This is a question many therapists are asking themselves. What model of parts therapy will be a good fit for me and my clientele? We know there are many great parts therapies available. Amongst them, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Transactional Analysis, Ego State Therapy, Voice Dialogue, Family Constellations, and Resource Therapy are amongst the those that I am aware of.
Resource Therapy is my go-to, having used the approach fornearlyn a decade. Being curious I have attended training, and webinars and read books on IFS and Ego State.
Safe to say I love Parts work.
It’s been a game-changer for my clinical practice.
So let’s dive deeper into Internal Family System (IFS), Ego State Therapy(EST), and Resource Therapy (RT). Are they alike and how they may differ so you can decide what model feels most comfortable? I say learn them all 🙂
There are similarities to the parts approaches. RT, IFS, and EST all have a concept of an inner self, or in IFS the Self Energy that has been there from the beginning. This part has access to your purpose, values, and almost universal wisdom when you speak with it. This Higher self part I would saycano connect to the quantum energy field. It holds no judgment, is beneficent, and can act as a beautiful guide in a person’s life path.
How this core self is utilized may vary. Some people may find it is front and centre others may not be in contact. Yet it is there and once accessed can be a powerful loving force for good. Inner Self.
RT has a model of personality, which informs its treatment actions. Personality parts are generally developed in childhood. We call them our Resources and they are all there to help us. Most have the ability and skills we need to act in the moment according to our needs and values.
Our Parts/ Resources/ States can hold distressing unresolved emotions. PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety are examples of this. Resource Therapy says these are Vaded parts that may be holding unresolved Fear, Rejection, Confusion, Shame, or Disappointment. They can be empowered to their Normal condition.
Our Resources can show up with past their use-by-date unwanted behaviors. These parts are termed Retro States in RT. Retro States are those parts of us involved with addictions, Rage, Narcissism, avoidance, and OCD. They can be worked with directly and compromise is found quickly according to RT Action 10 Retro State Negotiation (Emmerson, 2014).
IFS and RT aretrauma-awaree setting the client at the heart of therapy are client-led. Cultivating therapeutic presence by having the right part, in psychotherapy your therapist. Both have methods for supporting clients to stay in their window of tolerance.
IFS from my limited experience ( Disclaimer: two-day workshop, few online recordings, and IFS manuals. So happy to stand corrected please comment below) appears mainly to use indirect access to the State. I don’t know enough to say what the personality theory is but will give it a limited go.
The IFS terminology would term wounded parts exiles. Similar to vaded States in RT. They are relegated. In the system, there are Firefighters and Managers. One is for perceived (emotional )emergencies and Managers exist to attend to the daily tasks and manage exiles. Akin to whatis deemedm Retro Parts in RT.
Transactional Analysis (TA) uses Ego States defined as Parent, Adult, and Child. Depending on which state we are in Parent, Adult, or Child will determine our thoughts and behavior. I know a very simplistic explanation and there’s a lot more involved. These are derived from the work of Eric Berne.
Ego State Therapy (EST) says we can have many Ego States and Introjects within. Both are like parts are worked with. As in RT, these can be conscious and subconscious. EST would say ‘Ego State is the awareness of the “me” inside’ (Emmerson, 2012).
EST and RT both have introjects. They differ in how they originate and they are perceived in the personality system. As Marusa Zaletel, Jana Potocnik, and Andreja Jalen state “introjected Parent ego state manifests in two ways: as an active ego state which communicates with the outside world, or as an intrapsychic influence.”
EST due to the above will spend a lot of time working to change the Introject.
RT deems an Introject as merely a memory fragment and makes no therapeutic effort to change it. RT action 5 Introject speak is applied in the empowerment protocol to assist the part to have a sensory experience memory ( SEM) for healing effect.
RT is for you if you like a clear structure.
RT’s 15 treatment actions teach us how to work with clients with unresolved emotions that drive out-of-date behaviors and current stressors, as identified by your client’s goals and desire to change.
RT is for you if you want a roadmap for results while allowing your creative energy and natural therapy skills.
While designed as a stand-alone therapy, it incorporates easily into other methods including Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Coaching, Clinical Hypnotherapy, and Humanistic and Existential approaches to name a few.
RT is for you if you enjoy working intuitively, effectively, and efficiently with a heartfelt presence.
In today’s busy world, time and money are at a premium. RT teaches us how to work directly with the part of the personality involved in the issue. Not the intellectual narrator reporting on the story. You also learn how to sidestep defences and resistant parts with appreciation and compromise with kindness and care.
What are you waiting for, join us for over 60 hours of fun learning and practical techniques to have fun with, Hop on to the Dates and Fees page now.
References
Emmerson, G. Resource Therapy (2014). Old Golden Point Press. Blackwood, Victoria Australia.
Zaletel, M., Potocnik, J. Jale, A. PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH THE PARENT EGO STATE accessed 6 February 12.12 pm https://www.integrativetherapy.com/en/articles.php?id=69Emmerson,
Emmerson, G. Ego State Therapy (2012). Crown House Publishing: United States of America.
What I personally found in comparing IFS and RT was the breadth and extent to which the two tend to approach the Parts philosophy. Now, I stand to be corrected because I only based it on online reading and discussions with two IFS therapists I know, but it seems like IFS extends beyond the therapeutic application into a broader philosophy, even spiritual explorations. RT, from what I could see, appears to be more targeted therapeutically, and more modest (humble?) in how it addresses individual’s needs. I’ve seen IFS become almost pseudo-spiritual, even cult-like in a couple of instances, whereas RT appears to “stick to what it knows”.
As I say, I stand to be corrected, as these are not much more than first impressions, and based on some personal experience which may or may not be broadly reflective.
Hi Finn, thanks for your comment. Your experience and observations are interesting.
Finn yes RT is targeted therapeutically to your client’s goals for change.
Certainly I can’t speak to the IFS spiritual philosophy, so I appreciate your sharing your thoughts here.
thanks again!