Internal Family Systems: Understanding Your Inner Parts

50 Journal Prompts For Those Exploring Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Ever wondered why your mind feels like it’s hosting a never-ending debate club? Today, we unpack the intriguing concept of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and explore how our minds are composed of various parts—each with distinct personalities and roles. From the ultra-organized managers to the impulsive firefighters and the deeply wounded exiles, we’ll shed light on how these internal characters interact and sometimes clash. Gain a fresh perspective on your moments of doubt, impulsive actions, and persistent insecurities by understanding the unique functions of these inner parts.

But that's not all! We’ll be diving into some transformative journal prompts from Lestallion's blog post, "50 Journal Prompts to Exercise Internal Family Systems IFS." These prompts are designed to help you communicate with your internal parts effectively. Learn how to uncover the fears driving your inner manager, give your impulsive firefighters a moment of pause, and gently encourage your exiles to share their stories. Join us for a session that promises to equip you with practical tools and valuable insights to bring harmony and understanding to your internal family system.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
ever feel like you have a committee in your head
and they can't agree on anything.
Absolutely Like one minuteyou're all gung-ho and the next
you're drowning in doubt.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Well, today we're diving into a system that helps
make sense of that inner circusinternal family systems, or IFS.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
It's such a cool way of looking at it Imagine your
mind not as one single you, butmore like different parts, all
with their own personalities andquirks.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Okay, so instead of one me, there's a whole crew
running the show.
Who are these characters?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, we've got the managers for one always on top
of things, right Like superorganized, making sure you don't
miss a beat.
Think to-do lists and calendars.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Gotcha.
So my inner control freak is amanager.
And what happens when theyclash with the more spontaneous
parts of ourselves?

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Right, well, that's where the firefighters come in.
Their whole thing is likeputting out emotional fires.
They jump in when things getintense, sometimes a little too
quickly, you know.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
So that explains those impulse decisions we later
regret.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Exactly.
And then there are the exiles.
These are like the parts of usthat are hurting, carrying old
wounds and insecurities.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
The stuff we try to bury deep down.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yeah, and they can be tricky, because they often show
up in ways that sabotage us,like that nagging self-doubt
that pops up at the worstpossible time.
That could be an exile tryingto get your attention.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Wow, ok, so we've got managers, firefighters and
exiles all these different partstrying to protect us in their
own way.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Right, exactly, and the thing is, none of them are
bad, even if they cause ustrouble sometimes.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
It's all about understanding them, which is
where our deep dive sourcematerial comes in.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Right, we're looking at this blog post called 50
Journal Prompts to ExerciseInternal Family Systems IFS by
Lestallion.
Journal prompts to exerciseinternal family systems IFS by.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Lestallion Journaling Interesting.
So instead of just lettingthese parts duke it out in our
heads, we give them a space tolike speak their minds.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Exactly, it's like opening up a dialogue with them.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
So these journal prompts, they're like
conversation starters for ourinner crew.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Exactly Like.
Instead of just gettingfrustrated with that part of you
that's like like a total neatfreak, you can use a prompt to
figure out why they're soobsessed with order.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
OK.
So instead of get a grip, it'smore like, hey, what's up with
all the sticky notes?

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Right.
For example, one prompt for themanagers is what is your
manager part most afraid of?
And that can be superinsightful, you know, because it
helps you understand wherethey're coming from.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
So maybe they're not just being bossy for the heck of
it.

Speaker 2 (02:29):
Maybe there's like a fear of failure or something
driving them Exactly.
And once you understand thatfear, it's way easier to work
with it, you know, instead ofjust fighting against it.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
It's like they say the enemy of my enemy is my
friend, or in this case, thefear behind my annoying habit is
well something to understand.
What about those firefighters?
Any prompts that can help ustame those flames?

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Oh yeah, for sure.
One that's really good is whatwould happen if you didn't react
right away, because, likesometimes, those firefighters
can be a little too quick on thedraw.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
You know what I mean?
Yeah, like sending that angrytext and then immediately
regretting it.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Totally.
But with this prompt you'rebasically encouraging those
firefighters to take a breath,to consider other options
besides, just like dousingeverything in fire extinguisher
foam.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
It's like giving ourselves a timeout Before we
say or do something we'll regret.
So we're not suppressing thoseimpulses, just like redirecting
them a little.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
Exactly, and that can make a huge difference in how
we respond to like stressfulsituations or strong emotions.
Now for the exiles, it seemslike we need a different
approach.
Right like something a littlegentler.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, those are the parts of us that are probably
carrying a lot of pain.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Right.
So a good prompt for the exilesmight be something like if this
exiled part could share itsstory, what would it say?

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Oh, wow, that's powerful.
It's like giving those woundedparts a voice, letting them know
it's safe to come out of hiding.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Exactly, and you know , the amazing thing about IFS is
that it encourages us toapproach those parts of
ourselves with curiosity andcompassion, not judgment.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
So we're not trying to get rid of those parts, just
to make friends with them.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Exactly, and as we start to understand those parts
better, we can actually start tofeel those old wounds and
integrate them into our lives ina healthier way.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
It's like we're becoming a more whole,
integrated version of ourselves.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
But with all these different parts, is there even
such a thing as a true self inthe IFS model?

Speaker 2 (04:24):
That's such a good question and the answer is yes.
Ifs actually talks about theself, which is different from
all the parts.
It's like the core of who weare calm, compassionate and
deeply connected.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
It's like, beneath all those voices, there's this
deeper, wiser part of us that'salways there.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
Yeah, and the more we can connect with that self, the
more we can start to live fromthat place of wisdom and
compassion.

Speaker 1 (04:48):
So it's not about like silencing those other parts
, but more about letting thiswiser self take the lead.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Exactly it's called self-leadership.
Like imagine you have a bigdecision to make.
Instead of just reacting fromfear or anxiety, you pause, you
check in with yourself Out it.
You listen to those parts, themanager's need for control, the
firefighter's urge to like, fixeverything, but you don't let
them run the show.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
You're taking their input, but making a choice from
that calmer, more centered place.

Speaker 2 (05:20):
Exactly You're responding, not just reacting,
and that can be a game changerin how we navigate like
relationships work, all of it.

Speaker 1 (05:24):
It's like we're finally in the driver's seat,
you know.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
Not just along for the ride.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
Totally, it's so empowering.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
This has been amazing , oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Not just along for the ride Totally.

Speaker 1 (05:31):
It's so empowering.
This has been amazing.
Oh so, as we wrap up, what aresome key takeaways our listeners
can take home and start usingtoday?

Speaker 2 (05:36):
Well, first off, remember you are not your parts.
We've all got them, thosemanagers, firefighters, exiles,
but they don't define us.
The key is to get to know them,listen to them with compassion
and then make choices from thatplace of self, that calm,
connected core of who we reallyare.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
And this Listallion blog post with its journaling
prompts.
That's a great place to start.

Speaker 2 (05:58):
Totally.
It's like a roadmap to your owninner world.

Speaker 1 (06:01):
So to all our listeners, if this resonated,
grab a journal, get curiousabout those parts of yourselves
and see what you discover.
Until next time.