Internal Family Systems

Understanding Ourselves - By Understanding Our Parts

What is Internal Family Systems?

Internal Family Systems is an evidence-based form of therapy that sees a person’s inner mental world as made up of different personalities or systems. Like a family.

While some parts are made up of painful emotions and negative experiences, other parts act as protecting agents against the pain.

The goal of Internal Family Systems is to help people identify these different parts within themselves, and access their true Self. The therapy process guides clients towards understanding and accepting these conflicting parts, and finding ways to restore mental balance.

Internal Family Systems can be useful for individuals, couples, and families.

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The Self

According to the Internal Family Systems approach, all of us have something called the Self. This makes up the essence of who we are at our core. 

The Self is an inherently good force that is made up of positive traits like confidence and compassion. It is responsible for keeping our internal system healthy and hassle-free.

However, the Self can become overshadowed by conflicting personalities, which can then lead to imbalances in our inner mental world.

The Parts

The three personality types according to Internal Family Systems are:

Exiles

Exiles are the wounded, unhealed parts which are made up of painful emotions like hurt, shame, anger, and fear. Exiles are formed as a result of unpleasant past experiences, which usually occur in childhood.

Managers

Managers are the protective parts which try to keep us safe from the negative emotions and memories of exiles. As the name suggests, they try to prevent any possible damage by repressing the exiles from our consciousness. 

As a result, managers can be overly controlling and often take the shape of a highly critical inner voice. Their focus is on keeping us away from the pain and anxiety of the exiles.

Firefighters

Unlike managers which protect us by preventing disaster, firefighters jump into action once disaster has occurred. 

In other words, firefighters come through when exiles release painful and overwhelming emotions within us. In order to curb the intensity of such emotions, firefighters drive us towards impulsive and reckless behaviours such as:

  • Binge eating

  • Substance use

  • Self-harm

  • Sex

  • Suicide attempts

The goal of Internal Family Systems is to bring all these parts into harmony with each other by restoring our connection with the Self. Only when we are in touch with the Self, can these different parts co-exist instead of leading us towards self-destruction.

Conditions Internal Family Systems Can Help With

Internal Family Systems is found to be an effective approach in treating the following conditions:

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Reach Out To Us

Located at 206 Ontario Street Stratford, we are local to Tavistock, New Hamburg, and the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Our clinicians also offer remote therapy across Ontario so that you can access the support you need - no matter where you are!

To get started you can fill out a contact form, call (226) 215-4244, or book an appointment online with one of our counsellors by clicking below.

We’re looking forward to supporting you!