Internal Family Systems Model

The Internal Family Systems Model (IFS) is an integrative approach to individual psychotherapy developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s.[1][2] It combines systems thinking with the view that the mind is made up of relatively discrete subpersonalities each with its own viewpoint and qualities. IFS uses family systems theory to understand how these collections of subpersonalities are organized.[3]

Parts

IFS sees consciousness as composed of a central self with three types of subpersonalities or parts: managers, exiles, and firefighters. Each individual part has its own perspective, interests, memories, and viewpoint. A core tenet of IFS is that every part has a positive intent for the person, even if its actions or effects are counterproductive or cause dysfunction. This means that there is never any reason to fight with, coerce, or try to eliminate a part; the IFS method promotes internal connection and harmony.

Parts can have either extreme roles or healthy roles. IFS focuses on parts in extreme roles because they are in need of transformation through therapy. IFS divides these parts into three types—managers, exiles, and firefighters:[4]

Exiles are parts that are in pain, shame, fear, or trauma, usually from childhood. Managers and firefighters try to exile these parts from consciousness, to prevent this pain from coming to the surface.[5]
Managers are parts with preemptive protective roles. They handle the way a person interacts with the external world to protect them from being hurt by others and try to prevent painful or traumatic feelings and experiences from flooding a person's awareness.
Firefighters are parts that emerge when exiles break out and demand attention. These parts work to distract a person's attention from the hurt or shame experienced by the exile by leading them to engage in impulsive behaviors like overeating, drug use, violence, or having inappropriate sex. They can also distract from the pain by causing a person to focus excessively on more subtle activities such as overworking or over-medicating.

Self

IFS also sees people as being whole, underneath this collection of parts. Everyone has a true self or spiritual center, known as the Self to distinguish it from the parts. Even people whose experience is dominated by parts have access to this Self and its healing qualities of curiosity, connectedness, compassion, and calmness. IFS sees the therapist's job as helping the client to disentangle themselves from their parts and access the Self, which can then connect with each part and heal it, so that the parts can let go of their destructive roles and enter into a harmonious collaboration, led by the Self. IFS explicitly recognizes the spiritual nature of the Self, allowing the model to be helpful in spiritual development as well as psychological healing.

The internal system

IFS focuses on the relationships between parts and between the Self. The goal of IFS is to have a cooperative and trusting relationship between the Self and each part. There are three primary types of relationships between parts: protection, polarization, and alliance.[6]

Protection is provided by managers and firefighters, intended to spare exiles from harm and to protect the person from the pain of exiles.

Polarization occurs between two parts when they are battling each other to determine how a person feels or behaves in a certain situation. Each part believes that it must act as it does in order to counter the extreme behavior of the other part. IFS has a method for working with polarized parts.

Alliance is formed between two parts if they are working together to accomplish the same aim.

IFS method

IFS practitioners report a well-defined therapeutic method for individual therapy based on the following principles. In this description, the term "protector" refers to either a manager or firefighter.

Parts in extreme roles carry "burdens," which are painful emotions or negative beliefs that they have taken on as a result of harmful experiences in the past, often in childhood. These burdens are not intrinsic to the part and therefore they can be released or "unburdened" through IFS. This allows the part to assume its natural healthy role.
The client's Self is the agent of psychological healing. The therapist helps the client to access and remain in Self and provides guidance in the therapy process.
Protectors can't usually let go of their protective roles and transform until the exiles they are protecting have been unburdened.
There is no attempt to work with any exile until the client has obtained permission from any protectors who are protecting that exile. This makes the method relatively safe, even in working with traumatized parts.
The Self is the natural leader of the internal system. However, because of harmful incidents or relationships in the past, protectors have stepped in to protect the system and taken over for the Self. One protector after another is activated and takes over the system causing dysfunctional behavior. These protectors are also frequently in conflict with each other, resulting in internal chaos or stagnation. The goal of IFS is for the protectors to come to trust the Self so they will allow it to lead the system and create internal harmony under its guidance.

The IFS method involves first helping the client to access Self. Then the Self gets to know a protector, discovers its positive intent, and develops a trusting relationship with it. With the protector's permission, the client accesses the exile(s) it is protecting and discovers the childhood incident or relationship that is the source of the burden(s) it is carrying. The exile is retrieved from being stuck in that past situation and helped to release its burdens. Then the protector can also let go of its protective role and assume a healthy one.[7]

Applications

IFS proponents claim to have a "complete" form of individual therapy that is used for the full range of human development, from the healing of trauma to personal and spiritual growth. It has also been applied in the following areas:

Trauma

IFS has been shown in multiple studies to be effective in the treatment of trauma.[8] Richard Schwartz developed IFS while working with a population that had experienced considerable trauma, and IFS has evoked much interest among trauma therapists. In working with a traumatized exile, the client learns to reside in Self and witness the exile's traumatic memory without being flooded by it. In this way the memory is revisited and processed so it can be healed without the danger of retraumatization.

