Is Internal Family Systems Therapy Legitimate?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a psychological method derived from traditional psychotherapy. This helpful approach to therapy involves understanding the internal systems at work within our minds and how they can influence our actions. During dedicated sessions, you will work to better understand yourself and find a more complete balance within your mind, emotions, and life. With the growing interest in this therapy style, more people are interested in knowing just how legitimate this practice really is. In this article, we will explore the Internal Family Systems model and how effective it is for therapy.
Internal Family Systems Therapy: A Brief Overview
Approaches to therapy often have a balance of shared similarities and unique differences–and IFS therapy is no different. This approach to therapy blends well-known therapeutic techniques with innovative focuses to help you better understand the systems at work in your mind. Ultimately, IFS therapy helps people to understand themselves better and find more balance within while reducing internal conflicts. Let’s explore how.
How Does IFS Therapy Work?
Internal Family Systems therapy focuses on the unique belief that we are composed of different kinds of parts and that these parts interact in different ways. Some interactions are positive, while others are negative. In IFS therapy, we explore these interactions and seek to create a greater sense of harmony by encouraging the different parts of ourselves to act certain ways or remain calm in different scenarios.
At the head of the IFS therapy model is the Self. The “Self” is us–the head of our internal system. As the Self, we have complete control over the parts in our mind, but only if we give them the attention that they deserve. IFS therapy focuses on using the Self to solve problems and create harmony among the other three parts.
What Are the IFS Therapy Parts?
The IFS model supports the belief that we all have three different parts–managers, exiles, and firefighters. These three parts exist to help us navigate the situations that we face in life. In most instances, our parts are coping mechanisms and the responses to those coping mechanisms.
The IFS Therapy Parts:
- Managers–Managers are parts that are designed to control the other parts and help us to navigate different situations. These parts often help us to adapt to new circumstances to avoid negative emotions by altering our behavior. Unfortunately, this can lead to self-sacrificing behaviors that cause damage rather than help.
- Exiles–Exiles are the parts of us that are formed when we experience pain, shame, or trauma. These parts latch on to negative emotions and can lead us to have outbursts or behave in a way that we might not want to. These parts are fearful, and reactive, and they can be triggered easily.
- Firefighters–Firefighters are the parts that act as a response team for Exiles. When Exiles act up and cause trouble, firefighters are there to put out the fire and return us to a sense of calm. This is often achieved through unhealthy coping mechanisms, like relying on distractions.
What is the Goal of IFS Therapy?
Every person who embraces a therapeutic practice will have their own personal goals. However, the primary strategy behind Internal Family Systems therapy is to create a greater sense of balance within the system. To achieve this, IFS therapy uses techniques that are focused on helping you to better understand the needs of your parts to make them less reactive. With time and practice, this creates a more balanced and more complete internal system.
Who Can Benefit from IFS Therapy?
Like many other therapy techniques available, IFS therapy is a practice that can benefit a lot of different people. The practices that are learned in IFS therapy can be applied to a variety of different personality types with different needs. Since the process focuses entirely on internal work and self-reflection, it has advantages for everyone.
IFS Therapy Can Be Used for:
- Creating a sense of harmony
- Identifying and supporting your identity
- Calming fears and anxiety
- Easing depression symptoms
- Recovering from singular and ongoing trauma
- Understanding and combatting substance abuse
- Managing pain and symptoms associated with arthritis
How Legitimate is Internal Family Systems Therapy: Exploring the Efficacy of This Model
As we evolve to embrace new models of therapy, we must keep a careful eye on just how well they work. With the growing popularity seen with IFS therapy, there is a newfound interest in ensuring that it meets certain standards in providing relief and improving well-being. Officially, Internal Family Systems therapy was recognized as an evidence-based practice by the National Registry for Evidence-Based Programs and Practices in 2015. The IFS model is now rated as effective for a variety of physical and mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, phobias, and personal resilience.
The basis for its recognition as a clinical treatment is a longitudinal randomized clinical study focused on treating arthritis. During this study, 82% of participants demonstrated clear improvement following IFS therapy techniques. These individuals reported improvements in both pain and physical function.
A separate study focused on depression in female college students also proved in favor of the Internal Family Systems model. IFS therapy was treated as an alternative to other treatments, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication. The results showed a clear reduction in depressive symptoms among participants.
