Closer View: IFS Self-Portrait

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is “is a type of psychotherapy that views a person as having multiple sub-personalities, or families, within their mental system. The goal of IFS is to help people identify and heal these parts, which can lead to personal growth and improved behavior patterns.”

This self-portrait was created in 2022 for an assignment that encouraged us to explore our own understanding of the IFS theory through expressive arts. My portrait included the silhouette of a head split into three parts to represent types of sub-personalities including managers, exiles and firefighters.

Managers are the parts of self that literally manage my daily life and appear as the most “acceptable” parts of myself.

Exiles represent my shadow side, the traumatized inner child that is healing and evolving every day.

Firefighters are the instinctive first responders that rescue me when something hits too close to home.  “They extinguish the fire of pain by smothering or creating a diversion.”

This info is sourced from Dr. Laura Walsh here: https://drlauralwalsh.com/blog/you-and-your-grieving-parts