating, caretaking. 

FIREFIGHTERS

Group of parts that react when exiles are activated in an effort to control and extinguish their feelings. These are our reactive parts- drug or alcohol use, self-mutilation (cutting), binge-eating, sex binges

These parts have the same goals as managers (to keep exiles away) but different strategies. 

How can it benefit you?

IFS is a tool in therapy that allows the client to tend and befriend the different parts of ourselves, with the goal to integrate- and when the internal system is reorganized, parts can change rapidly. As our internal system changes, our external system begins to shift. When our Self is leading the system, we are more aligned, centered and in flow.