Understanding Internal Family Systems Therapy: How It Works and Who Can Benefit From It | Wisconsin Wellness

The iconic English novelist Aldous Huxley famously said, “There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” This is the embodiment of internal family systems (IFS) therapy. At Wisconsin Wellness, IFS can help eliminate those parts of yourself that deplete you and invigorate the parts that inspire you. IFS can make you whole once again.

What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy?

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said, “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.” This focus on “the Self” is the foundation of IFS therapy.

Now, the first aspect to understand is that it does not have to do with families in the literal sense, but rather, it is about the families that exist within you. These “families” or “sub-personalities” exist within each person’s mental system. Many of these families contain hurtful and corrupted emotions. These emotions (feelings) include shame, anger, and guilt. There are also parts that focus solely on keeping negative emotions buried deep under the surface.

While these families are specific, they also live in tandem with one another and can conflict with each other and ultimately disrupt the entirety of the Self. This is the self that would otherwise be healthy if not for these corrupting emotions because, at its core, the self is self-assured and empathetic – a confident individual both internally and externally.

IFS works to heal the wounded families and help restore your mental balance by bringing balance back into your emotional life. It will once again center the Self.

Internal Family Systems Therapy: How Does It Work?

One of William Shakespeare’s most famous utterances was, “This above all; to thine own self be true.” But what if one’s emotional and mental state is waging war within oneself? Then, a therapy like internal family systems therapy must be employed.

According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, “Clients come to psychotherapy intent on changing, rather than accepting, their unwanted behaviors, emotions, or thoughts. The trouble often is, however, that their lack of self-acceptance is the primary obstacle to change… [T]he Internal Family Systems (IFS) model fosters clients’ acceptance of all parts of themselves no matter how destructive,” and “that acceptance can lead to the transformation of those parts and, in turn, of other people.”

While IFS is a complex concept, the process is relatively straightforward. It may be best to think of it as a six-step process that utilizes six “Fs.” These Fs are “find, focus, flesh out, feel toward, befriend, and fear.”

The first step of the process is to go inside and start to identify the families within yourself. Then, the next step is to bring focus to that family. Next, you “flesh out” or learn more about that family. The next step is to ask yourself, “How do I feel about this family?” “Is it a critical part of my life?” Next, you try to see how this part affects your life and whether or not you can accept its presence. 

Finally, you determine if any fear comes up as you consider eliminating this family from your life. From there, you (with the help of your therapist) will decide as to whether that family needs to remain part of your life.

Internal Family Systems Therapy and Coordinating the True Core of Self

In IFS, the Self is made up of 13 critical components. These are broken down into the eight “Cs” and the five “Ps”

The eight Cs in IFS are “calmness, confidence, clarity, creativity, curiosity, compassion, courage, and connectedness.” As you can see, these are all positive traits that could help you to function comfortably in your day-to-day life. That is why capturing and connecting to these emotions is so critical.

The five Ps of IFS is “patience, presence, persistence, perspective, and playfulness.” Again, you can see how these traits are positive and promote wellness. 

The idea of IFS is that these emotions and traits are what make up the true or “core” Self. Your Self just becomes overwhelmed by negative and hindering families. IFS helps to get these Cs and Ps in line so you can heal and bring balance back into your life.

Internal Family Systems Therapy: What Does It Treat and Who Can Benefit From It?

The renowned author and philosopher William James famously said, “There is but one cause of human failure. And that is man’s lack of faith in his true Self.” This faith can be reestablished via internal family systems therapy.

IFS treats a myriad of different mental health and addiction issues. These issues also range on the scale from more minor to severe.

Internal Family Systems Therapy and Anxiety and Depression

IFS can help people who struggle with anxiety and depression. This is especially true for those individuals who receive no relief from more “traditional” modalities. 

According to the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, “Empirical support exists for the effectiveness of select treatment options (i.e., antidepressant medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy [CBT], and interpersonal psychotherapy [IPT]), yet a significant percentage of those treated do not benefit. In [a] pilot study, Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy was tested as an alternative approach… Results demonstrated a decline in depressive symptoms for both conditions and no significant differences in the magnitude or rate of change,” and “the results provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of IFS in the treatment of depressive symptoms.” IFS can get past this resistance.

Internal Family Systems Therapy and Bipolar Disorder

IFS has been shown to help people who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. This is critical because bipolar disorder is fast becoming one of the most prevalent mental illnesses in the United States and around the globe.

According to the peer-reviewed journal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, “Epidemiological studies have suggested a lifetime prevalence of around 1% for bipolar type I in the general population. A large cross-sectional survey of 11 countries found the overall lifetime prevalence of bipolar spectrum disorders was 2.4%, with a prevalence of 0.6% for bipolar type I and 0.4% for bipolar type II. Although findings varied across different countries, this suggested a lower prevalence of bipolar type I and II than previous studies, while the prevalence of bipolar type I in the USA was found to be 1%, slightly higher than the other countries.” Often, along with medication, IFS can help bring balance to those with bipolar disorder.

