Internal Family Systems Therapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy in Kincardine and Ontario-wide. Our IFS therapist in Ontario supports clients to process their traumatic lived experiences, releasing themselves from the burdens of the past. Internal Family Systems is used to support generational healing and allow parents to show up more for their children.
What is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
IFS is based on the idea that the mind is naturally multiple—we all have different parts that show up in various situations. Some parts help us perform, caretake, or stay organized. Others hold our wounds—carrying emotions and beliefs from past experiences.
For example, you might have:
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A part that’s critical and perfectionistic
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A part that feels anxious or overwhelmed
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A part that shuts down or avoids emotions
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A part that carries a deep sadness or fear from the past
IFS helps you build a relationship with these parts from the seat of your calm, wise, compassionate Self. When these inner parts feel seen, understood, and unburdened, they begin to relax—and you can live with more inner harmony.
About the Founder of IFS and the IFS Institute
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy was developed by Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D., a family therapist who, through his clinical work in the 1980s, discovered that people naturally contain a system of inner “parts”—each with its own thoughts, emotions, and roles. What he also found was profoundly hopeful: when clients connected to their core Self, an inner presence full of compassion, clarity, and confidence, healing could occur from the inside out.
This insight gave rise to the IFS model, which now helps people around the world navigate trauma, inner conflict, and emotional overwhelm with gentleness and self-leadership.
The IFS Institute, founded by Dr. Schwartz, is dedicated to making IFS accessible to clinicians, communities, and individuals across the globe. Their mission is more than clinical—it’s about supporting global healing by helping people return to their Self, and by transforming systems of care, leadership, and education through compassion and internal alignment.
The institute trains therapists, coaches, educators, and leaders to use IFS not only in therapy rooms but in schools, social justice work, organizations, and beyond.
Their vision is bold: a world where people lead from Self, where healing ripples outward into families, cultures, and communities.
How Healing Happens in IFS: The Neuroscience Behind Internal Family Systems Therapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is grounded in both clinical experience and emerging neuroscience. It offers a powerful framework for understanding and healing the mind by working with the different “parts” within us and accessing the steady presence of the Self—a core state marked by calm, clarity, and compassion.
Understanding the Brain’s Inner System
Neuroscience increasingly supports the idea that our minds are made up of distinct subpersonalities or “parts,” each with its own perspective, emotion, and protective strategy. This aligns with what IFS has long recognized—that we are not one monolithic mind, but a system of interconnected parts.
Some relevant brain science includes:
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The Default Mode Network (DMN): This network is active when we engage in self-reflection, introspection, and narrative thinking. It is believed to be involved in the activation of our internal parts. When parts dominate, the DMN can reinforce patterns shaped by past trauma or unmet needs.
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Amygdala Activation: In response to perceived threats or emotional distress, the amygdala becomes overactive, leading to anxiety, hypervigilance, or emotional reactivity. Many protective parts—like those responsible for anger, avoidance, or perfectionism—develop in response to these chronic emotional triggers.
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Prefrontal Cortex Integration: IFS helps clients reconnect with their Self, a state associated with increased activity in the prefrontal cortex. This part of the brain supports emotional regulation, empathy, insight, and decision-making. As therapy progresses, clients often experience a decrease in emotional reactivity and greater capacity to pause, reflect, and respond with intention.
In simple terms, IFS doesn’t just help you understand your inner world—it creates real neurological change by calming threat responses and strengthening internal connection and coherence.
Healing Through Internal Reconnection
During an IFS session, you will learn to turn inward and get to know your parts with curiosity rather than judgment. As your parts begin to feel seen, understood, and less burdened by past experiences, their influence softens.
For example:
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A part that was once anxious may no longer need to sound the alarm constantly.
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A part that carried shame may release that burden once it is truly witnessed.
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Protective parts may step back once they trust you have the inner strength to lead from your Self.
This process of unblending and unburdening helps the brain shift out of survival-based patterns and into more adaptive, connected, and grounded states.
Over time, clients report increased emotional resilience, improved relationships, and a more peaceful inner world.
Is IFS Therapy Right for You?
Working with an IFS therapist in Ontario, whether in-person in Kincardine or through virtual sessions, offers a non-pathologizing, empowering approach to therapy. IFS can support you if you:
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Struggle with anxiety, depression, or inner conflict
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Notice patterns of self-sabotage, perfectionism, or emotional reactivity
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Are carrying unresolved trauma or attachment wounds
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Feel stuck in relational dynamics you can’t seem to shift
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Want to build a more compassionate and balanced relationship with yourself
Unlike some therapies that focus primarily on symptoms, IFS helps you understand the root causes of your internal struggles and offers tools for lasting transformation.
Before beginning, it’s helpful to know:
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IFS is a collaborative and experiential model. Sessions often involve guided internal work.
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You don’t need to have a deep understanding of your inner world beforehand—your therapist will guide you.
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All parts are welcome. Even the ones you may dislike or fear have a purpose and can change through connection.
If you’re ready to explore Internal Family Systems therapy, our team of compassionate therapists is here to support you. We offer IFS therapy in Kincardine and across Ontario through secure virtual care. You don’t have to navigate your healing alone. Reach out today to begin your IFS journey.
Contact
(226) 396-2200
hello@attunedtherapy.ca
1802 Highway 21, Kincardine ON N2Z2X4
