How Can IFS Parts Work Therapy Help You Discover Your True Self?

In prior articles, I have been discussing how an individual's social media self can create confusion between the carefully curated self and the True Self.

Discovering Your True Self in IFS Parts Work Therapy 

If you haven't read those articles, here are the links:

• Confusing Your Social Media Self With Your True Self 

• How Can Psychotherapy Help With Confusion Between Your Social Media Self and Your True Self?

Confusion About the Real You

Aside from social media, there are many ways you can get confused about your True Self.

Confusion about the True Self often occurs when external pressure, mental habits, or trauma disconnect you from your core feelings, values and desires:

• Social Masking (Persona Confusion)
• The Problem: Confusing your public role with your personal identity
• The Cause: Over-identifying with a job title, social status or family role
• The Result: Feeling empty when you step away from a specific role

• People Pleasing (Fawn Response)
• The Problem: Adopting the opinions or desires of others to feel safe or liked
• The Cause: Chronic seeking of external validation or childhood conditioning
• The Result: An inability to identify your own preferences when you are on your own

• Internalization of Parental and/or Societal Values
• The Problem: Mistaking internalized voices of your parents or society for your own
• The Cause: Growing up in a rigid, judgmental or dogmatic environment
• The Result: Pursuing goals you don't really care about, which can result in burnout, anxiety or depression

• Over-Identification With Your Passing Thoughts and Emotions
• The Problem: Believing you are your passing moods, anxiety or critical thoughts
• The Cause: Lack of mindfulness or psychological detachment
• The Result: A chaotic sense of identity that changes with shifting thoughts and emotions

• Trauma-Based Emotional Numbing
• The Problem: Numbing or disconnection from your body and emotional core
• The Cause: Survival strategies developed to survive overwhelming past experiences 
• The Result: Feeling like a detached observer of your own life rather than a participant

• The "Ego Ideal" Narrative
• The Problem: A preference for an idealized, "perfect" version of who you think you should be
• The Cause: Perfectionism and a refusal to accept your own flaws
• The Result: Rejecting your actual traits, talents and limitations

How Can IFS Parts Work Therapy Help You to Discover Your True Self?

IFS stands for Internal Family Systems (see my article: How Does IFS Therapy Help You to Understand Yourself?).

Discovering Your True Self in IFS Parts Work Therapy

IFS is considered an Experiential Therapy that is different from traditional talk therapy (see my articles: Why Experiential Therapy is More Effective Than Traditional Talk Therapy).

IFS can help you to discover your True Self (also known as Core Self in IFS) by identifying the protective "parts" of your personality that act as a shield to "protect" you from seeing yourself as you truly are in real life.

Understanding the IFS Parts Work Therapy Framework

In IFS "parts" are metaphors for internal aspects that make up your inner world.

IFS views your mind as having subpersonalities (or parts) that are, ideally, led by your Core Self with Core Self being the authentic essence who you are (see below).

With regard to the protector parts, you can think of them as defense mechanisms whose aim is to protect you, but who can get in the way of knowing your True Self (see my article: What Are the Similarities and Differences Between IFS and Contemporary Psychodynamic Psychotherapy?).

Core Self (also called "Self" in IFS): Your true essence characterized by the 8 Cs of IFS:

• Calmness: A grounded, steady state of the nervous system that allows you to observe and manage triggers without reacting immediately (see my article: Responding Instead of Reacting to Stress).

• Compassion:A warm, caring non-judgmental attitude toward yourself and others.

Discovering Your Tue Self in IFS Parts Work Therapy

• Curiosity: A desire to understand your thoughts and emotions (as well as the thoughts and emotions of others) which replaces judgment with an open, inquiring mindset

• Clarity: The ability to perceive situations, thoughts and emotions without distortion or mental fog

• Confidence: An internal sense of trust and capability rather than arrogance or a need to depend solely on external validation

• Courage: The inner strength to face difficult emotions, take risks and navigate vulnerable truths

• Creativity: The ability to think flexibly, realize your potential, and find solutions to problems (see my article: Creativity and Reclaiming the Power of Your Inner Voice)

• Connectedness: A sense of inner unity as well as a feeling of belonging and connection with the real world around you.

The parts include:

• Managers: Proactive parts of you that protect you in the same way that defense mechanisms do.

