Introduction to Internal Family Systems
So I started using this “step back” technique with individuals. I’d have them ask other parts to step aside so that pairs of parts could really dig in and listen to each other. For
Ph.D. Richard Schwartz • No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model
Another book seeking to mainstream parts work, James Fadiman and Jordan Gruber’s Your Symphony of Selves: Discover and Understand More of Who We Are,
Jamie Marich • Dissociation Made Simple: A Stigma-Free Guide to Embracing Your Dissociative Mind and Navigating Daily Life
The difference here is that the Self says no to impulsive parts firmly but from a place of love and patience, in just the same way an ideal parent would. Additionally, in IFS, when parts do take over, we don’t shame them. Instead, we get curious and use the part’s impulse as a trailhead to find what is driving it that needs to be healed.
Ph.D. Richard Schwartz • No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model
Unburdening is another aspect of IFS that seems spiritual, because as soon as the burdens leave parts’ bodies, parts immediately transform into their original, valuable states. It’s as if a curse was lifted from an inner Sleeping Beauty, or ogre, or addict. The newly unburdened part almost universally says it feels much lighter and wants to play or
... See morePh.D. Richard Schwartz • No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model
IFS illuminates the mind's landscape as a mosaic of distinct parts, each with its own voice, identity, and role to play. This concept resonates with our daily experiences; we often catch ourselves saying, "A part of me wants this, but another part of me wants that." Addiction can amplify this internal dialogue, making it feel like an alien force ha... See more