Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

Internal Family Systems therapy is a therapy model that views the inner workings of a person’s mind as a set of individuals or a family. When a person says something like, “a small part of me wanted _____ to happen,” that “part” is seen as a separate person or member of the family.

In the IFS model, each person contains these sub-personalities or family members. There are some family members who are wounded and act out of anger or shame, and there are other members who try to protect the person from those wounded parts. The Self is thought to be a warm, compassionate person at the core of an individual’s being.

IFS can be used in individual, couples, and family therapy to treat a variety of conditions, such as depression, anxiety, phobias, trauma, and substance use disorders. It should not be used for people who have personality disorders or schizophrenia, as the description of the person as being comprised of separate entities may be counterproductive for those individuals.

In the IFS model, the Self is the core of an individual. The Self is thought to have many attributes: confidence, calmness, creativity, clarity, curiosity, courage, compassion, connectedness, playfulness, presence, patience, perspective, and persistence.

If an individual is not displaying these characteristics, more of the true Self might need to emerge. It is the job of the Self to identify, observe, and help the different family members work together, releasing them from their extreme roles.

According to the IFS model, there are three main roles that the family members take on: managers, exiles, and firefighters.

Managers

The manager’s job is to protect the individual from other family members (like hurt or shame) and to manage emotions so that daily tasks can be completed.

Exiles

These are the family members that carry burdensome emotions from past experiences or traumas. Managers try to keep exiles hidden from conscious thought so that the individual does not have to deal with the fear or pain the exiles hold.

Firefighters

When exiles get out of control and cause negative emotions that threaten to overwhelm a person, firefighters do anything they can to suppress those emotions. This can result in negative behaviors like binge eating or substance use.

The goal of IFS therapy is to release the family members from their extreme roles, find ways for them to work together, and restore trust in one’s core Self. This is done when an individual understands the different family members and works through the emotions that the exiles are holding.

EFS has been used to great effect in treating PTSD, but it can be applied to other conditions as well.

A 2021 research study found that “IFS therapy had significantly positive effects on adults with PTSD and histories of exposure to multiple forms of childhood trauma.”[1]

In 2024, another study found that IFS was “significantly effective in reducing clinical symptoms” for those with PTSD.[2] A 2023 study concluded that “the therapy program designed based on the internal family systems approach is valid and reduces Internet addiction symptoms.”[3]

A study from 2013 even indicated that “IFS is feasible and acceptable for patients with [Rheumatoid Arthritis] RA and would effectively complement medical management of the disease.”[4]

IFS is useful because it allows people to acknowledge different portions of themselves and accept those parts while changing the behaviors that hold them back from making progress in their lives.

In a session of IFS, a client begins by working with the therapist to identify the subpersonalities or members of their mental family. Once they are labeled, the individual can understand how they work together or affect each other.

Then, the therapist will have the client work through their thoughts and feelings about these different family members to build a relationship with them. The individual should release thoughts and emotions that are keeping the person from making progress in the problem they want to address. In this step, the therapist may ask the client to:

• Describe the family member and their experience with it.
• Explore how they feel about this family member.
• Accept the presence of this family member and inquire how it came to be.
• Ask what this family member is afraid of and how that would change if their role were changed.

There are many tools a therapist might use in IFS therapy, like visualization, relaxation techniques, drawing a chart of the family system, or keeping a journal.

After this, the individual is encouraged to heal the exiles and rebalance the family system.