IFS Resources & Links
On this page you will find a selection of links to various resources related to Internal Family Systems (IFS). Please note I do not take responsibility for the content of linked webpages. Further down, I have included my own more detailed description of the IFS approach to therapy and life.
Organizations offering workshops, books, podcasts, other information:
IFS Institute (trainings, resources, information, finding a therapist, etc): https://ifs-institute.com/
IFS Foundation (Foundation for Self-leadership, goal is to further research and access to IFS trainings): https://www.foundationifs.org/
Life Architect: https://lifearchitect.com/michael-pasterski/
IFSCA - IFS Counselling Association Canada, Derek Scott: offers many informative videos here and on youtube.
Podcasts:
IFS Talks Podcast: https://internalfamilysystems.pt/ifs-talks
IFS Institute Podcasts: https://ifs-institute.com/resources/podcasts-and-teleconferences
The One Inside Podcast: https://theoneinsisde.libsyn.com
What is IFS?
Three page Model overview (from IFS Institute website): https://heartofthemattercounselling.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Internal-Family-Systems-3-pg-Overview.docx
15-page description about what IFS is and suggestions of how to explore your own system by Derek Scott here.
14-page "Introduction to the Steps & Questions of IFS Therapy" by Lucas Forstmeyer: Download here
Dr. Richard Schwartz describes the IFS Model (7:48 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdZZ7sTX840&t=72s
Dr. Richard Schwartz – What is Internal Family Systems (talks about the Model, Self-Healing, and Shame, 17:06 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym8o762U7uc
Dr. Richard Schwartz & Soren Gordhamer (Wisdom 2.0) - Becoming Whole: Healing the Exiled & Rejected Parts of Ourselves (32:57 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNtussFaYC0
Dr. Richard Schwartz, Live Mini-training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiCGcVcmzzg
IFS Meditations:
Dr. Richard Schwartz: The Path Meditation (36:56 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWEoHSe1zGw
Dr. Richard Schwartz: Guided meditation: getting to know a protective part (10:51 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56Px9qaxAkY&list=PLH9_Y1YvU4wF-UY0bSHBdZPUSjtMk7RJF&index=4&t=335s
Heidi Lindemann: Parts Check-in meditation (16:26): Guided meditation for people with IFS knowledge and without: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoBvoQ5jle8&list=PLH9_Y1YvU4wF-UY0bSHBdZPUSjtMk7RJF&index=3
Corey Busch, Elements Counselling (10:50): Guided meditation - getting to know a protector: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED0dSIVToLw
The Inner Work Hub (14:48): Connecting to a part of your psyche - guided meditation with music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI09c4P2b8o
Monika Brandstaetter: 5 min Self-to-Part Breathing meditation: https://heartofthemattercounselling.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/5-min-Self-to-Part-Breathing.m4a
Facebook groups:
IFS Daily Parts Meditation Practice (public group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/670447663138656
Internal Family Systems (IFS) - Readings and Links (public group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/209465549974073
IFS (Internal Family Systems) Community Group (private group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/77511055358
IFS books (there are many more):
For all audiences:
Richard Schwartz (2024):
Richard Schwartz (2021): No bad parts. Healing trauma and restoring wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model. Available in audio and print
Richard Schwartz (2008): You are the one you've been waiting for. Bringing courageous love to intimate relationships. Print, and various types of free electronic versions available here
Frank Anderson (2021): Transcending Trauma: Healing Complex PTSD with Internal Family Systems
Jay Earley (2012): Self-Therapy: A Step-by-Step Fuide to Creating Wholeness and Healing Your Inner Child Using IFS, A New, Cutting-Edge Psychotherapy
Bonnie J. Weiss (2013): Self-Therapy Workbook. An Exercise Book for the IFS Process
For therapists specifically:
Richard Schwartz (2019): Internal Family Systems Therapy, second edition. (I would call this the authoritative main text that both gives a thorough introduction and references everything up to date).
Frank Anderson, Martha Sweezy, Richard Schwartz (2017): Internal Family Systems Skills Training Manual: Trauma-Informed Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, PTSD & Substance Abuse
Webpages of other IFS therapists, practitioners, or coaches with interesting content:
Frances Ferguson, Talk to Fran, Campbell River, BC: talks about IFS here.
Lucas Forstmeyer: Free video series: https://lucasforstmeyer.com/introduction-ifs-video-course/
Six 10 to 20 min videos "IFS Crash course" and seven 10 to 20 min videos "IFS Therapy Introduction"
Alessio Rizzo: Articles and blog posts about IFS here, among others about IFS and OCD.
