Can IFS Therapy Help With Anxiety?
If you experience anxiety, you may already know what it feels like to have your mind constantly scanning for what could go wrong. You might overthink conversations, anticipate worst-case scenarios, struggle to relax, or feel caught in a cycle of worry that is difficult to turn off.
You may have tried to manage your anxiety by challenging your thoughts, trying to distract yourself, or simply telling yourself to calm down. Sometimes these strategies help. But what if the part of you that feels anxious is actually trying to help you?
Understanding Anxiety Through IFS
A therapy approach that may be helpful for individuals experiencing anxiety is Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. The term “family” in IFS therapy refers to the different parts of you that make up your inner world. In this type of therapy, the therapist offers a compassionate way to explore your anxiety by helping you understand the different parts of you that feel anxious.
The Different Parts of You
We all experience different parts. Say for example there is a part of you that feels worried about an upcoming interview, while another part feels excited and is looking forward to it, while another part feels indifferent. In sessions with an IFS therapist, the work is to understand each part and to see that part’s perspective. So in this example, the therapist may explore the part that feels worried, then move to the part that feels excited and so forth. It is in understanding your multiple perspectives, that you can understand your complex experience.
These parts can have different ways of viewing what you need and can have different opinions on how they can help. Sometimes they help by helping you be alert and aware. Sometimes they help by anticipating what could go wrong. At other times, you might find a part that replays conversations or scenarios in order to figure out if there is anything to worry about.
For one person, anxiety may be connected to a fear of failure. For another, it may be related to rejection, uncertainty, loss of control, or feeling overwhelmed.
Sometimes anxious patterns developed in response to earlier experiences when being vigilant, prepared, quiet, accommodating, or in control felt necessary.
Understanding the protective role anxiety may be playing can create a different relationship you have with it.
The Cycle of Anxiety
When anxiety becomes overwhelming, it's natural to want it gone. You might think, “I just need to stop worrying,” or “Why can't I control my thoughts?”
Unfortunately, fighting anxiety can sometimes create another layer of distress. You can become anxious about being anxious, frustrated with yourself for worrying, or ashamed that you can't simply calm down, which in turn causes more anxiety, worry or frustration. It can be exhausting to cycle through over and over again.
Instead of trying to eliminate an anxious part, an Internal Family System therapist can help you become more curious about the anxious part, helping you to gain tools to help feel more regulated.
How Can an Internal Family Systems Therapist Help With Anxiety?
A trained Internal Family Systems Therapist can help you:
Understand the protective role your anxiety may be playing
Recognize patterns that contribute to worry and overthinking
Develop greater compassion toward yourself
Explore fears and hopes beneath anxious thoughts and behaviors
Come to understand feelings of anxiousness as information on what you need
Notice internal conflicts between different parts of yourself
Respond to anxiety with greater awareness rather than automatically reacting to it
IFS is about developing a deeper understanding of your process when you feel anxious.
Can IFS Therapy Help Everyone With Anxiety?
IFS therapy can be a helpful approach for many people experiencing anxiety, but no single therapy works for everyone. Your experience of anxiety is unique, and treatment may look different depending on your history, circumstances, symptoms, and treatment goals.
Because therapy is highly personalized, it is important that you find a therapist that matches what feels like a good fit for you. Alongside using Internal Family Systems Therapy, I use other types of therapy styles (Somatic Psychotherapy, Trauma Informed therapy, mindfulness-based therapy, attachment theory, etc.) to customize and attune to what your system responds to. If I am not a good fit for you, I can offer you referrals to help you find a better match.
If anxiety is interfering with your relationships, work, sleep, or ability to enjoy your life, reach out to begin your work with a trained IFS therapist to explore what is happening beneath the worry and begin developing new ways of responding. Schedule your free consultation today to start.
This blog is for general information purposes only. It is not meant for a substitution for medical or mental health advice or treatment. Please see a licensed professional for medical or mental health advice and/or recommendations specific to your needs.