• Firefighters: Reactive parts that act out when the manager parts aren't enough. Firefighters act out when you feel judged, rejected, ignored or experience other triggers. Examples of firefighter reactions might include drinking, drugging, gambling and other compulsive and impulsive maladaptive behaviors as a way to blunt emotional pain.

• Exiles: Hidden parts of yourself that hold pain and trauma, loneliness, feelings of inadequacy and other painful feelings. 

How Can IFS Parts Work Help You to Discover Your True Self?

With regard to confusing your social media self with your True Self:

• Identifies the "Influencer" Manager Part: IFS helps you notice the specific part of your mind that curates your social media feed. This part strives for perfection, edits your life and seeks mostly external validation to protect you from criticism and other unpleasant feelings.

• Uncovers the Vulnerable Exile: Behind the polished online persona is usually an exiled part that feels lonely, invisible and "not enough". Your curated self on social media exists to prevent you from feeling this deep pain that is held by the exile part, but it comes at the expense of recognizing your True Self.

• Fosters "Unblending": In IFS Parts Work Therapy, you learn to step back from the anxious, image-conscious parts. This process is called "unblending" and it allows your authentic self, also known as your Core Self (or True Self) to emerge.

• Transitions From Only External Validation to Connection: Everyone needs external validation from time to time, but there are some people who rely mostly on external validation from social media. Once you unblend from your manager parts in IFS Therapy, your Core Self can offer validation to your hurt or traumatized exile parts. This reduces your reliance on "likes", comments, views and shares on social media.

What Steps Can You Take on Your Own?

If you don't have access to an IFS therapist, there are some steps you can take on your own:

• Notice the Impulse: When you feel an urgent need to post on social media, ask yourself, "Which part of me is driving this?"

• Extend Compassion: Don't get angry or judgmental with your image-conscious part. Acknowledge that it is just trying to protect you from rejection, hurt and emotional pain and extend compassion to it (see my article: Compassionate Self Acceptance).

• Check Your Energy: Notice if your online sharing comes from a place within you of anxiety, which is a part, or a place of calm and genuine connection (Core Self or True Self).

Conclusion

One short article can't give a complete picture of IFS, but I hope this article provides a sense of how IFS can help you discover and understand the various parts of your inner world.

Getting Help in IFS Therapy

IFS Therapy can help you to discover your True Self and distinguish your core identity from your protective and wounded inner parts.

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from an IFS therapist so you can lead a more fulfilled life.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), EFT (for couples), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have helped many individual adults and couples over the years.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

How Does Imagery and Imagination Enhance Psychotherapy?

I have been using imagery and imagination in therapy with my clients for many years (see my article: Using the Imagination as a Powerful Tool For Change).

Imagery and Imagination in Psychotherapy

The Imaginal Realm: Working With Visual Mental Imagery

I recently attended an advanced AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) seminar called "Imaginal Realm: Working With Visual Mental Imagery in AEDP" which was a deep dive into using imagery and imagination (see my article: What is AEDP?).

When I refer to "imagery", I'm not only referring to visual imagery. Aside from visual imagery, many people get non-visual imagery in sessions. 

For instance, some clients get mental representations through sound (hearing music in their mind), scents that can trigger old memories, kinesthetic experiences (feeling movement), tactile experiences, and an embodied or felt sense of conceptual/verbal imagery such as thinking of concepts or having an internal dialog.

During therapy sessions, I sometimes get visual images in my imagination or a song comes to mind. Over the years, I have learned to appreciate these experiences as messages from my unconscious mind because they often tell me what is going on for the client or what is going on between the client and me.

It's not unusual for me to have an image, song or a word in mind and then a few seconds later the client mentions the same image, song or word (see my articles: Synchronicities - Part 1 and Part 2).

Over time, I have learned that these experiences occur when I feel especially attuned to the client. Other therapists, especially therapists who are experiential therapists like me, have told me that they have similar experiences in therapy (see my article: The Psychotherapy Session: A Unique Intersubjective Experience).

