I work with a lot of men using ifs as the ground work for healing . Some of which have come from the recovery space which I have found they develop a part of them that believes “once an addict, always an addict.” It’s hard to help them understand that their addictive parts are just parts with extreme tendencies and that, I believe, true healing can come if you understand the needs of those extreme parts and help them by updating them about who you are now and unburdening them. Thanks for this post.
Thank you so much for sharing and for the important work that you do. I’ve also navigated spaces where that attitude was deeply internalized & reinforced. It can definitely be challenging to work with and develop buy in with a model with IFS but it helps me to remember it’s a part, just like you said. So… “let’s get curious about that part that believes you’re always an addict!” And what I’ve found for most people in recovery is that that belief tends to be extremely protective. An overworked manager wants to reinforce that they can’t use as a defense against the addictive firefighter that comes in like a freight train. That attitude is trying to help recovery, too, so we just make space for it like we do all parts. It’s such a brilliant model!🫶🫶🫶
So well said. I’m grateful for the work you’re doing as well. There seems to be a learning curve to understanding IFS that’s challenging for some people. Perhaps it’s a protective part of their mind, worried that this is some kind of wacky pseudoscience. I can relate to that feeling. The first time I heard about parts, I felt the same way. It wasn’t until I experienced self-energy that I was genuinely interested in delving deeper into IFS.
I work with a lot of men using ifs as the ground work for healing . Some of which have come from the recovery space which I have found they develop a part of them that believes “once an addict, always an addict.” It’s hard to help them understand that their addictive parts are just parts with extreme tendencies and that, I believe, true healing can come if you understand the needs of those extreme parts and help them by updating them about who you are now and unburdening them. Thanks for this post.
Thank you so much for sharing and for the important work that you do. I’ve also navigated spaces where that attitude was deeply internalized & reinforced. It can definitely be challenging to work with and develop buy in with a model with IFS but it helps me to remember it’s a part, just like you said. So… “let’s get curious about that part that believes you’re always an addict!” And what I’ve found for most people in recovery is that that belief tends to be extremely protective. An overworked manager wants to reinforce that they can’t use as a defense against the addictive firefighter that comes in like a freight train. That attitude is trying to help recovery, too, so we just make space for it like we do all parts. It’s such a brilliant model!🫶🫶🫶
So well said. I’m grateful for the work you’re doing as well. There seems to be a learning curve to understanding IFS that’s challenging for some people. Perhaps it’s a protective part of their mind, worried that this is some kind of wacky pseudoscience. I can relate to that feeling. The first time I heard about parts, I felt the same way. It wasn’t until I experienced self-energy that I was genuinely interested in delving deeper into IFS.