The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
em... more
Rumi
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What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS) TherapyInternal Family Systems (IFS) therapy was developed in the early 1980's by psychologist Dr. Richard Schwartz. It is a non-pathologizing approach to psychotherapy, often used to treat trauma and depression. It utilizes family systems thinking with the view that the mind is naturally composed of relatively discrete sub-personalities, or "parts," each with their own unique viewpoint and qualities that show up in our daily lives as thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors.
The goal of IFS therapy is to help individuals access their "core" state of compassion and clarity that in IFS is referred to as the "Self," which remains undamaged by trauma. This core "Self," when accessed with permission from the protective "parts," has the capacity to heal the vulnerable parts of us that carry the emotional burdens from having been wounded.
To learn more about IFS, see: IFS-intitute.org. A video description of what is IFS therapy on YouTube, go to Dr. Tori Olds' Intro to Internal Family Systems.
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