Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the Inner World in Non Ordinary States

Stephanie Mitchell explores how IFS understands and works with people experiencing voices, visions, paranoia, and other non-ordinary states.
IFS posits that there is no such thing as a ‘Unitary mind’, indeed the mind is made up of multiple ‘parts’ who interact internally in the same way that we interact in external relationships. These parts can become wounded by life’s adversities, and take on extreme roles in order to protect the person from further wounding. Each of these inner parts holds its own unique feelings, thoughts, experiences and core beliefs.
A core tenet of IFS is that every part has a positive intent no matter how extreme their actions to protect the person.
IFS believes that under all these parts is a person's ‘core Self’ and this Self cannot be damaged by life’s adversities and contains qualities of compassion and wisdom. Self is the natural leader of the system once parts are unburdened and trust Self’s leadership.
The IFS method promotes internal harmony by befriending parts and bringing healing to the parts who have been wounded.
The following topics are explored in this webinar:
• Understanding ‘Parts’ and ‘Self’ in our own inner system when we are working as supporters/practitioners
• Working with the ‘Parts’ and ‘Self’ of the client
• Understanding why the ‘psychotic’ experience/parts are necessary and welcome and have a protective function, as viewed through the IFS lens
• Using the IFS framework for working with parts who use voices, visions, and non-ordinary experiences in this protective way
• Considering the spiritual implications of non-ordinary states
About the presenter:
Stephanie Mitchell is a Level 3 trained IFS practitioner, psychotherapist, trainer and supervisor in private practice in Adelaide Australia. She specializes in working with complex trauma and experiences which often get labelled as 'mental illness'. She is interested in how healing and change occur in the human-to-human relationship, within spaces of safety and acceptance and outside the constructs of diagnostic labels. Stephanie has almost a decade working in Mental Health settings including 3 years co-facilitating a Hearing Voices group.
This webinar was organized by ISPS-US, an organization that promotes psychological and social approaches to psychosis and extreme states. You can find out more about ISPS-US, and become a member or support our work with a donation, at www.isps-us.org​​ .

[@creativesundries]

Thank you, wonderful presentation. I love "My parts have really needed for someone not to reframe my experience--for my words to be my words and my reality, my reality."

[@anneblackler5076]

Thank you Stephanie. I have gained more insight and am an IFS client.

[@JoanMBlake]

This is my first time getting acquainted with IFS. What type of meditation is this? I am a Christian and I want to know exactly what this is all about?

[@tulasideviful]

What is a "P worker"?

[@arcadiadragoons5467]

Peer

[@ot6960]

Too disorganised and bitty! Unrelated to psychosis. A wasted opportunity for IFS.

[@isps_us]

Sorry you didn't like it! A lot of people did tell me they appreciated it very much however, so apparently it does appeal to some. And I'm not sure I understand how/why you decided it was unrelated to psychosis? It did address a variety of psychotic experiences and offered ideas about how to understand and approach them.

[@freetinkerer3878]

What a beautifully patient response 😄

[@ot6960]

@@freetinkerer3878 what a beautiful, passive-aggressive shaming response.

[@freetinkerer3878]

OT you’re right. I sorta figured you wouldn’t be back and probably read more rudeness into your comment than was there. I’m sorry for that shitty response.

[@ot6960]

@@freetinkerer3878 thank you Robert. That's kind of you to add that. Appreciated.