‘Nothing can hurt you on the inside
if you are not afraid of it.’
-Richard Schwartz
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Traditional talking therapies can be very helpful, however, aren’t always enough to bring about profound and lasting change. Clients who have been in therapy before will often say to me ‘I need more than talking’. We carry our trauma in our mind, body and spirit, so it makes sense to me that we would need a modality that can address the trauma at these different levels.
IFS Therapy is a relational psychotherapeutic approach which fosters healing from the inside out. It is both deeply transformative and gently supportive in its process.
These are a few ways in which we can experience the world…
Have you ever experienced inner conflict or felt pulled in different directions? ‘A part of me wants x and another part wants y
and I just can’t decide! I’m stuck!!’
Have you ever noticed yourself putting different aspects of yourself forward depending on the company or the situation? For example you may be one way when with your parents and slightly or very different when with your friends.
Have you ever had an ‘out of body-like’ experience? Perhaps you were shouting at your kids or your partner, and even though you were semi-aware of it at the time, you still couldn’t stop yourself… it feels out of character…and yet here you are…
This is completely normal and is based on a concept of multiplicity - meaning we all have different aspects of ourselves that play different roles, and want different things for us. This internal diversity is what makes us unique, interesting, complex, and beautifully human.
It only becomes problematic when these different aspects become extreme and begin to disrupt our day to day lives and relationships. For example, anxiety is something we all need in reasonable and proportionate amounts. However, when anxiety starts showing up before every social engagement and making us physically sick, then we know it is a bit out of balance and help may be needed to recalibrate it.
If you’d like to learn more about how IFS can support you in overcoming your current challenges, you can get in touch here.