Internal Family Systems: Good Psychology, Good Therapy; Not a Theology, not a Spirituality

In a delightful podcast, Jenna Riemersma is interviewed by a woman like herself: both are believers, enthusiastic about IFS as a path of healing, and they fairly sparkle with joy, conviction, faith, zeal and feminine charm. THey place the IFS (Ingternal Family Systems) model of therapy within a Christian perspective. In this view, the person is composed, like a family, of different "parts" which have valid functions but can become dysfunctional but must be accepted, respected and listened to. There is the Deep Self, the true and good self, peaceful and open. But the Self becomes wounded, hurt and traumatized in all kinds of ways. So, the pain arouses two key parts of the Self. The managers strive to contain the suffering and maintain control, order, and a minimum of conflict and pain. By contrast the fire fighters are hyperactive in putting out the fire whatever it takes. This can be compulsions and addictions such as anger, alcholism, pornorgapry and so forth. The system can become dysfunctional if the fire fighters are out of control and encurr the anger of the managers so that you have a split, fragmented psyche. The solution is for the deep, peaceful, real Self to welcome and dialogue the with the various parts who are all trying to do their job to protect and comfort. This is a helpful model: it does not moralize or pathologize but seeks to understand the underyling dynamics of tension and conflict. The managers clearly resemble the Freudian superego and the firefighters the id; but the deep self resembles the Jungian concept of self. It seems especially helpful for helping seriously religious people, such as conservative Catholics, who are strong in their belief but are often suffering from overactive managers who are suppressing anxiety, although unconsciously, through moralism, legalism, dogmatism and an elusive coldness and resentment. It also seems helpful for identifying the addiction cycle whereby the firefighters overwhelm the fire but then retreat, leaving the Self trapped in shame and guilt as the managers reassert their control. Another strength of the presentation was what Jenna, asked for her response to believing Christians who have reservations about the model, responded that she herself welcomes such reservations, since they have value and need to be received with respect. Great answer! Not defensive, open. In that spirit I offer this. It is promising as therapy but best not to inflate this into a spirituality. For example, she goes into the theological concept of sin and offers her model, the Self as fragmented and polarized, as an improvement over a view, which she considers typical of Christianity, of sin as impurity as if we pour coloring into liquid and thus polute or contaminate it. Surely her view is better than the contrast, but that contrast is a gross mistatement of sin in our tradition. She has moved out of therapy and is doing bad theology. She understands the Self to be "imago Dei" or the image of God, again moving into theology. This sounds like classical Jungian thought which develops a dazzlying, convoluted understanding of the Self as a world onto itself, but unrelated to a God that is Other. Rather, divinity becomes a dimension, a depth of the Self. THis is not Christianity but Gnosticism. When she ventures into use of Christian terminogly for these psychological realities she is risking the gnosticism that flooded the churches in the 60s and 70. The temptation of psychology is to inflate itself into spirituality. Jung is the best example, but consider the humanistic psychology of Rogers as sanctified by Eugene Kennedy; the helpful insights of Richard Rohr which become bad dogma when exaggerated into religion. Authentic Christian spirituality always draws us to the person of Jesus Christ, not to our own deep self, but to Another Self, who loves us and brings us to become our true, deep self. Such spirituality looks to Jesus on the cross dying for our sins, as well as all his works and teachings, and his rising and ascending and sending of the Holy Spirit. Listening to these two women one senses deep Christian faith, both seem to know Jesus very well. But taken as theology, their language could be confusing. It is best they this model present itself as therapy and psychology with particular importance for religiousity in its toxic aspects and for addicts. I was most happy to hear the podcast and am applying it already to my "issues!"