The Arc of the IFS Therapy Process
With its uniquely non-pathologising approach, Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy guides each client on a personal journey into their internal world.
Here’s a brief guide to what you can expect throughout the arc of the IFS therapy process—whether within a single session or across months of dedicated work.
From: “I am fear” to “I am here with fear”
1.Mindfulness in Action
If you’re feeling stuck in emotional patterns or states that seem confusing or overwhelming, you’re not alone. Many people come to IFS therapy wishing for change—a way to feel better, clearer, and more at ease in themselves.
This journey begins with settling into the therapeutic relationship and beginning to bring mindfulness to your unique internal world. Each of us holds an intelligent internal network of parts, shaped by early experiences and life’s challenges. These parts adapted to help us feel safe, navigating life’s complexities, often by taking on roles to protect us.
For example, imagine a part that feels overwhelmed at work and triggers a sense of self-doubt. This part might have learned early in life that it needed to protect you from failure by stepping in with caution or self-criticism.
You’ll begin to learn to unblend—by stepping back and observing parts as multifaceted aspects of you rather than your entire identity. For those who find “turning inward” new and unfamiliar, we will take the time to build this skill together, gradually transforming the feeling of “I am fear” into the more spacious “I am here with fear.”
“I am in relationship with my fear”
2. Cultivating the Inner Relationship
Every part of you holds its own unique story, memories, and strategies for staying safe in the world and in relationship. Crucially, each part has positive intentions for you, even if its behaviour can sometimes feel extreme or challenging. You’ll discover that even the most protective or critical parts are actually trying to help.
Here, our focus is on befriending each part so it feels seen, heard, and valued. With patience and a gentle approach, parts come to trust that we’re here to listen to them without judgment.
You will also begin to notice how parts are interconnected, forming a complex network of alliances and conflicts, much like an internal family system. For example, a part focused on achievement may clash with a part longing for rest, each believing its approach is best for your well-being and safety. By understanding that both parts have positive intentions, we facilitate a inner dialogue that allows them to recognise each other’s intention to support you.
“My system of parts trust in my leadership”
3. Transformation and Self-Leadership
Transformation in IFS comes naturally from a compassionate inner relationship, not from trying to 'fix' or 'manage' yourself.
The trust you’ve built with each part allows them to release their protective roles. Parts that once felt burdened, rigid or extreme in their behaviours can begin to soften - opening up new choice and flexibility in how you engage with your relationships and the broader world.
As you unblend and befriend your inner system of parts, you step more and more into your innate self-leadership qualities - such as the organic capacity for compassion, curiosity, and courage. With less internal conflict, reactivity, and reliance on outdated strategies shaped by early life experiences, a new world opens to you
What will you do- and who will you become with this new-found clarity and self-leadership? The choice is yours.