Inner Child Work and Internal Family Systems (IFS) Approach
Inner child work is a powerful tool to use in healing from trauma. I’ve seen countless individuals make incredible strides in their healing journeys from the use of Inner Child Work.
Inner Child Work is a way to connect and show compassion and love to our younger selves in a way that we did not receive as children. One way of accomplishing this that I believe is the most powerful is through an approach referred to as Internal Family Systems or IFS.
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)
The easiest way I’ve found to describe the method and approach of Internal Family Systems in trauma coaching is from the book titled Self-Therapy: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness and Healing Your Inner Child Using IFS, A New, Cutting-Edge Psychotherapy by Jay Earley, PhD. You can find this book in my resources tab.
Internal Family Systems is a new form of therapy that is deeply compassionate, inclusive, spiritual, powerfully healing, and incredibly respectful of our inner life. IFS believes that our psyches are made up of different parts (sometimes called subpersonalities). Think of these parts as little people inside of us. Each one has its own feelings, memories, goals, and motivations; these are all usually tied to a certain time, moment, or situation in our life.
Often when trauma is involved, our parts can become stuck in these moments and hold onto those painful memories. These memories live in our unconscious and will pop up from time to time when a current situation resembles the traumatic one from our past.
Through the IFS approach, I will guide you through how to integrate each of these parts and relieve them of the pain and burdens they carry which ultimately will influence your life and your healing journey in a positive and impactful way.