INTRODUCTION: JOURNEY TOWARD A NEW MODEL
1. The Basic Concepts: Multiplicity and Systems
2. Viewing Individuals as Systems
3. Changing the Internal System
4. Methods of Inner Work: In-Sight and Direct Access
5. Case Example
6. The Model's View of Families
7. Working with Families
8. Applying the Model at the Cultural and Societal Levels
9. Final Questions and Recommendations
Appendices:
A. Summary Outline for Working with Individuals.
B. Glossary of Concepts.
C. Bibliography of Models of Multiplicity
Richard C. Schwartz, PhD, is on the faculty of the Family Institute at Northwestern University. Coeditor of Handbook of Family Therapy Training and Supervision, he is coauthor of three books and author of over 40 articles on a variety of topics in psychotherapy. He serves on the editorial boards of five professional journals and is a fellow of the American Association of Marital and Family Therapists.
"The recent inclusion of dissociative identity disorder in the
DSM-IV (1994) signals a continuing shift from the
preconscious/conscious/unconscious model toward a multiple
consciousness/split-consciousness paradigm. Among the more
important voices in this revival is Dr. Richard Schwartz, whose
Internal Family Systems (IFS) model is an elegant synthesis of the
best principles of family systems therapy and the evolving,
multiple-selves paradigm of personality and consciousness.
In this important and timely book, Dr. Schwartz presents a
thoughtful, extensively researched and practical clinical model
that therapists will be able to apply to a broad range of clinical
issues. Schwartz shows not only how this model may be applied to
individuals and families, but also to understanding and changing
broader human systems at the level of culture and society. The
model also offers a way of understanding transference and
countertransference that is both elegant in its explanatory ability
and pragmatic in its clinical applicability.
Clinicians and other readers interested in paradigms of
consciousness will appreciate the gentle, yet powerful challenge to
Western assumptions about consciousness and personality this book
represents." --David L. Calof, editor-in-chief, Treating Abuse
Today, clinical director, Family Psychotherapy Practice of Seattle,
author (with Mary Leloo) of Multiple Personality and Dissociation:
Understanding Incest, Abuse, and MPD
"Internal Family Systems Therapy, developed by Richard Schwartz, is
one of the most innovative psychotherapeutic approaches to emerge
in recent years. Schwartz's model is a unique application of family
systems theory to the complex and conflictual interactional system
within each person. Psychotherapists working with individuals,
couples, or families will find these ideas and methods stimulating
and useful, and will value Schwartz's compassion and respect for
clients in their painful dilemmas and their change efforts."
--Froma Walsh, Ph.D., Professor & Co-Director, Center for Family
Health, University of Chicago, Past President, American Family
Therapy Academy
"In a complex world, systems thinking is the tool of choice. To my
knowledge, it has never been before been put to such good use as it
has in Richard Schwartz's model of the Internal Family System. His
description of the inner world of the psyche is the clearest and
most useful I have ever encountered. Any improvement in the
modeling of personality of this magnitude deserves very serious
attention. He writes well too, which is a great blessing." --Ron
Kurtz, B.A., Developer of the Hakomi Method of Body Centered
Psychotherapy
"Each of us is lobbied by a clamor of disembodied inner voices. In
his clinical work, Richard Schwartz engages with each of these
voices as though it were a full, living member of a small,
discordant, yet loyal parliament, one in which the core self of the
client permanently presides. By applying family systems approaches
to this interior assembly, Schwartz enables the client to
comprehend and grapple effectively with many problems, even with
such bedeviling maladies as bulimia and self-mutilation. His
brilliantly imaginative methods feel natural and immediately
acceptable to most individuals and families. The clear, intelligent
exposition makes this enchanting book equally accessible to
students and experienced clinicians." --Richard Chasin, MD, Family
Institute of Cambridge; Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry,
Harvard Medical School; President, American Family Therapy
Academy
"This book presents the Internal Family System's model in a clear
and readable way, providing wonderful case examples. The model is
an excellent integration of systems theory and individual
psychology which has literally transformed the way I work with
clients. Because my MFT students have found it to be a tremendous
help in their personal growth and in their growth as clinicians, I
will continue to use it in my MFT theory courses. I refer to it
over and over again in my clinical work, and hope that the author
continues to share his ideas with the field." --Laura Johnson,
PhD,, Assistant Professor, Appalachian State University
"Richard Schwartz is one of family therapist's most creative
explorers. This long-awaited volume on his Internal Family Systems
(IFS) model makes him the Magellan of family members' inner lives.
Schwartz has done for internal systems what Haley and Minuchin did
for external family processes. Schwartz makes the invisible visible
in ways that are compelling, lucid, and clinically useful. He shows
how the psyche is both systemic and accessible, and his model could
well revolutionize family therapy. A far cry from your typical dry
text, a spirit of adventure and discovery permeates this landmark
volume! Must reading for anyone who wants to stay up on current
models in the field. This book has generated enormous excitement
among my students, and I highly recommend it to teachers and
learners of therapy of any persuasion." --Douglas H. Sprenkle,
Ph.D., Purdue University, Editor, Journal of Marital and Family
Therapy
"....A hallmark of humbleness and thoroughness. Schwartz recognizes
that he is not the first theorist to view the mind as a
multiplicity-oriented entity....His thoroughness shines as he
provides detailed instructions for assessing and working with
individuals' internal family systems. In a refreshing stance, he
also discusses the common mistakes and pitfalls that new therapists
make in practicing this model....This book will be both
theoretically enriching and clinically helpful...." --Joseph L.
Wetchler in Journal of Family Psychotherapy
"...offers the clinician a new tool for understanding internal
conflicts and methods for working with themes of ambivalence and
conflicting desires." --Robert L. Beck, American Journal of
Psychotherapy
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