Therapeutic methodology with roots in Gestalt psychology. Rather than trying to treat issues simply with Non-identification as in Buddhism or Cognitive behavioral therapy, it emphasizes “unblending” (as in those traditions) in order to build an explicit relationship with one’s burdened “parts.”
See also Log - IFS
Q. Pendulum-based metaphor for IFS’s harmony between parts, per Maryanna Saenko?
A. Balancing parts’ needs is like an inverted pendulum: dynamically unstable!
Q. Unusual IFS perspective on parts’ intent?
A. Every part has a positive intention.
Q. How does one’s stance towards parts in IFS differ from in CBT or typical therapeutic practices?
A. IFS asks participants to welcome parts and to treat them with curiosity and compassion, rather than pathologizing them.
Q. How to describe a part which contributes to dysfunctional actions, feelings, or thoughts?
A. It’s playing an “extreme role”. It’s an “extreme part”.
Q. What are the two types of extreme parts?
A. Protectors and exiles.
Q. What is the job of a protector?
A. To protect you from feeling pain.
Q. What are exiles?
A. Parts in pain from the past.
Q. What types of beliefs do exiles have?
A. Negative beliefs about you and the world.
Q. What label does IFS use for exiles’ negative beliefs?
A. Burdens.
{trailhead}: {an experience or difficulty in your life that will lead to interesting parts}
Q. What’s a trailhead in my life?
A. …