About Internal Family Systems Therapy

Internal Family Systems was founded in the 1980s by Richard (Dick) Schwartz, Ph.D.  Although Dick had established himself as a well-respected family therapist, focusing  primarily on relationship dynamics between family members and larger external systems, his hope for more effective outcomes led him to be curious about clients' inner lives. He came to see what a few other psychologies had observed - that we have many different personalities within us. These different sub-personalities (simply called ‘parts’) have a consciousness of their own — thinking and feeling differently about things and often seeing the world fundamentally differently from one another. For example, we might hear ourselves saying, “A part of me is certain that I should look for a different job, and another part of me thinks that would be a big mistake.” These parts often show up as images of people inside, but may also be experienced as different sensations, voices or thoughts, emotional states or memories, or as different roles/behaviors.                  

Dick went on to discover that there is a very powerful and effective way of differentiating these parts from one another, allowing access to something we call Self, or Self energy. This Self energy is characterized by qualities such as compassion, curiosity, calmness, creativity and courage. It is this Self energy that allows for healing and transformation for parts of us that are feeling stuck, scared, sad, confused and/or hopelessness. Research results showed that IFS therapy had significant, positive effects on adults with PTSD and histories of childhood trauma.

As we listen internally, it becomes apparent that these parts are trying to help the person in some way — often protecting from emotional pain. For instance, one might have a part that discourages connection with others in hopes of not being hurt like they’ve been hurt by people in the past. These ways of protecting often limit us in our current lives. Although these protective strategies may have outlived their effectiveness, we find that understanding their intention allows them to be less extreme, leading to more harmony in the internal system.  

In listening deeply, we also find that these parts take different roles within the system - some that are more vulnerable while others protect the vulnerable parts. We also find that these different parts of us tend to take on what we call burdens — beliefs or feelings such as “I’m not lovable or worthy” — and that with IFS, we can help let go of these burdens and allow the part to contribute its gifts for a more meaningful life.

Learn more about Internal Family Systems here.