IFS Internal Family Systems

IFS, Internal Family Systems, utilises the wisdom of self. IFS categorises self into these 8 words begining with C.

CALMNESS

COMPASSION

CURIOSITY

CLARITY

CONFIDENCE

COURAGE

CREATIVITY

CONNECTEDNESS.

For me yes, these all work, but it’s the last one that really stands out. Connectedness.

Why not, take amoment now to connect to self?

If your busy come back later and try it.

Find a place where you will be undisturbed.

Take a seat, relax into your chair.

Feel the support of the chair.

Notice where your body is supported by the chair.

Take a moment now to feel and be still, in your body and in your mind.

Just breathing normally.

Just be still.

Just notice what comes up?

And again repeat.Just be still.Just be there.

Just be here right now.

And repeat.

What you are doing, when you do this exercise is you are -Connecting TO YOUR SELF.

For me, Self is at the heart of everything. SELF is bigger than we are. Yet it is us too. Self is awesome. Self is connecting to and being held by something greater than ourselves.

When we get it, and when we are connected to self on every level of our being, then we have peace, in our mind, our body, our heart and in all of us.

There is no space for anything else, it is effortless. It is , just as it is. We are calm, without trying.

Our Central Nervous System is relaxed and so are we, we arein that neutral space of here now. We have no expectations, no desires, no impilses, no thoughts, no other, running our system. Because we are here now.

Just being.
There are many ways to enter this self state, I access it through my breath and stillness, and repeat.

Its a spiritual place for me, but if thats not one your words or places to go, it doesnt have to be spiritual, it can be strong, centered, grounded. .

IFS encouages us to be in this space, to find it and access it within us, and from here to work with those parts of us that are not in self. Since our internal system is set up to protect us, it seems like a nautral process to work with it in this way.

IFS has 3 other main terms it utilises, SELF being the first one, the other three are.MANAGERS ( Defences, naturally occuring at the time of an unsafe event to keep us safe)FIREFIGHTERS ( Behaviours we might use to stop us feeling the pain of the exile, eg binging, drinking, drugs, sex, cutting, shopping anything that numbs us so we dont need to feel the pain or the emotion, associated with the original wound)EXILES (the original wound or burden, being protected by the firefighters and the managers).

So back to self and a self led state. thats what we are aiming for here with this therapy, bringing all parts back to self, so that they are reconnected.
If we have experienced any type of T/ trauma or upset, at the time of the event(s), we are not in self, we leave self to protect ourselves. Those parts that had the difficult experience, are in general alone, ie not connected. The trauma was not witnessed or held or didnt get held in compassion, by a significant other. Those parts are therefore isolated. So in IFS this process is reversed and aprts, that hold old trauma or difficuilt situations, have the oppertunity to be unburdened and brought back to self.

People may attned for a short set of sessions for a specific reason, or sometimes have several grouips of sesssions spread evently apart.

You are always in charge of the process and numbers and frequency of sessions. As with all therapies, it has to be the right time to attend and the match between the therapist and the client has to be good enough.

Costs on a sliding scale 45/50/55 pounds per session.

These sessions also work well online, via zoom.

If you are at all curious about this, pls ask for more info.