[cashart10]

Has anyone done this? It is an integrative therapeutical approach. I tried it today. For the first time. It was intense. Like very intense. Do you think this is bad for a depressed mind? Do you think maybe my t should have waited to try this? She thought it would be helpful. I’m seeing her 2xs a week right now so we’ll probably try it again on Wed. But, should we? Any experience on this? Is it making it tougher for me right now?

I just want to add that I trust and respect my t SO much! She is such a supportive, caring, and flat out talented t. I have just been thinking about this particular thing.

[~Christina]

My T and I have done a lot of this over the years. Yes it was really tough and I felt overwhelmed at times...but it was beneficial

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by ~Christina

My T and I have done a lot of this over the years. Yes it was really tough and I felt overwhelmed at times...but it was beneficial

I can definitely see that it’s beneficial after just this one session. I am just contemplating whether or not we should wait until I’m in a better state of mind to pursue it. Like, will it focusing on trauma right now make depression worse?

[Tucson]

What is this therapeutic approach all about?

[cashart10]

This is a pretty good description:

IFS is talk therapy in which you work with a therapist to identify and understand the specific sub-personalities or families that make up your internal mental system. Once you identify these parts, the therapist will help you acknowledge your feelings about these suppressed emotions, learn how to release these feelings so you are freer to address the actual problem, and ultimately find more positive ways to manage conflicts on your own. The therapist may suggest certain tools to help you do this, such as relaxation exercises, visualization, keeping a journal, and creating a chart that illustrates the relationship between Self and the different parts of you.

[cashart10]

I essentially took the negative emotion that I was experiencing, named it misery, asked the emotion where it originated. Then I put it aside to address the part of me that the emotion originated, which, in this case, was the 10 year old me. ...if that makes any sense.

[~Christina]

Yep that’s it and it’s hard and exhausting but rewards are good

[fern46]

I'm not an expert, but I thought I'd share what came to mind. Jung touches on something similar in his work. He theorized we go through trauma and then dissociate from it as a protective mechanism. The various sub personalities then live on subconsciously and reappear as we experience similar situations in the future. Re-integration of these dissociations is his recommendation. This type of therapy is one way of going about it. I've been doing something similar on my own for a while now.

The thought I had was that it may be easier to connect with pieces of yourself like 'misery' when you are in a depressed like state. I imagine it might be harder to connect with the root of something like that if you were feeling normal or in a manic state. Perhaps you can leverage that perspective and see some light in your depression as a tool to allow you to bring some of your more depressed sub personalities forward? In my mind, shifts in mood and the resulting experiences are all catalysts for change. The way we choose to use them defines the outcome.

[*Beth*]

IFS sounds like a powerful technique. I can see it as revealing, then connecting in a way that would be very healing.

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by fern46

I'm not an expert, but I thought I'd share what came to mind. Jung touches on something similar in his work. He theorized we go through trauma and then dissociate from it as a protective mechanism. The various sub personalities then live on subconsciously and reappear as we experience similar situations in the future. Re-integration of these dissociations is his recommendation. This type of therapy is one way of going about it. I've been doing something similar on my own for a while now.

The thought I had was that it may be easier to connect with pieces of yourself like 'misery' when you are in a depressed like state. I imagine it might be harder to connect with the root of something like that if you were feeling normal or in a manic state. Perhaps you can leverage that perspective and see some light in your depression as a tool to allow you to bring some of your more depressed sub personalities forward? In my mind, shifts in mood and the resulting experiences are all catalysts for change. The way we choose to use them defines the outcome.

I hadn’t thought of it like that’s at all but it makes perfect sense. In fact, that is more than likely her perspective. Thank you for sharing!

[cashart10]

@fern46 My therapist did say that this was her perspective. She said the depression she felt would help me to connect to those negative emotions.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by cashart10

@fern46 My therapist did say that this was her perspective. She said the depression she felt would help me to connect to those negative emotions.

Makes sense. I hope that can give you a little comfort that she was taking a painful situation and trying to build a brighter future as opposed to overlooking the severity of your pain.

[Fuzzybear]

Thanks for this thread. I'm sending hugs and support.