internal family systems

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Do you sometimes say or think things like “A part of me wants to do this, but another part says don’t bother, you will only fail and embarrass yourself”? This second part is an “inner critic” who may believe it is protecting you from the embarrassment of failure, perhaps reflecting memories of past embarrassing experiences.  

There are many clinical approaches that conceptualize inner emotional conflicts as including tensions between different “ego states” or “subpersonalities” of the human mind. One of the most established and researched ego state approaches is Dr. Richard Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems model (IFS), and in this approach distinct ego states are referred to as "parts". IFS describes how the patterns and roles found in families and in other social groups or organizations have an analogous template in the domain of mental functioning-- where our inner psychological system includes parts that serve specific roles and purposes, and where there are often polarizations as well as alliances between specific parts.  

IFS includes the affirmation that we all have a core Self that is the source of the following capital "C" qualities: Compassion, Creativity, Curiosity, Connectedness, Courage, Confidence, Clarity, and Calm (Schwartz, 2001). These Self qualities are the basis of my practice logo in the upper left-hand corner of each web page. The "C' stands for all the Self qualities, and it is set against what I call the Compass of Compassion-- a symbol of how when we are Self-led, we can step back, gain a clearer sense of direction, and help our inner parts navigate murky or choppy emotional waters. Additional attributes of Self are the "5 P's": Playfulness, Patience, Presence, Perspective, and Persistence.  To the right, you will see a diagram of the 8 C's and the 5 P's of Self (Schwartz & Sweezy, 2020).

Self often gets obscured and hidden by the distress and conflicts produced by inner parts. Psychotherapeutic improvement occurs as the Self is able to separate from these parts and interact with them in a compassionate manner. IFS offers innovative ways to increase access to Self and work with inner critics as well as other parts that have a role in producing and maintaining specific symptoms. When we are Self-led it is easier to negotiate new roles for inner critics and heal the wounds of younger parts burdened by the memories of past distressing experiences. In IFS terms, these younger parts are  "Exiles" who become "unburdened" through IFS interventions.  Exiles are one of the three categories of parts in IFS, the other two being "Managers" and "Firefighters", which often play protective roles on behalf of Exiles and can also carry burdens. The goal of IFS treatment is an Unburdened Internal System, as illustrated by the second diagram to the right.

To learn more about IFS, including self-help, review my page on IFS Resources.