Welcome to another episode of IFS Meditations and Insights,
A podcast exploring personal growth through the lens of internal family systems.
I'm your guide on this journey,
Tim Fortescue,
A trained IFS practitioner dedicated to nurturing spiritual wholeness and healing.
In this compassionate space,
We delve into self-discovery,
Uncovering our inner wisdom.
When we embrace all parts of ourselves with love,
We can better receive divine love and extend it to others.
My hope is that what I discuss here will illuminate your path,
Bringing you inner peace and a deeper connection to the sacred.
Together,
We'll learn how IFS gently transforms our relationship with ourselves and the world.
Today,
We're going to be looking at the concept of internal family systems and its connection to dissociation and numbing.
So settle in,
Open your heart and mind,
And let's dive into the transformative power of embracing our dissociative and numb parts from an IFS perspective.
Dissociation is a coping mechanism that our minds use to handle overwhelming stress or trauma.
It can manifest in various forms,
Such as feeling detached from your body,
Having memory lapses,
Or experiencing a sense of unreality.
Dissociation often involves these parts of our inner system working to protect us from intense emotions or traumatic experiences,
And often these are what we call our firefighter or reactive parts in IFS.
Imagine a person who experienced severe childhood trauma.
In this case,
There might be an inner child part holding the painful memories and emotions associated with that trauma.
To avoid experiencing the overwhelming emotions,
A protector part,
Likely a firefighter,
Could take over,
Leading to dissociation.
The protector's role is to create distance between the person and the traumatic memories,
Helping them function in their daily life.
So how do internal family systems and dissociation or dissociative parts connect?
In IFS,
The idea is that when our inner system experiences trauma or overwhelming emotions,
Certain parts of us might take over to shield us from these experiences.
For example,
A part known as a firefighter,
As I've mentioned,
Might engage in impulsive or destructive behaviors to distract us from painful feelings.
Meanwhile,
An exile or younger part might be responsible for storing those traumatic memories,
Keeping them out of conscious awareness.
And let's continue,
Maybe helpful with this example of a person with social anxiety.
In moments of intense social activity,
The firefighter part could lead to dissociation by engaging in impulsive behaviors such as alcohol consumption or reckless spending to escape the discomfort.
And this firefighter attempts to extinguish the emotional fire of anxiety through these behaviors resulting in dissociation from the underlying social anxiety.
Now let's look at how practitioners,
Coaches,
Or therapists,
Or others use internal family systems to address dissociation.
One of the key principles of IFS is self-leadership,
Where the practitioner helps the individual establish a connection with their core self.
The self is the aspect of who we are that can lead the inner system with compassion and wisdom.
Practitioners work with clients to identify and communicate with their different parts.
They encourage clients to be curious about their protective parts and exiles,
Helping them understand the roles these parts play and why they exist.
By doing so,
Individuals can begin to integrate these parts,
Creating harmony within the inner system or internal family.
Let's continue with our social anxiety example.
In a session,
The person may work on understanding their social anxiety part and how it developed as a protector.
And by acknowledging its role and exploring the underlying beliefs and fears,
They can gradually reduce the need for dissociation.
And the coach or the therapist can also help the person connect with their core self,
Offering guidance and support to navigate social situations more comfortably.
Here's a practical example to illustrate how IFS can help with dissociation.
Let's say someone experiences frequent dissociation due to past trauma.
Through IFS,
They may discover that a protective part,
Like the firefighter,
Takes over to manage the overwhelming emotions triggered by certain events or triggers.
And the therapist or the coach helps the individual understand the purpose of the firefighter and the trauma stored by an exile part.
As the IFS parts work progresses,
The client can learn to communicate with the firefighter,
Finding alternative ways to manage stress without dissociating.
They can also work on healing the exiled part,
Addressing the underlying trauma.
And the goal is to reintegrate these parts into the core self,
Allowing for better emotional regulation and reduced dissociation.
It's essential to acknowledge that IFS may not be suitable for everyone,
And it's always recommended to seek professional guidance to determine the most appropriate approach to your specific needs.
But this is a model that has been transformative for me and the clients that I'm able to walk alongside.
So let me conclude here.
Internal Family Systems provides a great framework for understanding the different parts of our inner selves and how they relate to the experience of dissociation.
It offers a compassionate and holistic approach to healing and integration,
Allowing individuals to reconnect with their core selves and find relief from dissociative symptoms.
