IFS Internal Family Systems Therapy (The Guilford Family Therapy Series)

260 Pages·2023·14.553 MB·English

by  Richard C. Schwartz

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2022 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/internalfamilysyOO00schw_c8z6
INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY
THE GUILFORD FAMILY THERAPY SERIES
Michael P. Nichols, Series Editor
Alan S. Gurman, Founding Editor
Recent Volumes
INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY
Richard C. Schwartz
NORMAL FAMILY PROCESSES, Second Edition
Froma Walsh, EDITOR
CHANGING THE RULES: A CLIENT-DIRECTED APPROACH TO THERAPY
Barry L. Duncan, Andrew D. Solovey, and Gregory S. Rusk
TRANSGENERATIONAL FAMILY THERAPIES
Laura Giat Roberto
THE INTIMACY PARADOX: PERSONAL AUTHORITY IN THE FAMILY SYSTEM
Donald S. Williamson
HUSBANDS, WIVES, AND LOVERS:
THE EMOTIONAL SYSTEM OF THE EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR
David J. Moultrup
MEN IN THERAPY: THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE
Richard L. Meth and Robert S. Pasick,
with Barry Gordon, Jo Ann Alien, Larry B. Feldman, and Sylvia Gordon
FAMILY SYSTEMS IN MEDICINE
Christian N. Ramsey, Jr., EDITOR
NEGOTIATING PARENT-ADOLESCENT CONFLICT:
A BEHAVIORAL—FAMILY SYSTEMS APPROACH
Arthur L. Robin and Sharon L. Foster
FAMILY TRANSITIONS: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE OVER THE LIFE CYCLE
Celia Jaes Falicov, EDITOR
FAMILIES AND LARGER SYSTEMS:
A FAMILY THERAPIST'S GUIDETHROUGH THE LABYRINTH
Evan Imber-Black
Internal
Family Systems
Therapy
Richard CG. Schwartz
The Guilford Press
New York London
© 1995 The Guilford Press
A Division of Guilford Publications
72 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise,
without written permission from the Publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
This book printed on acid-free paper.
Last digit is printnumber: 9 8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schwartz, Richard C.
Internal family systems therapy / Richard C. Schwartz.
: cm. — (The Guilford family therapy series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-89862-273-5.—ISBN 1-57230-272-0 (pbk.)
1. Psychotherapy patients—Family relationships. 2. Multiple
personality. 3. Psychosynthesis. 4. Family—Psychological aspects.
5. Family psychotherapy. _I. Title. II. Series.
RC489.F33S24 1995
616.89’ 14—dc20 94-21393
CIP
Acknowledgments
To adequately acknowledge my debt to the people whose help and ideas
have influenced the internal family systems (IFS) model would take a book
in itself. I am blessed to have encountered many guides along the way,
and continue to rely on several of them.
My clients deserve most of the credit for this model, and yet I cannot
thank them publicly by name. Often my role has been simply that of a
journalist, recording the extrordinary things they discovered and re-
ported to me. I can never fully appreciate the courage it took for many of
them to enter and remain in what sometimes seemed an inner chamber
of horrors or abyss of despair. They also taught me about my own inner
world and how to live in it differently. I recommend that all therapists
allow their clients to mentor them in the practice of psychotherapy and
the living of life; it is an enlightening and transforming experience.
The colleagues, students, and workshop participants who have influ-
enced the model, sometimes by simply mentioning a book or a method or
by challenging an idea or technique that I had reified, are numerous. Some
among them have devoted much of their professional energy to the model’s
development and have made special contributions. Deborah Gorman-
Smith has been a partner in exploration over the past several years. Her
sensitivity to issues facing survivors of sex abuse and to the therapist-client
relationship have enriched the model enormously, and her relentless
skepticism has kept the model grounded. Regina Goulding has spent
countless hours discussing the model with me, helping to clarify and focus
it. Ann Womack’s clinical creativity has contributed ideas and techniques
from the very beginning, and her pioneering efforts in applying it to
medical problems have been inspiring. Working with Rich Simon on various
projects has challenged and shaped my thinking and writing, adding clarity
and depth; in addition, he generously allowed me to use in this book several
excerpts of articles I wrote for the Family Therapy Networker. Mike Nichols’s
advice, editing and support have also been invaluable. My all-too-short time
working with Bart Mann was extremely generative, as have been recent
discussions with Teresa Jacobson.
vi | INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY
Among those who have clarified aspects of the IFS model or
pioneered particular applications of it, I wish to recognize Susan Hoke;
Annette Hulefeld, Tom Holmes, Paul Ginter, and Nancy Ging; Sharon
Pelletier, Barbarra Gould, and Ken Cozzi; Trish Fazzone; Rob Pasick and
