When you think of therapy, you probably picture yourself sitting in a room with your therapist, talking. You might also think it’s not something you’d like. After all, who enjoys discussing their emotions?
However, as it turns out, there are many different types of therapy, and some of them can be both enjoyable and beneficial.
Internal family systems therapy is one type of therapy that can benefit anyone who wants to grow as a person.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a type of family therapy that assists individuals and families in identifying their own needs and boundaries, managing conflict and stress in healthy ways, and developing resilience to help them deal with future challenges.
It can be a transformative experience for those who go through it because it allows them to learn more about themselves and their relationships.
In this blog post, we’ll define internal family systems therapy and discuss its potential benefits.
What is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
This is a therapy approach in which trained therapists assist people in identifying and interacting with the families or groups that comprise their personality system.
When people suffer from anxiety, a traumatic event, sexual violence, abusive relationships, or addiction, their families are frequently to blame. As a result, getting to the root of the problem is critical for long-term relief from symptoms and emotional pain.
However, rather than focusing on the symptoms, IFS therapy aims to help people improve their relationships with themselves and others by examining what is causing family conflict. This therapy also emphasizes self-care and grounding oneself in order to deal with difficult emotions.
What Does Trauma Therapy Help With?
Complex trauma therapy can be used to treat a variety of conditions and disorders. Your mental health therapist will want to know about any childhood abuse or neglect, the symptoms you’re currently experiencing, and what you believe is causing them. They’ll also be interested in your support system.
Below are some of the conditions and disorders that trauma treatment or therapy may help with:
- Low self-esteem
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Your emotional health
- Mental health issues
- Anxiety disorders
- Supporting people with anxiety and phobias
- Alcohol and substance dependency
Symptoms of Trauma
Apart from creating emotional imbalance, trauma and PTSD also impacts the brain’s neurochemistry and structure, which can lead to various other symptoms. Some common PTSD symptoms are:
- Re-experiencing events through flashbacks or nightmares
- Avoid thoughts or feelings that remind them of the traumatic event because they feel intense fear, horror, or anger when they think about it.
- Some people may feel numb and disconnected from themselves or their surroundings.
- Physical reactions like an increase in heart rate or difficulty sleeping are also common.
What Is Emotional Trauma?
Trauma is defined as a painful or distressing event that causes physical and psychological harm to someone.
Emotional trauma is frequently caused by emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment, or other life events that are too difficult for us to handle emotionally. If not addressed, these events can cause problems in our current lives and relationships.
How Does IFS Therapy Work?
An IFS therapist will assist the client in viewing their various parts as separate entities. They’ll then teach you how to communicate with each part and work together to make everyone happy.
The healing process may take time, but it can help resolve long-standing issues or behaviors that other therapies have not been able to resolve. It also provides relief from what may feel like overwhelming feelings from past negative experiences. It has assisted many people in dealing with mental and physical health issues that they never thought were possible.
Here is a breakdown of other benefits you can expect from IFS therapy:
1. It Helps You To Understand Yourself Better
Understanding yourself better benefits any therapy, but it is especially beneficial in internal family systems therapy. This treatment method assists you in better understanding your interpersonal relationships and how they affect you mentally and emotionally. In some cases, the process may even bring up repressed memories and intense emotions.
2. It Can Help You Resolve Conflict Within Yourself
If you have a lot of conflict with your family, an internal family systems therapist can help you figure out why. They have been taught to examine family dynamics and how they affect us.
If you are unable to resolve internal conflicts on your own, therapy can help you work through these issues and potentially develop new solutions that will allow you to achieve a more stable emotional balance and live a more meaningful life with your friends and family.
3. It Helps You Become More Self-aware
Self-awareness enables you to accept responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings, rather than blaming others or the environment around you. This type of therapy enables you to see how the present influences the past and the future.
4. It helps You Find Peace Within Yourself
Many people struggle to find peace within themselves. They may believe that their emotions are too intense or that they are unworthy of feeling good. But this does not have to be the case. By practicing self-love and using internal family systems therapy, IFS therapy can help you bring peace into your life.
5. It Can Help You Develop More Fulfilling Relationships
Internal family systems therapy assists people in developing healthier relationships with themselves, others, and their environment. This method can help you better understand yourself and how your thoughts and feelings impact your relationships with others.
That being said, IFS is not concerned with any particular problem or symptom, but rather with how everything in your life is interconnected.
Contact Intensive Therapy Retreats for an Effective Healing Journey
Finally, IFS therapy can assist your loved one in developing healthier coping strategies, reducing stress, and building a stronger support system among family members.
We provide 3-5 day private mental health retreats for PTSD, trauma, child and sexual abuse survivors, couples, and families at Intensive Therapy Retreats. All sessions are led by trained therapists with over five years of experience in the field who can help your loved one address specific issues and improve their communication skills.
Call us today at (413) 331-7421 to learn more about our services.