Mental Health
Posted: February 1 26, 11:07 am
I wanted to share this because maybe it will help someone. After many years and trying many different types of therapy, I finally landed on a type of therapy called "Internal Family Systems" (IFS). I started this a little over 2 years ago and it has by far been the best for me. It could be worth trying for people with complex PTSD. I want to spread the word about IFS because it's had such a positive impact on me.
The basic gist is that when traumas hit you at various points in your life, you developed coping mechanisms. These coping mechanisms are like a separate identity or persona. Turns out, you can have a conversation with them. They call these personas "parts" in IFS. The parts holding old trauma are called "exiles", and the parts protecting them are "protectors". They are usually stuck in that moment in the past when the trauma hit you. The group of these various parts are your "internal family". The goal is to get to know them and try to get them working together better, to go from a dysfunctional internal family to a functional one. All parts are just trying to help you survive. Maybe their way of helping was the best approach at one time, but that time has passed. Time to try something else.
You may have to get several of these parts to trust you and each other before they will agree to reveal those very old, suppressed traumas so you can finally process them and move on. The "you" that is directing all of this is called "self energy". It is a little like the meditation concept that all these "parts" are like clouds and "you" are the sky.
The person who created this type of therapy is Richard C. Schwartz. If you want to learn more, read his book called "No Bad Parts". He was an "external" family therapist, and realized many of the ideas used to improve relationships between family members could also be applied to improve relationships with different parts of ourselves.
The basic gist is that when traumas hit you at various points in your life, you developed coping mechanisms. These coping mechanisms are like a separate identity or persona. Turns out, you can have a conversation with them. They call these personas "parts" in IFS. The parts holding old trauma are called "exiles", and the parts protecting them are "protectors". They are usually stuck in that moment in the past when the trauma hit you. The group of these various parts are your "internal family". The goal is to get to know them and try to get them working together better, to go from a dysfunctional internal family to a functional one. All parts are just trying to help you survive. Maybe their way of helping was the best approach at one time, but that time has passed. Time to try something else.
You may have to get several of these parts to trust you and each other before they will agree to reveal those very old, suppressed traumas so you can finally process them and move on. The "you" that is directing all of this is called "self energy". It is a little like the meditation concept that all these "parts" are like clouds and "you" are the sky.
The person who created this type of therapy is Richard C. Schwartz. If you want to learn more, read his book called "No Bad Parts". He was an "external" family therapist, and realized many of the ideas used to improve relationships between family members could also be applied to improve relationships with different parts of ourselves.