Trauma can cause deep emotional wounds, resulting in long term scars which can shape how one thinks, feels, views (self & others) and responds to the world around them. While traditional therapies often focus on external events and/or coping strategies (which can be equally as important, as at times one needs to stop the bleeding before attending to the wound). Internal Family Systems (IFS) offers a unique, compassionate, intuitive and creative approach to healing. Through exploring “parts” of ourselves affected by trauma, IFS supports one to reconnect with their inner “Self” and its strengths, allowing for lasting healing and peace.
According to IFS, when we experience trauma, certain parts of us take on protective roles to help us survive, unaware that the coping mechanism might no longer be helping, but hindering us as we age (as parts are usually stuck in the past).
Through guided internal work and processing IFS allows one to identify and understand their parts, how they came to be and why, and what their jobs are as a response to the trauma.
In IFS parts are described as follows:
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- Exiles: these are parts that hold the wound and the deep emotional pain associated with it. Thus, exiles are to not be seen or touched. Other parts can form or have jobs to ensure nothing gets close to the wound/exiles.
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- Protective Parts (also known as Managers): are parts in the internal system responsible for ensuring that nothing gets too close to the wound (or “exiled” parts). Some behaviour associated with protective parts can be avoidance, people pleasing, perfectionism, hyper-vigilance/anxiety.
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- Fire Fighters: when something gets too close to the wound/exiles (despite all of the Manager’s efforts), resulting in a perceived sense of danger or intense emotional distress, fire fighters will then come into action. Once in action they may fully take charge of the system, strongly influencing one’s emotional and physiological responses. Their actions often correlates with the activation of amygdala (the brain’s emotional processing centre) resulting in extreme survival driven (also knowns as trauma) responses such as fight, flight, freeze, fawn, dissociation/numbing.
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- The “SELF”: viewed as energy, at the core of this system is the “Self” with the following qualities: calm, compassionate, creative, clear, curious, courageous, connected and confident.
As one builds a relationship with their parts, it can lead the way to healing by allowing for “unburdening” to happen for all the parts, and for true healing to take place . As the Self becomes the leader within the system, and parts feel more connected to it, they become its supportive allies. With the Self in charge, parts will no longer feel the need to take over, react in extremes or protect as they used to. Allowing for a harmonious system to emerge, one that brings with it a sense of inner calm, confidence, clarity, acceptance and harmony.
Trauma left untreated can have long term side-effects, disrupting one’s ability to lead a full, healthy and balanced life. Some consequence of untreated trauma can be chronic illness, mental health related and relationship issues; as well as impacting the next generations to come (intergenerational trauma).
Given that approaching trauma may feel overwhelming, IFS can provide a safe, curious, gentle, self-paced approach toward your healing journey, one that can be taken side by side with your therapist. If this is a type of therapy that interests you, or you want to learn more about it contact us.