The Use of Metaphors in Psychotherapy

Over the years, I have heard clients use many metaphors unprompted by me, including: 

• "It's like searching for the Holy Grail."
• "I'm no longer jumping into the vortex of other people's drama."
• "I feel like I'm trapped in a cage."
• "I'm no longer putting up walls."
• "I walked on eggshells with my ex."
• "I'm drowning in paperwork."
• "I keep hitting my head against a wall."
• "He swept me off my feet."
• "A weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

Metaphors are beneficial in therapy because they can:

• Enhance clients' communication by allowing them to express feelings they might otherwise have a hard time articulating

• Deepen insights that can lead to a reframing of a problem, a relationship or an idea

• Bypass rational defenses offering a way to talk about sensitive subjects and break rigid and unhealthy thought patterns

• Strengthen the therapeutic alliance between client and therapist

How Imagery and Imagination Enhance Psychotherapy

Imagery and imagination can enhance therapy by engaging the emotional brain. This allows clients to access and process unconscious emotions.

It also helps clients to make behavioral changes through mental rehearsal.

Imagery and Imagination in Psychotherapy

An example of how to use mental rehearsal is a client who wants to become more confident to give presentations at work. This client can vividly imagine their "Future Self", who can exist at any time in the future. They can imagine a self who has all the confidence, qualities and skills they would like to have (see my article: Experiencing Your Future Self).

Using imagination in this way can strengthen neural pathways and prepare the brain for success.

Clients can also see and feel themselves walking into the presentation room feeling prepared and confident, speaking with passion and receiving applause after the presentation. They might even imagine their boss coming over and praising the presentation. 

AEDP Portrayals

One of the main components in AEDP is doing "portrayals" in therapy sessions.

AEDP portrayals are active experiential and imaginative enactments in the therapy session.

To set up doing a portrayal an AEDP therapist prepares the client prior to doing the portrayal by:

• Establishing Safety and a Therapeutic Alliance: The therapist establishes an attuned connection with the client to ensure the client feels safe and to prevent them from feeling overwhelmed.

• Identifying the Core Material: In collaboration with the client, the therapist identifies a memory or a part of the client's self that still has an emotional charge.

• Inviting Immersion (The Setup): The therapist invites the client to slow down, close their eyes and visualize the scene using as many sensory details as possible (sight, sound, body sensations and so on).

• Role Playing (Doing the Portrayal): The therapist guides the client to talk to the imagined person or part of themself by expressing vulnerable or assertive feelings they couldn't express in the past. This might involve imagining talking to a frightened younger part of themself, talking to a parent in a memory from the past, confronting someone who abused them and so on.

There are different types of AEDP portrayals including:

• Reparative Portrayals: An example might be a client imagining a new outcome to a painful scene in their life. In this type of portrayal the client can offer themself what might have been needed and lacking in real life to repair emotional damage.

• Internal Parts Work (intra-relational portrayals): Having a dialog with different aspects of themself to resolve internal conflict (similar to Parts Work Therapy/IFS).

Imagery and Imagination: Internal Parts of Self

• Relational Attachment Portrayals: Reenacting relationships to process emotions to attachment figures (e.g., parents, siblings, a ex-lover, etc). 

• Feared Portrayals: Actively engaging with a threatening figure from real life or from a dream to process the emotional impact, reduce shame and anxiety, and to feel empowered.

• Longed-For Portrayals: The client imagines receiving the love, emotional support or validation they desired but never received from a significant person in their life.

• Moment-to-Moment Tracking: Moment-to-moment tracking is an essential part of AEDP whether the interaction involves a portrayal or a conversation between the client  and the therapist in session. This involves the therapist staying closely attuned to the client's facial expressions, movements, emotions and defenses. The therapist also monitors her own mental, emotional, imaginal and bodily sensations.

• Metaprocessing After a Portrayal: The client and therapist process the experience together afterward to help the client to integrate the experience by building a bridge between the client's right brain and left brain. Among other things, the therapist explores with the client what it was like to do the portrayal and, specifically, what it was like for the client to do the portrayal with the therapist. The focus is on what might have changed for the client or what was transformative about the experience. Processing helps the client to hold onto and integrate positive experiences (see my article: How Are Emotions Processed in AEDP?).

Using Imagery and Imagination on Your Own

Aside from the use of imagery and imagination in therapy, athletes  also use mental rehearsal, including visualization, to imagine a successful performance, including overcoming potential obstacles they might encounter. This can help them to build confidence, improve focus and enhance performance.

You can also use your imagination in creative ways on your own to have fun and, if you like, achieve goals.  There are endless ways to use your imagination on your own including:

• Using Creative Visualization For a Hoped-For Outcome: This can involve imagining a hoped-for outcome in your personal life, career or in any other part of your life.