Couples therapy

IFS proponents claim to have successfully applied the method to couples therapy, investigating the interactions between the parts of the two people and how a part in one person can activate extreme parts in the other. The method incorporates short pieces of individual therapy in a couples session along with work on communicating from Self.

Self-help and peer counseling

Because the Self is the agent of transformation in IFS, it naturally lends itself to self-help. The IFS method has been taught in classes on self-therapy and peer counseling for the general public.

Inner critic

Jay Earley and Bonnie Weiss have applied IFS to working with the inner critic, showing how this difficult part is really an IFS protector that one can connect with and transform.

Criticisms

Some proponents of IFS acknowledge that although the model can be effective, like all psychotherapy models, it has drawbacks and limitations. Dr. Alexander Hsieh points out that IFS' method of self-discovery can take extensive time and effort, and that this effort can be multiplied when dealing with multiple family members.[9] Deacon and Davis point out that working with one's parts "can be emotional and anxiety-provoking for clients," and that IFS may not work well with delusional, paranoid, or schizophrenic clients who may not be grounded in reality and therefore misuse the idea of "parts".[10]

References

Minor, Amanda J. (2016). "Internal Family Systems Model". In Carlson, Jon; Dermer, Shannon B. (eds.). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Marriage, Family, and Couples Counseling. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1-4833-6956-3. Retrieved 28 January 2020. The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model was developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s and describes and integrative, nonpathological approach to psychotherapy.... The premise of IFS is that similar to the complex external family system, individuals are composed of separate and multifaceted internal parts in relationship with each other. IFS's primary focus is to work with individuals and help differentiate parts or subpersonalities in the mind.
Logan, Sadye L. M. (2008). "Family: Overview". In Mizrahi, Terry; Davis, Larry E. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Social Work. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 2:175–182.
Burgoyne, Nancy (2018). "Schwartz, Richard C.". In Lebow, J.; Chambers, A.; Breunlin, D. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer International Publishing. pp. 1–2. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_927-1. ISBN 978-3-319-15877-8. [Schwartz] brought family therapy theory and technique to the intrapsychic worlds of clients and, in so doing, discovered ways of working with individuals, couples, and families that is unique and evidence-based. IFS has become not only a school of family therapy but also a major form of psychotherapy in general, with a vast literature and training institutes throughout the world.
Scott, Derek (2012). "Grief and the Internal Family System". In Winokuer, Howard; Harris, Darcy (eds.). Principles and practice of grief counseling. Springer Publishing Company. pp. 168–169. ISBN 9780826108739. The "parts" in this model may be understood to be autonomous aspects of the personality that have specific roles. [...] The exiled parts hold extreme feelings or beliefs about themselves.... When these vulnerable parts get triggered, other parts jump up to distract us from them and these reactive protective parts are termed "firefighters." [...] The other group of protectors in the system are referred to as "managers," and they seek to ensure that the vulnerable parts do not get triggered.
Sweezy, Martha (April 2011). "The Teenager's Confession: Regulating Shame in Internal Family Systems Therapy". American Journal of Psychotherapy. 65 (2): 179–188. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2011.65.2.179. PMID 21847894. Therapeutic work with parts can help to unpack an amalgamated experience of shame like Angie’s into its component parts, differentiating its origin from the ways in which it is maintained.
Carlisle, Robert M. (2015). "Internal Family Systems Model". In Neukrug, Edward S. (ed.). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy. SAGE Publications. pp. 567–569. ISBN 978-1-4833-4649-6. Retrieved 28 January 2020. The internal system consists of the types of relationships between each of the parts and the self. The three primary relationships consist of protection, polarization, and alliance.
Kolk, Bessel A. Van der (2015). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-14-312774-1. OCLC 861478952. The task of the therapist is to help patients separate this confusing blend into separate entities.... Patients learn to put their fear, rage, or disgust on hold and open up into states of curiosity and self-reflection. From the stable perspective of Self they can begin constructive inner dialogues with their parts.
Carlisle, Robert M. (2015). "Internal Family Systems Model". The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy. SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 568–569. doi:10.4135/9781483346502.n195. ISBN 9781452274126. The IFS model was developed in the mid-1990s by Richard C. Schwartz, marriage and family therapist and founder of the Center for Self Leadership in Illinois. IFS has been researched in multiple studies and has been shown to be effective for treating trauma in individuals, couples, and families.
Hsieh, Alexander L. (31 March 2015). "Internal Family Systems: A Parts Party Intervention". Journal of Family Psychotherapy. 26 (1): 31–35. doi:10.1080/08975353.2015.1002740. To begin with, the process of therapy and discovery of the core self by removing layers upon layers of polarizing parts could progress through a time-consuming process with the therapist and client. [...] Finally, one can foresee that IFS has limitations when it comes to incorporating systems with multiple members involved because of the increased burden in managing exponentially more individual parts.
Deacon, Sharon A.; Davis, Jonathan C. (March 2001). "Internal Family Systems Theory: A Technical Integration". Journal of Systemic Therapies. 20 (1): 45–58. doi:10.1521/jsyt.20.1.45.19410. Parts work can be emotional and anxiety-provoking for clients and therapists must have a rationale and direction in order to guide clients on such internal journeys. [...] Although Schwartz may disagree, we believe that IFS therapy, in general, may not work well with delusional, paranoid, or schizophrenic clients. Clients who are not grounded in reality may misuse the idea of "parts" or become more entrenched in delusional thoughts by such interventions.

