Internal Family Systems
Develop a new relationship with yourself using a radically different approach.
Does it feel like you’re carrying a heavy load, desperate to set it down but fear what will happen if you stop moving and striving?
Unresolved trauma, turbulent experiences in childhood or ruptures in important relationships may have you feeling like it’s impossible to find your footing. You want change at a deeper level, but approaches you’ve tried have felt more like a bandaid.
Maybe you’re noticing:
You want to make a positive change outside your comfort zone, but notice that self-criticism and procrastination hold you back.
Sometimes you’re surprised by the intensity of your emotions or responses to situations, later saying “I just didn’t feel like myself.”
You do the best when you’re keeping yourself constantly busy and distracted - fearing that if you slow down you might fall into a hole it will be hard to get out of.
You have some ways of coping you are concerned about being criticized or judged for, and perhaps you have been in the past.
You have an inner critical voice that gets loud at times as you’re trying to always do the right thing and strive for perfection.
In IFS therapy, we’ll turn towards the parts of you holding these thoughts and feelings - allowing you to relate to yourself in a radically different way.
What is Internal Family Systems?
You’ve probably had the experience of having an internal debate - one part of you wants to make one decision, another part of you questions it and pulls you in a different direction. IFS Therapy posits that these parts we notice are distinct sub-personalities with their own perspectives, beliefs, feelings, memories and motivations. When we experience trauma or overwhelming situations, sometimes our parts take on more extreme strategies to protect us. In IFS Therapy, you’re guided to turn towards these parts and begin to develop a new relationship with them based on understanding and curiosity.
IFS is a non-pathologizing approach that recognizes all parts of us have a positive intent. You may have had the experience before of trying to control your thoughts, emotions or urges; we can do this via using coping strategies of thought challenging. In IFS therapy, you’re guided to turn towards these thoughts and emotions and dialogue with them. For many, this is a radically different approach that helps you to understand your internal landscape and move towards lasting change. IFS works with your parts of self to understand their story and ultimately help them heal.
More About IFS:
What we’ll work on
IFS Therapy can help you to:
Cultivate self-understanding and self-compassion
Get to the root cause of your distress so you can experience lasting change
Live in alignment with your values rather than your fears as you learn to relate to yourself in a new way
Cultivate a radically different relationship to yourself
I’m here to guide you