Imagery and Imagination: Hoped-For Outcome

• Imagining "What If" Problem Solving: When you encounter an obstacle, including an internal obstacle, you can imagine "What if there were no limits?" and visualize different solutions, including solutions that might seem unattainable at first but might spark a new perspective.

• Using the "Lightstream" Technique: If you're dealing with stress, you can imagine a soothing, healing light flowing through your body to alleviate stress or physical discomfort.

Future Articles

Using imagery and imagination is one of my favorite topics, so I'll write more about it in future articles.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles:

The Mind-Body Connection as a Window Into the Unconscious Mind

Using the Mind-Body Connection to Create the World You Want 

Dreams and Embodied Imagination 

Working With Your Dreams to Develop Your Creative Imagination 

What Are Imaginal Interweaves?  

Books: Imagination and Medicine

How Are Emotions Processed in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)?

I have been writing about emotions lately (see links to the prior articles at the end of this article).

As I have written in prior articles, Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) was developed by Diana Fosha, an American psychologist based in New York City.

How Emotions Are Processed in AEDP

AEDP is one of several types of therapy that fall under the umbrella of Experiential Therapy (see my article: Why is Experiential Therapy More Effective Than Traditional Talk Therapy to Heal Trauma?).

The other therapy modalities that fall under this category of Experiential Therapy include:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

• Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy)

• Somatic Experiencing

If you haven't read my more detailed articles about AEDP, I recommend that you read these articles first:

What is AEDP? - Part 1 and Part 2

How Does AEDP Work?

How Are Emotions Processed in AEDP?

In AEDP emotions are processed by:

• Here-and-Now Focus: Focusing on the here-and-now of the therapeutic relationship

How Emotions Are Processed in AEDP

• Somatic Awareness: Focusing on bodily sensations or somatic awareness

• Developing Secure Attachment: Working through painful emotions actively in a secure and supportive environment with a deeply attuned therapist

An AEDP therapist helps clients to move from a state of defensiveness or emotional numbness to an experience of transformation.

Creating a "Safe Container" For the Client to Process Emotions: 

The foundation of AEDP is helping the client to experience a secure attachment in the therapeutic relationship:

• The Therapeutic Relationship: Developing a trusting and validating therapeutic relationship

• Undoing Aloneness: Helping the client to undo the feeling of aloneness

A Here-and-Now Experiential Focus 

The AEDP therapist has a here-and-now experiential focus including:

• Therapeutic Attunement: Attunement that tracks the client's moment-to-moment experience

• Slowing Down: An AEDP therapist will often ask a client to "slow down" to catch the subtle shifts in emotion that might otherwise be overlooked.

Processing Core Emotions

The AEDP therapist helps the client to process emotions by:

• Getting Past Defenses: The therapist asks the client to identify and soften defense mechanisms (e.g., anxiety, intellectualizing, rationalizing, denial, numbing) to reach the underlying core emotions.

How Emotions Are Processed in AEDP

• Accessing Core Emotions: Once defense mechanisms soften, the client can work through deep core emotions. like sadness, grief, fear, anger or shame, which allows the client to feel the full wave of emotions (see my article: Getting Out of Your Head With Experiential Therapy).

• Facilitating Transformational Affects: By fully experiencing emotions in a safe therapeutic environment, the client can move from feeling trapped or broken to a safe of relief, self compassion and emotional resilience (see my article: Riding the Waves of Transformation)

Metaprocessing (Reflecting on the Experience)

The AEDP therapist facilitates metaprocessing by:

• Discussing the Therapy Process: A key component of AEDP is metaprocessing where the client and therapist talk about what it's like to share these emotions in the room:
• "What was it like to share that with me?"

• Cementing the Change: Reflecting on the experience helps to solidify the healing, deepen self awareness and strengthen the client's capacity for emotional regulation.

A Corrective Emotional Experience

AEDP helps to bring about a corrective emotional experience by:

• Reorganizing the Brain: By having a new positive experience of being seen, heard and understood while being in emotional pain, the brains neural pathways are reorganized which promotes neuroplasticity.

AEDP and Neuroplasticity

• Shifting From Avoidance to Connection: The process transforms shame into self compassion and changes habitual avoidance of feelings into a capacity for emotional awareness.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States Therapy), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I have over 25 years of experience helping individual adults and couples.

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Articles: 

Managing Emotions: What is the Life Cycle of Emotions?  

What's the Difference Between Emotional Regulation and Controlling Your Emotions?  

