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IFS for Procrastination: What if the Barrier to Action Is Actually Trying to Help You?
Using the IFS model to work with procrastinating parts can transform how you see parts that seem like they are trying to hurt, into adaptive strategies that are trying to prevent pain.
Sean Cuthbert
Mar 94 min read


The Body Keeps the Shame: An Internal Family Systems (IFS) View of Somatic Collapse
Working with shame requires working with the somatic experience of shame. In IFS protective parts generate body constriction, tension and tightness to keep younger parts holding shame hidden and small. This post explores this polarisation in some detail through the IFS Therapy Lens.
Sean Cuthbert
Feb 224 min read


How Children Learn Abuse, and Learn Not to Protect Themselves: An Internal Family Systems (IFS) perspective
A hard truth most people don't get is that people learn to be abused at home. They learn in their family-of-origin through caregiver interactions who has power, who must submit, who is allowed needs, and whose needs are forbidden. Here, we look at victim/perpetrator dynamics through the healing lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy.
Sean Cuthbert
Dec 23, 20253 min read


When Caretaker Parts Burn Out: An IFS Perspective on Therapist Exhaustion
Therapist burnout is a hot topic in the field of psychotherapy. Taking an IFS Lens on the topic reveals that burnout is the result of hardworking caretaker parts leading the therapist's system, resulting in exhaustion for the therapist, and invisible limits placed on the client's progress through rescuing rather than empowering.
Sean Cuthbert
Nov 28, 20255 min read


Roles, Not Types: The Dynamic Nature of Parts in IFS Therapy
Many new to IFS Therapy think parts must be classified as Managers, Firefighters, or Exiles. Yet true freedom comes from seeing that parts aren’t fixed types and they simply take on roles that evolve, revealing the deeper flexibility and healing potential within our inner system.
Sean Cuthbert
Nov 8, 20255 min read


The Secret Fears of Protector Parts in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Protective parts in IFS Therapy are driven by fear. Find out what the 10 most common protective fears are, and how to negotiate effectively with protective parts so they will relax and trust.
Sean Cuthbert
Oct 16, 20255 min read


The "People Pleaser" Through the Lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
This post examines people pleasing through the lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. Learn how people pleasers come to be prominent parts of the psyche and how you can befriend and help them transform through the IFS Therapy process.
Sean Cuthbert
Oct 4, 20256 min read


Internal Family Systems (IFS) for Perfectionists: Freeing Yourself from Inner Critics
Suffer from Perfectionism, or get called a Perfectionist? Here's an IFS Understanding of Perfectionism and Perfectionists and how to connect to this systems of parts.
Sean Cuthbert
Sep 11, 20256 min read


What are the 6F's of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy?
What are the 6F's in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, and why are they so important in the process of getting to know your parts? Find out in this insightful blog post.
Sean Cuthbert
Aug 27, 20255 min read


What Is Unblending in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy?
Unblending is a key concept in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. This post explains what unblending is, how to do the unblending process, and the benefits for people when they unblend from parts and lead from a place of Self using the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model.
Sean Cuthbert
Jun 1, 20255 min read


When Helping Hurts: Understanding Caretaker Parts in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Caretaker Parts are one of the most socially rewarded, but internally burdened parts in IFS Therapy. Learn how they are formed, and how we can help them become less extreme, by approaching them with compassion and curiosity, using Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy.
Sean Cuthbert
May 25, 20256 min read


Seeking a Deeper Understanding of the "Inner Critic": What does it Protect in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
The Inner Critic protects against a range of Exiles in IFS. Learn about the specific types of Exiles that Inner Critics Protect in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Sean Cuthbert
May 3, 20255 min read


Common Misconceptions about Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
This post clears up common misconceptions about Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. Get clarity around what IFS is, and what it is not.
Sean Cuthbert
Mar 8, 20255 min read


The "U-turn": a foundational skill in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
The "U-turn" is a core skill of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy inviting radical self-reflection in a moment of relational rupture.
Sean Cuthbert
Jan 26, 20253 min read


Compassion and Empathy in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy: Practical Applications
Compassion and empathy are key elements in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. Find out how these qualities operate in the IFS framework
Sean Cuthbert
Nov 17, 20244 min read


Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy: A "Constraint-Release" Model of Psychotherapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy stands out as a unique modality as it is a "constraint-release" model of psychotherapy.
Sean Cuthbert
Oct 13, 20244 min read


Respecting Protectors: Gaining Permission from Managers and Firefighters in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Gaining permission from protective parts before working with Exiles in IFS is essential. Here's why, and how to go about it.
Sean Cuthbert
Sep 29, 20243 min read


Navigating Self-like parts in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy: detecting, and working with, covert blocks and obstacles
Navigating Self-like Parts in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy can be tricky. Here's some things to look out for that will help you.
Sean Cuthbert
Aug 22, 20244 min read


What are "parts" in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy?
What are parts in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy? How do they operate, and how do they cast into their roles? Find out in this blog post.
Sean Cuthbert
Feb 10, 20245 min read


When Parts are at war: Polarizations in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Polarizations are common in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy. Here, you will learn what they are and how to work with the effectively.
Sean Cuthbert
Aug 6, 20233 min read
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