IFS Internal Family Systems and TMS

[fridaynotes]

Has anyone tried IFS therapy for TMS symptom relief? What “parts” of IFS do you think are responsible for the symptoms? Managers or Firefighters?
It’s very interesting material and I think the concept can be used to understand TMS.
thoughts?

 

[JennieToomey]

Hi! I like using elements of IFS with myself and others. Essentially managers and firefighters aim to regulate us because those parts believe that you do not have the emotional capacity to experience the basement/exiled parts.

So it is a nice way for us to be able to understand the intentions of our actions. Eg if I am always trying to stay one step ahead, worry and plan, that is my manager planning part. She is trying to evade feeling overwhelmed, judgemental or sad. The overwhelm and judgement are likely caused by my own wounded false beliefs. The sadness might be an existential part of life. Regardless both feel like threats to my subconscious survival brain that just wants to get through the day.
So I will question - ‘what are you scared of happening’, ‘what is your purpose’ ‘what do you believe’ ‘why do you believe that’ etc.

Firefighters come in when managers can’t do their job - maybe there is too much overwhelm. This can look like depression, overeating, binging on tv etc.

Both parts are protective. And on a neurophysiological level, highly prevalent manager parts lead to of floods of stress related neurochemicals that sensitise the central nervous system. As well as being a reflexive protective strategy.
Whereas firefighters seem to occur on the back end of that - there is too much stress and managers don’t have the resources to get through it - retreat!

Generally it can be helpful to think of stress as fear. We are really trying to avoid feeling inadequate, powerless and disconnected. And there is an early conditioning that feeling and expressing deep anger/sadness/helplessness over others will lead to these things. We need connection and a feeling of power and adequacy to stay attached.

Hope that helps!

 

[fridaynotes]

thank you for your thoughtful response! have you used IFS to treat any TMS symptoms?
do you think firefighters and managers are responsible for creating physical pains/sensations in the body?

 

[JennieToomey]

thank you for your thoughtful response! have you used IFS to treat any TMS symptoms?
do you think firefighters and managers are responsible for creating physical pains/sensations in the body?

Not directly. The pain is a protective and predictive output of your brain and nervous system. More specifically changes in neurotransmitter firing within the central nervous system.
When we notice we have a strong manager or firefighter part, this tells us that there are likely emotions beneath that our subconscious survival brain deems too threatening to recognise and feel. Or that it believes you don’t have the inner resources to cope with. And this can result in heightened activity within our brain/central nervous system. It is a protective response.

So the parts really just show us where we don’t feel safe. They don’t cause pain directly.

 

[Cactusflower]

I used elements of IFS along with (mainly) EMDR. My therapist was clear that although both of these methods are mind/body oriented, they are not focused on “treating pain” and she liked the TMS work I was doing in tandem. For myself, the therapy helped alleviate some of the anxiety and gave me skills to deal with it. I was still in the same amount of pain when I had finished as I started, but was no longer suffering, mentally.

 

[Diana-M]

was still in the same amount of pain when I had finished as I started, but was no longer suffering, mentally.

I’ve been in IFS therapy for 3+ years and I was hoping it would be a Silver Bullet to healing my TMS. Instead, I had the exact same thing as @Cactusflower I’m still in pain, having symptoms, but much better, mentally. In some ways it has helped me control anxiety a bit, because I can talk to my parts and calm them down.

I ran into this article about IFS and pain. It’s by Richard Schwartz, founder of IFS, and one of the leading doctors on mind-body healing, Howard Schubiner. It’s a really long article. The first part is somewhat of an intro to IFS. The second part, beginning at Parts Expressing Unmet Needs Through Pain —really interesting! It’s all about talking to all the parts (plural!) that are speaking through the pain.

https://ifs-institute.com/resources/articles/ifs-and-chronic-pain-listening-inner-parts-hold-hurt (IFS and Chronic Pain: Listening to Inner Parts that Hold the Hurt | IFS Institute)