Internal Family Systems Therapy and Addiction

It has also been shown to be highly effective at treating people struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD) or substance use disorder (SUD). This is critical as AUD and SUD are still highly prominent in the U.S. and around the world.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “In 2022, 48.7 million people aged 12 or older (or 17.3%) had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year, including 29.5 million who had an alcohol use disorder (AUD), 27.2 million who had a drug use disorder (DUD), and 8.0 million people who had both an AUD and a DUD.” These are not insignificant statistics. IFS can help alleviate them.

Also, IFS can be highly beneficial to those individuals who have a dual diagnosis, which is also highly prevalent. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “7.7 million adults have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders… Of the 20.3 million adults with substance use disorders, 37.9% also had mental illnesses.” Also, “Among the 42.1 million adults with mental illness, 18.2% also had substance use disorders.”

IFS helps get to the underlying issues (families) of these addictions. As is often said in recovery circles, “The alcohol and substances are but symptoms of a greater disease.” Also, it should not be overlooked that addiction is a serious chronic disease (like cancer, diabetes, or heart disease) that will almost always get worse without some type of professional intervention. IFS can be an essential part of that intervention.

Internal Family Systems Therapy and Trauma and PTSD

IFS can be particularly beneficial for people who have underlying issues of trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is because the families associated with these issues are often buried deep down and are protected by other negative families. IFS will bring these trauma families to the surface safely so they can be addressed and potentially eliminated. 

Many people don’t realize just how prevalent trauma is in the U.S. and around the world. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Medicine, “General population studies have shown that a large proportion of people in developed countries have been exposed to at least one TE [traumatic event] in their lifetime (estimates from 28 to 90%), with the most common events being the unexpected death of a loved one, motor vehicle accidents and being mugged. Much more limited evidence for less developed countries suggests that fatalities due to injuries and accidents are more common in low- and middle-income countries…”

Similar statistics are true for those struggling with PTSD. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the National Center for PTSD, “About 6 out of every 100 people (or 6% of the U.S. population) will have PTSD at some point in their lives.” Also, “About 5 out of every 100 adults (or 5%) in the U.S. has PTSD in any given year. In 2020, about 13 million Americans had PTSD.” IFS gives individuals with trauma and PTSD an opportunity to get out from under their struggles and start living a more fulfilling, less distracted way of life.

Internal Family Systems and the Stages of Grief

Most people will experience some form of grief throughout their life. This may be due to the loss of a loved one, financial hardship, family and/or spousal separation, the loss of a pet, or prolonged illness. IFS can be particularly beneficial for individuals going through the stages of grief. Ultimately, IFS can eliminate needless emotional suffering.

IFS can specifically help individuals struggling with what is known as “prolonged grief disorder.” According to the peer-reviewed thesis, Grief Reaction and Prolonged Grief Disorder, by Doctors Mughal, Azhar, Mahon, and Siddiqui, “Grief is a natural and universal response to the loss of a loved one. The grief experience is not a state but a process. Most individuals recover adequately within a year after the loss; however, when individuals experience an extension of the standard grieving process, they are said to be experiencing prolonged grief disorder, thought to result from failure to transition from acute to integrated grief.”

IFS helps this grieving process by aiding the individual as they go through each step. It helps to identify families that are causing harm during that particular step so they can be determined as useful or harmful. Ultimately, it makes the process less painful.

A Myriad of Means, Methods, and Modalities at Wisconsin Wellness

The great author and philosopher Eckhart Tolle says, “In the egoic state, your sense of self, your identity, is derived from your thinking mind – in other words, what your mind tells you about yourself: the storyline of you, the memories, the expectations, all the thoughts that go through your head continuously and the emotions that reflect those thoughts. All those things make up your sense of self.” So, when those emotions are negative, they lead to negative thoughts, and these lead to negative actions and behaviors. IFS helps positively realign those emotions.

At Wisconsin Wellness, we don’t just offer IFS but a myriad of other treatment options. This includes cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), yoga therapy, group therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and art therapy (just to name a few). It allows us to make the best most comprehensive choices to help you recover at the molecular level.

One of the treatment options that we offer is yoga therapy and meditation. This holistic healing method can be particularly useful as it can help you with the six Fs of IFS, particularly the “focus” aspect. It can help you sustain the amount of attention needed to address those families that are causing discomfort.

Yoga therapy also offers many other benefits besides compounding the efficacy of IFS. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions. Yoga therapy involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent, reduce, or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional, and spiritual pain, suffering, or limitations. Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.”

A Focus on Long-Term Recovery at Wisconsin Wellness

The iconic American philosopher John Dewey famously said, “The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.” Here at Wisconsin Wellness, we know that taking action with internal family systems therapy is one of the best ways to form the Self back into a state of healthy and centered wellness.

We also know that the best way to recover is with individualized and comprehensive treatment plans, which is why that is what we offer to each client who comes through our door. At Wisconsin Wellness, we don’t believe in short-term fixes; we believe in long-term success.

IFS can help get you back on the right track and live the life that you have always desired and deserved. This therapy can help you sustain a positive path toward your ultimate recovery goals. It is time to find yourself again. Recovery is just over the horizon. We can take you there.

Internal family systems (IFS) therapy can be utilized to treat a myriad of mental illnesses (including addiction), which is why we offer it to our clients at Wisconsin Wellness. You don’t have to go through this alone. We can help get you on the right road to recovery right away. To find out more about IFS and our other effective modalities, please reach out to us at (920) 404-2100.