Internal Family Systems (IFS)
“IFS is a loving way of relating internally (to your parts) and externally (to the people in your life), so in that sense, IFS is a life practice, as well. It’s something you can do on a daily, moment-to-moment basis—at any time, by yourself or with others.”
- Dr Richard Schwartz, Creator of Internal Family Systems Therapy
IFS therapy is based on a few key beliefs:
Everyone has a self. You can’t lose it. It can’t be damaged. It knows how to heal.
Mind is naturally multiple and that is a good thing. Life is complicated. We need all our parts to navigate it. But, things go much better for us, if our parts harmonize and collaborate, rather than working against one another.
Our inside world mirrors our outside world. Just like members of a family, inner parts are often forced from their valuable states into extreme roles within us.
When a person has been hurt, humiliated, frightened, or shamed in the past, he or she will have parts that carry the emotions, memories, and sensations from those experiences.
We can learn to differentiate between our true self and parts that serve a more limited role. We can, over time, begin to connect with and trust our own self-energy, inner wisdom, care and presence.
Resources
What is Internal Family Systems?
Find a provider who practices IFS
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Heather Lortie, LCSW EdM
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Walkens Petit-Frere, LMSW
Other Therapeutic Areas
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EMDR
EMDR therapy uses guided eye movements to help individuals reprocess and heal from traumatic memories, transforming them into sources of strength and resilience.
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Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing focuses on resolving trauma by tapping into the body’s natural ability to release stored survival energy and restore nervous system balance.
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Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)
AEDP fosters healing and personal growth by encouraging clients to deeply experience and process their emotions within a supportive therapeutic relationship.
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Psychedelic Assisted Therapy Intensives
Psychedelic Assisted Therapy combines psychedelic substances with psychotherapy to facilitate deep emotional breakthroughs and personal insights in a controlled setting.
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Dynamic Couples Therapy
Description EFT strengthens couple relationships by exploring attachment needs and transforming negative interaction patterns into secure, loving bonds.