Nancy Burgoyne; Bob Thorud, Susan Gregory, and the staff of Onarga
Academy; Peter Thomas; David Calof; Sandra Watanabe; Dorsey Cart-
wright; and Joel Van Dyke.
I feel fortunate to have had long-standing relationships with five
colleagues who have shaped my thinking, and have also contributed to and
supported the development of the IFS model. Doug Breunlin was my
partner in our early clinical and intellectual adventures; our collaboration
produced the foundation of systemic thought that I later brought to
intrapsychic process. In the early 1980s, I learned a great deal from Mary
Jo Barrett’s insights and courage while we struggled together to understand
and treat bulimic clients. With considerable foresight, she pointed out the
extremes of thought and behavior that plague these clients. Betty Mac
Kune-Karrer aided and abetted the development of the model through her
unique multicultural perspective and through providing administrative
support that freed me to explore. Howard Liddle provided an early
appreciation for structural family therapy and a passion for writing. Doug
Sprenkle helped me learn to trust my Self and to think more rigorously.
Let me also thank those who aided editorially. It is wonderful to work
with an editor who is excited about what you are trying to do, and at The
Guilford Press, Suzanne Little grasped the vision of the book and helped
shape it. Iam very grateful to Seymour Weingarten, who has been more
than patient and supportive while he waited for this. I also received useful
comments from Michael Huss, Schlomo Ariel, Ted Schwartz, and Alan
Gurman.
Finally, I have been blessed to be surrounded by wonderful families
(both of origin and of procreation). Gen Schwartz’s love and sensitivity
have helped me give the same to my internal and external families. Ted
Schwartz instilled an insatiable curiosity and mission of compassion that
drive me still. He and Gen created an environment of intellectual
stimulation that my five brothers—Steven, Michael, David, Jonny, and
Tommy-—and I maintain with one another. My daughters, Jessie, Sarah,
and Hali, when they’re not saying “Get out of here with that parts stuff,
Daddy,” have been delightfully enchanted with their inner lives and
occasionally have let me in on them. Also, they have brought forth parts
of me I never knew existed and have learned to love. To my wife, Nancy,
I owe the greatest debt. She has tolerated my passion for this model and
made sacrifices in my pursuit of it, while also challenging and contribut-
ing to it. Over the years our inner protectors have locked horns and hurt
each other, but our Selves and many other parts maintain an abiding love.
This process has been as healing as it has been educational.
Contents
Introduction. Journey toward a New Model 1
Trusting Clients, 2; Explorers of Inner Space, 4;
Family Therapy, 5
Chapter 1. The Basic Concepts: Multiplicity 8
and Systems
Multiplicity of Mind, 11; Systems Thinking, 17;
The Example of Bulimia, 21
Chapter 2. Viewing Individuals as Systems PRT
The Importance of Seeing Individuals as Systems, 27;
Evolution of the IFS Model: A Case Illustration, 29;
The Many in the One, 32; The Self, 36; Patterns of Parts, 41;
Sally Revisited, 53; Summary, 57
Chapter 3. Case Example 61
History, 61; Context at Beginning of Therapy, 63;
Session 2, 64; Session 3, 69; Session 4, 73; Session 5, 74;
Session 6, 75; Session 7, 76; Session 8, 77; Session 9, 79;
Session 10, 80; Session 11 through 14, 81; Follow-Up, 81;
Discussion, 82
Chapter 4. Changing the Internal System 84
The Therapist-Client Relationship, 84; Introducing the
Language, 90; Discussing Internal Relationships, 93;
Entering the Internal System Safely, 95; Collaborating with
Managers, 98; Retrieving Parts That Are “Frozen in
Time”, 105; Unburdening, 108; Summary, 110
Vil
vii | INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY
Chapter 5. Methods of Inner Work: In-Sight and
Direct Access
In-sight, 112; Direct Access, 123; Cautions for Doing Inner
Work Safely, 127; Conclusion, 131
Chapter 6. The Model’s Views of Families 133
Development, 134; Balance, 140; Harmony, 144;
Leadership, 149; Conclusion, 154
Chapter 7. Working with Families 157
The Therapist’s Role: Self-Leadership and Parts
Awareness, 157; Understanding Family Process, 159;
Helping Families Change, 167; Conclusion, 186
Chapter 8. Applying the Model! at the Cultural and 187
Societal Levels
The Parts and Self of a Society, 187; Cultural Burdens, 188;
The Middle-Class Mainstream U.S. Context, 190;
Traditional Ethnic Contexts, 197; Transitional Families, 199;
Taxonomy of Families, 200; Contrasting Transitional and
Hyper-Americanized Families, 201
Chapter 9. Final Questions and Recommendations 214
Can the Model be Used Safely with All Clients?, 214;
Where Do Therapists Commonly Get Stuck?, 216;
Conclusion, 223
Appendix A. Summary Outline 225
Appendix B. Glossary of Concepts 231
Appendix C. Bibliography of Models of Multiplicity 233
References 236
Index 243