For the treatment of complex trauma

INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY

Ego State Therapy• Based on premise that we are made up of different states

• Psychodynamic

• Paul Federn psychoanalyst who worked with Freud

• Instead of seeing people made up of only three parts (Id, Ego, and Superego) like Freud, conceptualized people as made up of many parts

• Concept passed from from Federn to Edoardo Weiss who then passed it to John Watkins

• Watkins and his wife, Helen, developed this concept into a psychotherapy

Multiplicity of Mind• Viewing individual as a system of interacting minds

• Sub-personalities

• Ego-states

• Understanding how ego-states interact, relate, and feel about each other

• Understanding how the parts of the system work together or against each other

Internal Family SystemsDeveloped by Richard Schwartz as new way of conceptualizing and

treating clients

Designed to be:

• Collaborative

• Non-pathologizing

• Enjoyable

The Parts• Self

Sub Personalities:

• Protectors

• Managers

• Firefighters

• Exiles

• No part is bad!

Self• “Self is like the beam of light that refracts in to all the colors of the

rainbow as it passes through a prism and illuminates our parts and external objects in the world”. Jack Engler

• Referred to by Richard Schwartz as the “I” in the storm

• The center of the system, essence, true nature

• Clarity of perspective

• Natural leadership

• Non-judgmental of other parts

Self• Eight “Cs” of Self

Confident

Connected

Courageous

Curious

Connected

Compassionate

Clear

Calm

Creative

Relationship of Self and Parts• Self-leadership promotes healing and safe containment for parts

• Most of the healing happens with Self becomes a figure to whom it is safe for other parts to feel attached

• Focus in therapy is developing and nurturing the relationships between Self and the various parts of the system

• Self in “unblended state” meaning other parts are not blended or interfering with Self

Knowing When Self is Present• Tone

• Energy

• Breathing

• No agenda or expectation of outcome

• Relaxed

Exiles• Parts that hold pain and trauma

• Are pushed out by protectors

• Oppressed by rest of system and

put in a sort of mental prison to be

kept away from the system

• Want to be heard: Want story told

Exiles Continued• Are desperate at times

• Try to escape their prison cells

• Often appear as flashbacks and nightmares

• Moments of fear or pain

• Want and need to feel loved and cared for

• Carry burden of the system, including unwanted emotions

Exiles: Living in Trauma Time• Frozen in the past

• When exiles escape, flooding of the

system occurs

• Makes person more vulnerable

• Sometimes try to take control of the system

• Dangerous

• Sometimes seek out someone like the abuser in order to find the compassion, protection, and love they did not initially get..

Protectors• Job is to keep the individual from experiencing pain

Managing and Firefighting

• Use various strategies such as:

• Intellectualizing

• Denial

• Distraction

• Criticism/Control

• Compensation

Managers: Keep Exiles Exiled!

• Work on avoiding any situation which

may trigger an exile to escape.

Controlling

Perfectionistic

Intellectual

Obsessive (especially about pushing away

emotions)

Critical

Mangers Continued• Try to maintain control of the whole system

• May give outward appearance of success

Providing drive and focus

• Masters of Self-Sabotage

To protect person from disappointment or responsibility

Managers: Other Characteristics• Reclusiveness

• Passivity

• Detachment emotionally

• Phobia

• Hyperalertness

• Panic Attacks

• Depression

Protectors: Firefighters• Job is to take over if an Exile escapes

• Extinguish

• Feelings

• Thoughts

• Body Sensations

• Memories

• Images

• And anything else associated with trauma

that the exile is holding

Firefighter Techniques• Drug and alcohol abuse

• Cutting or other forms of self-mutilation

• Promiscuity

• Overeating

• Anything to put out the fire

Firefighters Continued• Not rational like Managers tend to be

• Tend to be impulsive and destructive

• Firefighter behavior often results in criticism from Managers which can trigger the cycle of destructive behavior over and over again.

Internal ConflictsCan and do occur between parts

• Managers vs Firefighers

• Managers vs Exiles

• Firefighters vs Exiles

Creates anxiety, internal discord, depression,

confusion, overwhelming emotions

Makes healing much more difficult when internal conflict is high and parts are phobic of

• Each other

• Trauma work

• Emotion

• Etc.

Working it Out: All Parts are Good!

• Identify and work with parts on conflicts

Unblending, Unburdening, Creating Safety for Parts

Identify polarizations and alliances

• Express appreciation and empathy

• Allow parts to be heard

• Learn about part’s job

• Most of all: Strengthen the Self!

Self-Led System is Important for Therapists!

• Therapist should display:

• Patience

• Persistence

• Presence

• Perspective

• Playfulness

when working with parts.

The Plan

Work with managers first• Address any fears

• Be respectful of the pace at which they need to work

• Be patient!

Identify and work with dangerous firefighters

Begin working with exiles with the permission of the managers

Check in with the system frequently to make sure everyone is okay

Client will help and learn to monitor when a part is present

References• Earley, J. (2009). Self-Therapy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating

Wholeness and Healing your Inner Child Using IFS, a New, Cutting-Edge Psychotherapy (Second Edition). Larkspur: Pattern System Books.

• Schwartz, R. C. (1995). Internal Family Systems Therapy. New York: The Guilford Press.

• Sweezy, M. & Ziskind, E.L. (2013) Internal Family Systems Therapy: New Dimensions. New York: Routledge.