The word psychotherapy is a composite of two Greek words - psyche - or “soul” and therapia, which means “to attend to”. So, in therapy, we pay attention to or attend to, the soul.

But what do we mean by “the soul”? The soul is not the mind, nor is it the spirit. It is the deepest part of our being. In IFS, we refer to this unchanging part of ourselves, that is beyond our beliefs, our opinions and even our values as the Self. Its qualities are calmness, compassion and curiosity.

Psyche was a goddess. As a beautiful innocent young maid she lived a charmed but ultimately unsatisfied life of blissful unconsciousness in which all her wishes were effortlessly fulfilled. Becoming more and more discontented she wished to know more about the invisible lover that lived with her in her castle. The jealous goddess Aphrodite set her many trials, one of which was a terrifying and apparently hopeless descent into the underworld. However, she emerged and her reward was a fulfilling and conscious relationship with her lover.

If we apply this myth to IFS, the message is that by getting in touch with the different parts of ourselves - the ones who protect us, the ones who manage our day to day lives and the parts of us that we are rarely in touch with - the vulnerable ones, the frightened ones, the bits of us that we are ashamed of - we discover the breadth and depth of our internal world. By bringing the compassion and curiosity of the Self to these aspects of ourselves, we can bring harmony and healing on a truly transformative level. 

In IFS we see the presenting issue, whether that be depression, anxiety, low self esteem or any of the host of so-called “disorders” not as illnesses but as coping mechanisms. They are the solutions to a deeper problem. Instead of finding a way to suppress these symptoms, in IFS we may ask, “What is my anxious part trying to tell me?” Or, “How can I help the Inner Child who believes he/she is not good enough?” 

By having the courage and conviction to "descend" into our own underworld, that is by going within, we can discover our own inner lover - that sense of harmony, inner spaciousness and love - that we all, in some way, are searching for.

To find out more about IFS click here