8Cs & 5Ps
This identity is who we truly are, and is a being full of love, clarity, competence and confidence
The Self
The systemic family therapist who created IFS
Richard Schwartz
In a very objectifying world it is important to make one thing clear when it comes to trauma: Trauma is _________ It is not what happens to you, but what happens inside of you as a result of that. Therefore what is traumatic for one person may not be for another.
Trauma is when the internal system is too ________ to cope with a given stressful event and there is no safety to lean into. Trauma becomes energy stuck in the ______.
Subjective
Overwhelmed
Body
In extreme situations, there are ways the inner system and the body moves — or want to move — to protect itself, and when those movements are blocked; when the energy is mobilized to fight but you are held down by someone stronger, or when sympathetic arousal (the fight or flight) is overpowered by freeze and collapse, because that the perceived threat is that great, all that moving energy is stuck inside.
As Peter Levine (father of Somatic Experiencing) points out, animals tremble and shake after they escape life or death experiences. The mobilized energy is released from the system and the animal is not traumatized.
When doing the 6 F'S protocol you should select a _______ part to work with.
Playfulness, patience, presence, perspective, persistence
The 5Ps
The Self is meant to be the natural leader of the system. When the Self is leading the system (resulting in what is termed Self-leadership), every part is in relationship with the Self and is a resource, resulting in a balanced, harmonious system.
Unfortunately, many of us are not parented in ways that allow the Self to emerge as the leader of our system.
As a result of childhood ________ , our parts become ____________, which forces some into __________ and others into a protective stance.
Misattunement or trauma; Burdened; Exile
These protective parts are pro-active and preventative. They seek to maintain balance within the system by keeping us in control of every relationship and situation in an effort to prevent the feelings of the exiles ‐ pain, shame, fear of rejection etc. coming through and taking us over.
Manager Parts or Managers
True or False?
You should be serious and strict with the IFS 6 F's and while interacting with parts
False!
You should be playful and open when working with parts. Most parts are young children, get creative!
Creativity
Compassion
Courage
Connection
Calm
Curiosity
Confidence
Clarity
The 8 Cs
When checking for self leadership, you should ask how do you feel ________ this part?
About
Towards
Regarding
Any of the above
Towards
IFS is a relational, attachment model. How do you feel towards this part? Do you feel open to it?
These are the reactive protectors – they are heroic, impulsive, and often seen as destructive and narcissistic by manager parts. The goal of the ________ is keep exiles away from you – to distract from or get rid of their feelings. They come into play when the exiles are activated – they distract or dissociate to prevent overwhelm or flooding of the inner system.
Firefighter Parts
Find
Focus
Flesh out
Feel towards
BeFriend
Fears
6 Fs
True or False:
There are good parts and bad parts
False. There are no bad parts! All parts have positive intentions and hold protective energy of the system. The goal of working with the system is not to eliminate parts but instead to help them take on the roles they would like
_________ happens when a part takes you over, often saying it feels like you. Remember: if the experience of yourself is not that you feel easy, open and relaxed then chances are a part is ______ with you (anxious/depressed/annoyed/unhappy etc).
Blending
Unblending and getting access to Self is the heart of the work, and it is often difficult to do. Be patient and know that it will become easier. One approach is to remember a time in your life when you felt calm, or a sense of inner peace; felt full of love or compassion for someone.
Keep working with your parts and remember that the protectors are serving you. As you appreciate them for their work and reassure them about their concerns they will begin to trust you.
These are young parts that may have experienced trauma and/or neglect and other overwhelming experiences. They often become isolated from the rest of the system for their own protection and for the system’s protection. They hold the memories, sensations and emotions of difficult events and are stuck in the past. When activated _____ present with extreme feelings and/or beliefs. They can become increasingly desperate in their effort to be cared for and to have their story told. Once relieved of the burdens that they carry they are usually the most sensitive, vulnerable, playful, innocent, creative and intimacy‐loving parts.
Exiles, or Exiled Parts
_________ is the most important part of the IFS 6 F's protocol. The purpose of this is to unfuse your core Self from the parts that have taken over and reclaim control.
Unblending
When a part and our Self are “blended,” the feelings and perspective of a burdened part merge with the Self. The compassion and patience of the Self becomes eclipsed by the needs, desires, and intentions of the part. In order to really help and be with our parts, we must first unblend from them.
Situational
Emotional
Somatic
Visual/sensory
Verbal
The different ways of accessing our parts
• Situational – re‐experience an upsetting situation. You can focus on what happened to connect with the part(s) that got activated.
• Emotional – access feelings that are already present.
• Somatic – locate feeling in the body.
• Visual/Sensory – describe what feeling looks like – colour, shape, size, density, image?
• Verbal – access the feeling via message it carries.
When we are overwhelmed by urges to behave a certain way, or by painful emotions, we are merged with or _________ by that part, and have little to no awareness of Self energy or other parts. Self and other parts are dissociated.
Flooded
When stressful events in adulthood trigger an earlier trauma and pain in someone’s life, the reactions to these events open up to the parts of our internal system that carry burdens from early trauma, that we may have forgotten consciously. These protective parts can then flood the system in an attempt to finally be heard — through words, feelings, memories, images, beliefs or body sensations — and this feels scary and overwhelming for the rest of our system.
When we listen to these parts in therapy, they are very much able to turn down the volume and stop flooding and will do so, when they trust that they will be heard
_________ occurs when two parts or clusters of parts seemingly operate at cross‐purposes develop an on‐going, escalating power struggle while attempting to control a behaviour, outcome or decision. This escalated inner conflict is typically between parts that are protecting the system with vastly different approaches.
Polarization
This power struggle can escalate into a cycle of addiction that includes compulsive, repetitive firefighter behaviours with their characteristic chaotic or impulsive acting out and managers that are extremely judgmental, fuelling intense inner self‐criticism or self‐loathing. Generally in an addiction cycle, the same protective parts interact over and over again, often without ever acknowledging the existence of the sensitive, fragile emotions that are underlying and fuelling these warring parts; those parts are exiled.
True or False?
Parts have a lot of concerns about the work we're doing and the vulnerability this may surface. We should take this process slow, and frequently reassure and validate the concerns of the protectors, ensuring they know they are the boss.
True! Think of the exile as locked up in a dungeon. You have to schmooze and get through all of the castle's protectors/guards first.