Internal Family Systems

Internal Family Systems (IFS) was developed by Dr. Richard (Dick) Schwartz in the 1980s. IFS recognizes that our minds and bodies contain “parts” – some that protect us (albeit not always in ways that we see as helpful)and some that hold our trauma and pain – and that each of these parts has a role to play in our “internal family system.” Sometimes our parts are at odds with each other, and sometimes one of our parts takes control in ways that are not supportive of the health of the whole system. Trauma is healed by creating safety and trust between your parts and your “Self” (like the coach for your internal team) so that your parts can let go of the burdens of trauma. The goal is not to get rid of problematic parts, but rather to heal the system so that everyone is on the same team. IFS is a bottom up approach (connecting body sensations to thoughts and emotions) that leads to lasting change. For further explanation of IFS, see this video.

We often interweave IFS with other somatic processing methods (including Brainspotting and EMDR), as well as talk therapy. We follow the client’s lead on what approach is most helpful each session.