Welcome to Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a therapeutic method driven by a compassionate, non-pathologising approach to healing that has been transformative for those seeking empowerment to achieve their potential, free from the burden of trauma and self-limiting beliefs.
Summing up our parts
IFS therapy takes the approach that rather than being a singular entity that needs to be fixed, you are a complex being with a mind that contains multiple sub-personalities or "parts" —distinct aspects of your personality, that each have their own beliefs, emotions, needs and roles. All of these parts actually want the best for you, despite their sometimes seemingly counter productive behaviour, such as constantly criticising you, or making you drink too much. Some of these parts represent your inner children, who have been wounded or even traumatised by your past. At the centre of this system lies the core of your being, your "Self," a place of calm, strength, and wisdom. Inner struggles often emerge because the Self and the parts that make up the whole system are either not on the same page or possibly do not even know each other.
By acknowledging that we are complex and nuanced beings worthy of recognition and healing, IFS therapy (sometimes called ‘parts work’) has been life changing in achieving mental wellness for millions of people worldwide, and is now credited as one of the fastest growing therapeutic methods that is helping people to achieve radical changes.
The breakdown
Unlike some traditional therapies, IFS therapy provides us with a unique approach to healing the root cause of an issue. In IFS, we begin by identifying and connecting with our core Self- the calm, curious, compassionate, connected, creative, courageous, confident and clear seat of our consciousness.
Once you have accessed the Self, our next task is to get to know the rest of your system. We do this by becoming aware your parts and the various roles they play within your system. Then, by facilitating a dialogue between the Self and your various parts we can identify the reason behind the inner turmoil that may have been creating challenges in your everyday life.
Doing this helps us to understand the origins and nature of these parts and how they have come together to contribute to the inner struggle. From the particularly harsh inner critic, to parts that may have you trapped in addictive or destructive cycles of behaviour, the root cause of these issues can often be found and addressed by engaging in an open dialogue, free of judgement and informed by a genuine curiosity about how they came to exist within us in the first place.
We will then work together to integrate these parts and their functionalities back into the system by offering them a chance to share then let go of the experiences and feelings that have burdened them with the comforting presence of the Self.
Underlying this approach is the notion that much like the title of IFS founder, Dr. Dick Schwartz’s leading bestseller, there are No Bad Parts. By taking a compassionate approach to ourselves we help release the burdens from past experiences and traumas that have created an imbalance within the system so they can heal and step back into their intended role - to support the Self in taking its natural position as the leader of the system.
I’m passionate about IFS and genuinely believe in it as both a therapeutic modality and as a worldview for seeking a more sustainable approach to life. Whatever the specifics of your system are, I’m confident I can help you achieve inner harmony by providing an approach to healing where we are peers, working together to unravel the mysteries of the dysfunction that has led you to seek my help. I pride myself on taking a holistic approach to mental wellness and I’m deeply committed to using my training from the IFS Institute Munich to help you map, uncover and reconcile your system for better approaches to your personal life, relationships and even the workplace.
I offer sessions online and in Berlin, Germany, and am always happy to have a brief call to discuss how I may be able to assist you in seeking a more harmonised system, or you can book a free first session. In addition to sessions for individuals, I am also working toward using the IFS model to assist couples seeking better relationship dynamics/outcomes and am currently developing resources for organisations on how to apply the principles of IFS within the workplace.
In this blog, I will share further insights into IFS and you can catch a glimpse into my thinking and how I am developing my skills as an IFS practitioner.
You can find a full glossary of IFS therapy terms here.
