INTEGRATIVE EMDR
IFS - Informed EMDR Therapy
in Englewood, NJ | online in NJ, NY & all PSYPACT states
What is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS), developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, is a therapeutic approach that drills down deep to yield profound transformation. Central to the IFS approach is the idea that within each of us resides a “family” of sub-personalities, or “parts.” Some of these parts carry the pain of your trauma, while others serve to protect you from feeling that pain. IFS work leads to uncovering, connecting with, and healing these parts — ultimately releasing and healing from childhood, attachment, or relationship trauma. In this way, and unlike other traditional therapies, IFS focuses on the complexity of your internal world. IFS therapy helps to shed deeply held pain, and in doing so, allows your authentic self to emerge.
One thing worth naming: the language of “parts” can sound abstract at first. In practice, it’s far more immediate and recognizable — it’s the voice that says you’re not enough, the part that goes quiet in conflict, the one that keeps everyone happy at your own expense, the part that shuts down when things get too close. These aren’t problems to eliminate. They’re protecting something real. IFS helps you understand what they’re protecting, and gently release the burdens they’ve been carrying.
How does IFS work?
We’ll get started by discovering and identifying the different parts within you. Some parts might carry pain, fear, or trauma, while others act as protectors, shielding you from feeling overwhelmed. This process of getting acquainted with your unique internal world is crucial for your healing journey.
We’ll next work on building a healthy relationship with your parts. Instead of rejecting or ignoring them, I’ll help you approach them with compassion and curiosity. This creates a dialogue that allows these parts to express themselves. This conversation between parts — in which we uncover their stories, fears, and needs — is a profound process that often brings very personal insights and emotional release.
As you build a trusting relationship with your parts and provide the support they need, you’ll begin to experience a shift in your internal dynamics, and healing will start to unfold. The parts holding the pain can gradually release their burdens, and the protectors can loosen their stance and become more flexible, allowing for true integration and transformation. The lasting change that comes from this type of therapeutic work is often realized as a sense of empowerment, ease, improved relationships, self-esteem, and an overall sense of well-being.
What does integrating IFS with EMDR look like?
When tough childhood experiences, attachment dynamics, or complex or relationship trauma are part of the picture, an IFS-informed approach supports the internal strengthening and flexibility that’s needed to handle processing difficult experiences and trauma. As such, significant IFS work takes place before and in preparation for processing any trauma or overwhelm.
Wounded parts that carry the pain that needs to be processed may be difficult to access initially — protected by other parts that perceive any attempts to change, including facing and processing old trauma, as potentially threatening. IFS work will address this in the initial stages of treatment. Uncovering and establishing a strong, authentic core self as an empowered leader in the personality structure — capable and drawn to making intentional, healthy choices — may be needed to propel the healing process forward.
When ready for EMDR processing, the integration of an IFS-informed approach continues as part of the process, rewriting roles for parts to be healthy and adaptive.
Can IFS-informed EMDR therapy be done online?
Yes. As with stand-alone EMDR, many people really like doing IFS from the safety and comfort of their home, since they can have supportive objects, people, or pets nearby. Online IFS-informed EMDR therapy works just as well as in-person IFS-informed EMDR therapy, and is available across New Jersey, New York, and 40+ PSYPACT states.
How do I know if integrating IFS with EMDR therapy would be a good fit for me?
IFS-informed EMDR will be a good fit for you if you are someone who is experiencing difficulty with your relationship with yourself. So, for example, if you know you have a strong self-critic, or if you find that you are often trying to protect yourself from feelings, conflict, pain, or vulnerability, IFS-informed EMDR would be a good choice of an integrated approach for you.
IFS-informed EMDR is also appropriate when you struggle in your relationships with others. If you have trust issues, have trouble showing up as your authentic self in relationships, you’re a consistent people-pleaser, have trouble prioritizing your needs versus those of others, or have trouble committing or connecting in more than superficial ways, you’d probably be a good candidate for this integrative approach.
IFS-informed EMDR therapy would be a good fit for individuals with complex trauma (C-PTSD), attachment trauma, and relational trauma.