My description of the IFS model in more detail:
IFS or Internal Family Systems is a therapy approach developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz starting in the mid 1980s. The interest in IFS within and outside the therapy community has exploded over the last decade, so that I count myself very lucky to have been able to access my official IFS therapy training very shortly after my interest in it started about 5 years ago. I have since taken a deep dive into this method. Many say it is not only an approach to therapy, but to life, relationships, self-care, even spirituality, if one is inclined that way.
What is it about IFS, that it has become so widely loved and celebrated? I believe there are a number of factors. First, it makes intuitive sense to people. When I explain the model of personhood to someone, most often I hear a version of – that makes so much sense! Or, wow, I finally understand what’s been going on with me! This happens after I describe that IFS assumes that our mind is not a singular, unified experience (“monomind”), but instead is multifaceted from the very beginning of life and throughout. This can be called a multimind stance. We all have many parts, or we can call them aspects of ourselves or our personality, and that is not a consequence of trauma, but is supposed to be that way. The problem arises when our parts carry heavy burdens from our past (usually from childhood), which influence them to become more extreme.
The more trauma a person has, or difficult circumstances during childhood, the more extreme are the roles and jobs that our parts get stuck in. When we are young, the best way to deal with trauma and difficulties we encounter is to “divide and conquer”. Our parts, already there to support us in life, divvy up the tasks. Some volunteer to hold our difficult experiences – memories, emotions, sensations, even impulses – and become exiles. Others follow suit and take on defensive roles – perfectionism, hypervigilance, caretaking, fight, flight, freeze, etc. – and become protectors. How a person’s inner system (i.e. their parts) organizes in response to outside events and circumstances is always the best possible response that’s available at the time. When we are young, we have limited knowledge, skill, capacity, choice and power. Because that is something we inherently know, it’s in our bones to know that we are dependent on our caregivers, no matter how they treat us. When there is a gap between what we feel we need, and what they give us, we are programmed to believe that it is our fault. That we shouldn’t have certain needs. That we must be defective or unlovable. That’s how we take in negative beliefs about ourselves, “I’m not good enough”, or “I’m too much” or “too needy”, or “I’m bad”, “unworthy”, “unlovable”, ….
Then, we continue to grow up and mature, however, without special attention our parts remain unaware of that, and continue to hold the beliefs and enact the jobs they have taken on during our early life. Our parts are fully committed to doing what was once necessary to keep us safe. Often, there is no bandwidth left for parts to even know that the rest of the system – thanks to them – was able to grow up, and now has considerably more capacity, knowledge, skill, safety and choice in life. Thankfully, often as adults we are able to leave the traumatizing environment behind, have much higher capacity within ourselves, and are able to access support now.
And this is where the good news comes in. IFS provides us with a therapy system to get to know the stuck parts and connect them with what is called Self (with a capital S). Besides all of us having parts, we also all have a capital S Self. This is a central energy which is described by the 8 C words of Calm, Compassion, Courage, Creativity, Confidence, Connection, Curiosity, and Clarity. Essentially, whenever you experience any of these qualities you are experiencing your own Self-energy. And it is this Self-energy that we work to uncover in ourselves, as it is inherent in everyone, and it can not get damaged or lost. It can only be obscured by parts who are stuck in extreme roles. When extreme parts get activated, they take over control of “our bus” and do what they think they need to do to protect us. That can be striving relentlessly for perfection, overworking, obsessing, or they can shut us down or dissociate us from ourselves and our environment. We may end up with symptoms that can be diagnosed as anxiety (parts stuck in worry), depression, dissociation, or substance addiction (shutting down parts), OCD (parts who obsess and get us to perform rituals), PTSD (parts coming to the surface whenever they can and getting us to reexperience traumatic events, and other parts telling us to avoid potential triggers), and much more.
In IFS, the general diagnosis is that parts are stuck in extreme roles. The remedy is to learn to get to know the inner world and build connection and relationship between a person’s Self and their parts. That includes beginning to understand why our parts influence us the way they do, appreciating them for their positive intent (there are “No bad parts”), and helping them realize that Self is here now and has so much more capacity, now that the person has matured and is older or is an adult. In IFS, the healing happens in the space between a client’s capital S Self and their parts. Not between the client and the therapist. As a therapist, I am the relationship broker between a client’s Self and their parts. When engaging in the IFS process, we clear burdens and obstacles out of the way, and our natural health, inner knowing, and full authenticity that was already there emerges.
Thank you for reading this, and feel free to contact me if you are interested in exploring your inner world in this way.