Coping With Alexithymia - Also Known as Emotional Blindness 

Emotional Regulation: How Do You Know What You Need When You're Distressed? 

What is Emotional Co-regulation? 

What's the Difference Between Emotional Co-regulation and Emotional Self Regulation? 

What is the Life Cycle of an Emotion?

How is Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) a Psychodynamic Therapy?

In my prior article,  How is Contemporary Psychodynamic Therapy Different From Traditional Psychoanalysis?, I discussed the difference between contemporary (modern) psychodynamic therapy and traditional (Freudian) psychoanalysis.

AEDP as a Psychodynamic Therapy

In the current article, I'm discussing how Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) is a type of psychodynamic psychotherapy.

What is AEDP?

AEDP was developed by clinician and researcher, Dr. Diana Fosha.

See my two prior articles:

What is AEDP and How Does It Heal Trauma

How Does AEDP Heal?

How is AEDP a Psychodynamic Therapy?

AEDP is a psychodynamic therapy because it stems from psychodynamic principles.

The psychodynamic roots of AEDP include concepts such as:

• The Past Influences the Present: AEDP recognizes that the past influences the present. This is a fundamental concept in all forms of psychodynamic therapy (see my article: Why is Past Unresolved Trauma Affecting You Now?).

AEDP as a Psychodynamic Therapy

• Exploration of Defenses: AEDP delves into how we use defense mechanisms (ways to avoid emotional and psychological pain) which were developed as a strategy to cope with overwhelming pain. This is a core concept of psychodynamic therapy.

• Relational Focus: AEDP emphasizes the relationship between the client and the therapist as crucial to the client's healing. This is an essential part of psychodynamic psychotherapy.

How is AEDP Different From Psychodynamic Therapy?

• Experiential and Focused on Emotion: Instead of only analyzing the past, AEDP focuses on the here-and-now to fully focus on emotions as they arise in the therapy using these moments as a catalyst for change (see my article: Riding the Waves of Transformation).

AEDP as a Psychodynamic Therapy

• Accelerated Healing: The "Accelerated" part of AEDP refers to harnessing the client's powerful emotional experiences, including emotions like joy and grief, to facilitate accelerated healing (as compared to most psychodynamic therapies) rather than a slow exploration of the client's dynamics (see my article: How Does AEDP Work?).

• The Client's Innate Resilience: AEDP assumes that people are hardwired for resilience. AEDP focuses on and amplifies what is already working for the client. This helps to build the client's existing strengths which promotes the client's flourishing. This is a significant difference from many forms of psychodynamic therapy which focus on the pathology (pathology in this context refers to mental and behavioral patterns that are dysfunctional).

Conclusion

AEDP uses psychodynamic principles, but it deepens and tends to speed up the process by getting clients to feel and transform emotions experientially within a secure, attachment-based therapeutic relationship. This helps clients to unlock their innate capacity for healing (see my article: Why is Experiential Therapy More Effective Than Traditional Therapy to Resolve Trauma).

Get Help in AEDP Therapy

If you have been struggling on your own to cope with unresolved trauma, you could benefit from working with an AEDP therapist.

To find an AEDP therapist near you, you can search on the AEDP directory.

Rather than struggling on your own, seek help from a licensed mental health professional who is trained in AEDP.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), Parts Work (IFS and Ego States), Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

As a trauma therapist with more than 25 years of experience, I have helped many individual adults and couples to heal from trauma (see my article: How Trauma Therapy Can Help You Overcome Unresolved Trauma).

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

 

What Are the Similarities and Differences Between IFS Parts Work Therapy and Contemporary Psychoanalysis?

In my prior article, Integrating Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Experiential Therapy, I compared experiential therapy and contemporary psychoanalysis.

IFS Parts Work and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

As I mentioned in that article, experiential therapy includes :

• Hypnotherapy (also known as Clinical Hypnosis)

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy

• AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)

• Parts Work Therapy (Ego States Therapy and IFS: Internal Family Systems)

• Emotion Focused Therapy For Couples (EFT)

• Somatic Experiencing

In the current article I'm exploring the similarities and differences between IFS Parts Work Therapy and contemporary psychoanalysis, in particular, relational psychoanalysis.

For a basic explanation of contemporary psychoanalysis and experiential therapy see my prior article.