The effectiveness of IFS therapy when addressing different conditions is certainly notable. Another study focused on individuals with PTSD proved so effective that when the study concluded, only 8% of patients continued to meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The change in response to IFS therapy was signifant–and fast.
Internal Family Systems Therapy and Personal Development
The nature of IFS therapy is focused on understanding and challenging your sense of Self. The practices are designed to help create balance, but they are also deeply focused on personal development. Internal Family Systems therapy can help you to develop yourself through understanding and internal interactions.
What Role Does Therapy Play in Personal Development?
Personal development is the ongoing process of self improvement. It is heavily focused on bettering yourself in order to increase comfort and achieve personal goals. Developing yourself can have a positive impact on these areas, and a good majority of practices associated with IFS therapy are developmental in nature.
Since IFS therapy challenges you to explore your inner sense of Self, it is natural to recognize areas in need of change. This recognition is often present at the base of self improvement philosophies. As you learn more about yourself and how you react, you will be able to make changes that support the person you want to be.
How Does IFS Therapy Help Us to Develop?
Seeking personal development is often easier said than done unless you have a plan in place. Internal Family Systems therapy explores our minds, our personalities, and our coping mechanisms. It then helps you to better understand these features of yourself and work alongside them to improve your overall sense of Self. Development in new directions is a natural byproduct of embracing IFS therapy. With regular practice, you will see changes every single day and develop a more solidified sense of Self.
Practicing IFS on Yourself
Self-therapy is an approach to therapy that you can handle entirely by yourself in the comfort of your own home (or anywhere else you choose to practice). While some approaches to therapy are fairly dependent upon interactions with therapists and medical professionals, IFS therapy is a natural fit for self-therapy. For many people, practicing IFS model strategies alone can be highly beneficial all while allowing them to maintain their level of comfort.
Why is IFS Therapy a Natural Fit for Self-Therapy?
Self-therapy is the act of using therapy techniques on your own at home to achieve results that can be similar to what you would expect from working with a professional. Internal Family Systems therapy is a highly introspective approach to therapy. Since a majority of the work with IFS therapy is done through self-reflection, it is a great candidate for self-therapy.
Therapists are wonderful people who bring plenty of value, but you might not have the time or interest in working with a professional directly. Self-therapy can bridge this gap, offering you the chance to explore yourself on your own terms. With the internal focus of IFS therapy, you can use many of the popular therapy techniques included with it all on your own at home.
Practices for Embracing IFS Self-Therapy
Though you might not want to work with a therapist, you can still benefit from using tools created to guide your therapeutic process. These tools put the power of Internal Family Systems therapy in your hands, so you have the ability to improve on your own. There are two very popular self-therapy techniques that can allow you to comfortably explore IFS therapy at home–journaling and self-guided meditation.
Journaling and IFS
Journaling is a practice that has been popular for hundreds of years, and it is also a powerful self-therapy tool. Using journaling for IFS therapy is an excellent starting point and can also help you to create a clear sense of accountability.
Through journaling, you have the ability to explore your sense of Self in detail and reflect upon it later as needed. Journaling is a wonderful tool for reflecting on your days and how you react to certain situations. This, in turn, makes it much easier to identify the different parts in your system and determine what they need to create harmony within.
Self-Guided Meditation and IFS
Self-guided meditation is the act of meditating while reflecting on an area of your choosing, which makes it a wonderful match for IFS therapy. In fact, meditation is a practice that is often entirely built around introspection, encouraging you to look deep within. This is a very important part of Internal Family Systems therapy.
During your self-guided meditation sessions, you can challenge yourself to explore your surroundings, your memories, and your actions. Reflection practices can be used to explore what reactions feel like a true reflection of your Self and which ones do not, allowing you to identify your parts and understand them in more depth. With this information, you can make any necessary changes.
The Takeaway
The Internal Family Systems model has a proven record of success for people facing different challenges. Whether you want to learn more about yourself or need help understanding the factors that might be influencing your mental health, Self-Therapy and Internal Family Systems can help. With our programs and meditation practices, you can gain the benefits of IFS therapy in the comfort of your own home using dedicated self-therapy practices.