External links

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[1] Minor, Amanda J. (2016). "Internal Family Systems Model". In Carlson, Jon; Dermer, Shannon B. (eds.). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Marriage, Family, and Couples Counseling. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1-4833-6956-3. Retrieved 28 January 2020. The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model was developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s and describes and integrative, nonpathological approach to psychotherapy.... The premise of IFS is that similar to the complex external family system, individuals are composed of separate and multifaceted internal parts in relationship with each other. IFS's primary focus is to work with individuals and help differentiate parts or subpersonalities in the mind.

[2] Logan, Sadye L. M. (2008). "Family: Overview". In Mizrahi, Terry; Davis, Larry E. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Social Work. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 2:175–182.

[3] Burgoyne, Nancy (2018). "Schwartz, Richard C.". In Lebow, J.; Chambers, A.; Breunlin, D. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer International Publishing. pp. 1–2. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_927-1. ISBN 978-3-319-15877-8. [Schwartz] brought family therapy theory and technique to the intrapsychic worlds of clients and, in so doing, discovered ways of working with individuals, couples, and families that is unique and evidence-based. IFS has become not only a school of family therapy but also a major form of psychotherapy in general, with a vast literature and training institutes throughout the world.

[4] Scott, Derek (2012). "Grief and the Internal Family System". In Winokuer, Howard; Harris, Darcy (eds.). Principles and practice of grief counseling. Springer Publishing Company. pp. 168–169. ISBN 9780826108739. The "parts" in this model may be understood to be autonomous aspects of the personality that have specific roles. [...] The exiled parts hold extreme feelings or beliefs about themselves.... When these vulnerable parts get triggered, other parts jump up to distract us from them and these reactive protective parts are termed "firefighters." [...] The other group of protectors in the system are referred to as "managers," and they seek to ensure that the vulnerable parts do not get triggered.

[5] Sweezy, Martha (April 2011). "The Teenager's Confession: Regulating Shame in Internal Family Systems Therapy". American Journal of Psychotherapy. 65 (2): 179–188. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2011.65.2.179. PMID 21847894. Therapeutic work with parts can help to unpack an amalgamated experience of shame like Angie’s into its component parts, differentiating its origin from the ways in which it is maintained.

[6] Carlisle, Robert M. (2015). "Internal Family Systems Model". In Neukrug, Edward S. (ed.). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy. SAGE Publications. pp. 567–569. ISBN 978-1-4833-4649-6. Retrieved 28 January 2020. The internal system consists of the types of relationships between each of the parts and the self. The three primary relationships consist of protection, polarization, and alliance.

[7] Kolk, Bessel A. Van der (2015). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-14-312774-1. OCLC 861478952. The task of the therapist is to help patients separate this confusing blend into separate entities.... Patients learn to put their fear, rage, or disgust on hold and open up into states of curiosity and self-reflection. From the stable perspective of Self they can begin constructive inner dialogues with their parts.

[8] Carlisle, Robert M. (2015). "Internal Family Systems Model". The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy. SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 568–569. doi:10.4135/9781483346502.n195. ISBN 9781452274126. The IFS model was developed in the mid-1990s by Richard C. Schwartz, marriage and family therapist and founder of the Center for Self Leadership in Illinois. IFS has been researched in multiple studies and has been shown to be effective for treating trauma in individuals, couples, and families.

[9] Hsieh, Alexander L. (31 March 2015). "Internal Family Systems: A Parts Party Intervention". Journal of Family Psychotherapy. 26 (1): 31–35. doi:10.1080/08975353.2015.1002740. To begin with, the process of therapy and discovery of the core self by removing layers upon layers of polarizing parts could progress through a time-consuming process with the therapist and client. [...] Finally, one can foresee that IFS has limitations when it comes to incorporating systems with multiple members involved because of the increased burden in managing exponentially more individual parts.

[10] Deacon, Sharon A.; Davis, Jonathan C. (March 2001). "Internal Family Systems Theory: A Technical Integration". Journal of Systemic Therapies. 20 (1): 45–58. doi:10.1521/jsyt.20.1.45.19410. Parts work can be emotional and anxiety-provoking for clients and therapists must have a rationale and direction in order to guide clients on such internal journeys. [...] Although Schwartz may disagree, we believe that IFS therapy, in general, may not work well with delusional, paranoid, or schizophrenic clients. Clients who are not grounded in reality may misuse the idea of "parts" or become more entrenched in delusional thoughts by such interventions.