Similarities Between IFS Parts Work Therapy and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

Both IFS Parts Work Therapy and contemporary psychoanalysis:

• Recognize the Importance of the Unconscious Mind: Mental processes in contemporary psychoanalysis and parts work in IFS emphasize the importance of the unconscious mind (see my article: Making the Unconscious Conscious).

IFS Parts Work and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

• Non-Pathologizing Stance: Both therapies have moved away from the pathologizing the client's internal world which was common in traditional psychotherapy in the past. Specifically, IFS views the client's internal world as made up of various parts that have good intentions. Contemporary psychoanalysis focuses on understanding the client's internal object relations and defenses rather than labeling them as problems.

• A Goal of Self Understanding: Both therapies promote the client's self understanding and self acceptance.

• The Influence of the Past in the Present Day: Both approaches acknowledge the here-and-now experiences of the client as well as the influence of the client's personal history, including early relationships.

Differences Between IFS Parts Work Therapy and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

The Client's View of Self

• IFS Parts Work: Assumes an inherent undamaged Core Self within every person. Core Self is composed of the 8 Cs: Compassion, calmness, curiosity, creativity, confidence, clarity, courage, connectedness. A primary goal of IFS is to access the Core Self so the client can be lead from Core Self and not by their various parts.

IFS Parts Work and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

• Contemporary Psychoanalysis: Assumes the self is a product of interpersonal relationships and internal representations (object relationships). The focus is on developing a cohesive, authentic self within the relational matrix.

The Therapist's Role

• IFS Parts Work: The therapist is a guide and a mediator to help the client to focus on their Core Self and work with their internal parts (also known as subpersonalities).

IFS Parts Work and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

• Contemporary Psychoanalysis: The therapist is an active participant in the therapy with a "real" relationship between the therapist and the client. The focus is on the therapeutic relationship as a vehicle for an emotional corrective experience and insight.

Technique

• IFS Parts Work: The therapist uses experiential techniques, including internal dialog and visualization, to interact directly with the internal parts.

• Contemporary Psychoanalysis: There is an emphasis on exploring transference and countertransference and the client's internal world as it manifests in the therapy.

Focus on Transference

• IFS Parts Work: Transference is understood as the client's internal parts interacting with the therapist's internal parts. When it is therapeutically beneficial, the therapist might comment on their own parts in an effort to inform the client's process.

IFS Parts Work and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

• Contemporary Psychoanalysis: The client's transference and the therapist's countertransference are central to the therapy. Both transference and countertransference offer important information about the client's internal world as well as past and present relationships.

Use of Metaphor

• IFS Parts Work: Uses a concrete metaphor about the client's "internal family" with specific roles for these parts (managers, firefighters, exiles) to understand the structure of the client's internal world.

• Contemporary Psychoanalysis: Tends to use more theoretical and nuanced language to describe internal dynamics, often viewing parts as metaphors for defended affects and anxiety responses.

Client Empowerment

• IFS Parts Work: Emphasizes "self leadership" (Core Self) to empower clients to foster lifelong skills and internal harmony (see my article: Parts Work Can Be Empowering).

IFS Parts Work and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

• Contemporary Psychoanalysis: Relational approaches to contemporary psychoanalysis have shifted to a more collaborative approach in therapy between the client and the therapist with the understanding that the therapy is co-created between therapist and client.

Integrating IFS Parts Work and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

As I mentioned in my prior article, many psychotherapists who have a contemporary psychoanalytic background, like me, are also trained in IFS Parts Work.

The integration of both approaches is beneficial for clients because they get the benefits of an in-depth, relational therapy, like contemporary psychoanalysis, and an embodied approach, like IFS, to combine the best parts of both approaches.

About Me

I am a licensed New York psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, EMDR, AEDP, EFT (for couples), IFS and Ego States Parts Work Therapist, Somatic Experiencing and Certified Sex Therapist.

I work with individual adults and couples

To find out more about me, visit my website: Josephine Ferraro, LCSW - NYC Psychotherapist.

To set up a consultation, call me at (917) 742-2624 during business hours or email me.

Also See My Other Articles About IFS Parts Work Therapy:

How Does Parts Work Therapy, Like IFS and Ego States Therapy, Help You to Understand Yourself

Understanding the Different Parts of Yourself

Parts Work Therapy Can Be Empowering

How Can IFS Parts Work Therapy Help With Anxiety?

Is an Unconscious Part of Yourself Running Your Life?

Redefining the Traditional View of "Resistance" in Psychotherapy