Internal Family Systems Therapy In Austin, TX

Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS) is an evidenced-based model of psychotherapy that has evolved over the past 20 years and is being utilized in many countries across the world. The model makes explicit and further develops what many therapists and theorists have known: the human mind and body are naturally a system of interconnected parts that work towards survival and functioning. Further, IFS is rooted in the foundational belief that all individuals are born with an intrinsic capacity for healing. There are clear methods for guiding individuals to this inner well of resource which is commonly referred to as Self.

How Does IFS Therapy Work?

IFS is considered an experiential approach to psychotherapy. This differs somewhat from traditional talk therapy, and means individuals are guided towards their own cognitive, emotional, and sensory experience in a therapeutic and safe manner. IFS aligns with the concept of neural plasticity and the steps of memory reconsolidation, which are widely accepted and revised understandings of how memory and learning work. Memory reconsolidation demonstrates that emotional memories and beliefs can be reprocessed (or reconsolidated) in a manner that is transformative, releasing past burdens and incorporating new positive feelings and beliefs. IFS is one of the models available that helps towards complete healing, and can do so in a relatively quick timeframe.

What To Expect From IFS Therapy

Different practitioners have different styles. Since IFS therapists must complete rigorous, structured training, you can expect certain elements to remain the same regardless of your therapist. Common practices in IFS therapy include:

Thorough exploration of presenting concerns and identification of goals.
Focusing on and finding out more about parts. This can include identifying how parts present themselves in the mind and body, discovering more about their roles and functions, and gaining insight into connections between parts. Some therapists will use tools like writing prompts, drawing, and movement to help you externalize and gain better understanding of your parts. If the term or idea of “parts” is confusing or uncomfortable, here are some examples of common parts which you will likely find at least one you can relate to: people pleaser, striver, critic, worrier, angry and lashing out, scared and vulnerable, drinking, indulging, dissociating, depressing, anticipating, panicked, foggy or confused, distracting, sensitive and hurt, funny.
Discovery and connection with the healing energy of Self. This is often experienced as one or more of the following qualities: curiosity, compassion, clarity, creativity, calm, courage, confidence, connectedness. Many times, therapy helps to establish a Self-to-part connection which can feel new, soothing, and/or empowering.
Some sessions, although not the majority, will likely involve focused healing work (reprocessing trauma). You do not need to feel the intensity of past experiences or completely relive a trauma to experience healing and trauma resolution. Your therapist will always ask your permission before doing this work.

Furthermore, IFS teaches individuals to work with their own inner systems and grow trust and confidence in doing so. You can expect to grow your ability to function as if you were your own therapist at times, leveraging your Self towards living authentically and healing in your daily life. Many find this to be an exciting and rewarding aspect of this approach.

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Who Can Benefit From IFS Therapy?

IFS therapy is widely applicable to the various presenting concerns that bring people to therapy. Initially developed to treat eating disorders, the model has grown to be known for its impact in the following areas:

Anxiety, fear, panic
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Depression
Developmental trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dissociative identity disorder (DID)
Eating disorders

Addictions, including substances and process addictions
Grief
Physical health issues and chronic pain
Relationships
Personal and spiritual development

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Resources

The Foundation for Self Leadership has a wealth of information ranging from research, to basics of the model, to the larger vision of the organization: https://www.foundationifs.org/about/about-ifs

‍IFS listing on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP): https://www.grantuoso.org/samhsa/

‍The Pixar movie Inside Out is a fun and relatable depiction of IFS principles: https://movies.disney.com/inside-out

‍The One Inside podcast: https://tammysollenberger.com/podcast/

‍No Bad Parts by IFS founder Richard Schwartz: https://www.amazon.com/No-Bad-Parts-Restoring-Wholeness/dp/1683646681

‍Many guided meditations exist to work with parts and connect with Self. The Path is a favorite among many: https://insighttimer.com/drrichardschwartz/guided-meditations/ifs-the-path

Phase 1: History Taking

Before beginning EMDR, your trauma therapist will get to know more about your experiences and symptoms. This step is for you to share about events in your past that may be affecting your current mindset.

Phase 2: Preparation

This stage is about ensuring your readiness for EMDR. Even though EMDR therapy for trauma is completely safe, it can be problematic for individuals who commonly experience dissociation. As a safeguard, your trauma therapist will work with you to create your own “calm place” to concentrate on if you feel distressed.

Phase 3: Assessment

It’s now time to choose a target to be reprocessed during your next few sessions. In doing so, you’ll need to identify a vivid image related to the memory, a negative cognition about yourself associated with it, and emotions and bodily sensations that accompany both. Your therapist will then have you challenge that negative cognition with a cognitive one. They will have you rate how true your positive cognition feels and how much distress the target memory causes you on a scale from 1-10.

Phase 4: Desensitization

This is where Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing comes into play. When you feel ready, your therapist will guide you to process your negative feelings and memories using bilateral eye movements to facilitate the brain’s healing process. This will help to ground you and take more directed focus on the thoughts, feelings, and images associated with your target. Every minute or so, your therapist will check in on what you’ve noticed and ask you to rate how much discomfort you’re now feeling. When you no longer report distress related to your targeted memory, you move onto the next step.

Phase 5: Installation

Next, your attention will be brought back to the positive cognition you identified earlier. Your trauma/PTSD therapist will recheck how true this belief now feels. The goal is to get this belief to feel like it’s 100 percent true.

Phase 6: Body Scan

You will now be asked to check your body for any areas of tension in your body caused by the target memory. Are your teeth clenched? Is your chest tight? Any uncomfortable physical sensations will be reprocessed using the same procedure as before until you can think of the target memory without feeling any tension.

Phase 7: Closure

At the end of every session, your trauma counselor will make sure that you are leaving feeling more relaxed than when you arrived. If you are feeling agitated, they will lead you through self-calming techniques until you regain your sense of control.

Phase 8: Reevaluation

At the beginning of each subsequent session, your therapist will ask you questions to ensure your positive beliefs have been maintained. This will also help them to identify any new problem areas that may need to be targeted.

EMDR therapy for trauma is considered a success once you are able to bring up memories of trauma without feeling the distress that brought you to therapy. Your trauma therapist will also provide you with the techniques and skills you need going forward to deal with upsetting feelings.

Getting Started

If you’re curious about IFS, please fill out the contact form and include “IFS” in the How Can We Help section. We will pair you with one of our IFS trained or IFS informed therapists.

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Internal Family Systems Therapy In Austin, TX

How Does IFS Therapy Work?

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What To Expect From IFS Therapy

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Who Can Benefit From IFS Therapy?

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Resources

Phase 1: History Taking

Phase 2: Preparation

Phase 3: Assessment

Phase 4: Desensitization

Phase 5: Installation

Phase 6: Body Scan

Phase 7: Closure

Phase 8: Reevaluation

Getting Started

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