A part of me feels sad and yet a part of me feels relief…
What is Internal Family Systems (IFS) talking about when we talk about parts?
Have you ever felt really calm after an early morning swim, walk or meditation yet a family member says or does that one thing and you feel overtaken with irritation/rage/worry/fear or despair as if you were a completely different person than who you were 5 minutes ago?
Have you ever had that sense when you are facing a big life transition that part of you feels sad and lost with a stage of your life coming to an end (e.g. kids leaving home, moving interstate, changing jobs, retirement, relationship break up) while also a part of you feels excited, relieved, free at the new beginning? I know this rollercoaster of seemingly opposing feelings well!!
IFS believes that each of us is an ecosystem of parts, and when all parts are in harmony, the ecosystem runs smoothly, yet when we are taken over by one or more parts we can feel out of balance or stuck or in chaos or not even recognize ourselves, as we sometimes swing wildly from one emotion to another.
Unfortunately, many of our parts can get stuck and frozen in time, often from trauma or attachment injury, with outdated survival or coping strategies that once worked when we were younger but that are now unhealthy or disruptive to our system.
IFS supports us to uncover the parts who take over our lives. In IFS_Informed therapy / coaching we can learn how to meet these parts with compassion and curiousity, and often as these parts feel heard and understood, they shift their energy back into helping our internal eco-system rather than disrupting it.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a model for life, not just for therapy, and it is the most powerful way that I have found for understanding the mystery of what it is to be human, and for discovering more of our essence, our wise authentic Self….the Self (some people call it Soul) that is always there, never changing.
We might be ‘clouded’ over with an emotional / thought storm yet the ‘wide open sky’ of Self is always there and as we heal our parts we can have more capacity for more Self-Energy and Self-Leadership. This calm, and clarity of Self ripples out into our health and wellbeing and our relationships and connection with others.
If you are curious to know more about IFS and explore the resources or IFS_Informed Therapy please:
Read more here: https://saraphillipscounselling.com.au/internalfamilysystems/
Book an appointment with Sara Phillips, an IFS_Informed Therapist/Coach at MindFitBody (Tues or Wed) email: saraphillipstas@gmail.com or text 0458231968
To join in a creative exploration with embodied movement of parts check out our Deep Parts Wisdom Monthly circle starting in October https://saraphillipscounselling.com.au/deep-parts-wisdom-circle/
