One of the most fascinating aspects of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy is listening to the various Parts disclose secrets they are keeping from the other Parts. The fact that this phenomenon occurs at all lends proof to how relevant this method of trauma therapy is. It also clarifies how ineffective the memory disclosure approach is for the treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
When Parts confide in the therapist, and that individual is not trained in IFS Therapy, they most likely will have no idea how to properly respond. As you can probably imagine, that lack of understanding often leads to frustration for the client.
Secrets from Child Parts
Quite often, it is the younger Parts who feel most compelled to share secrets with their therapist. Child Parts may be doing everything they can think of to protect the Self, and they may turn to the therapist for help with this. In these cases, disclosing physical or sexual abuse or experiencing flashbacks is very common.
Traditional therapy might handle this situation by reporting this secret information to the client (Self), like they would if they were dealing with an actual child and their parent. The problem is that most people in trauma therapy are not equipped to handle that information. This is why traditional trauma therapy can and often does lead to continued traumatic experiences, even while healing is supposed to be taking place.
Protector Parts’ Responses
Younger Parts frequently experience backlash or some type of punishment from Protector Parts when they begin sharing secrets. This may manifest in the form of the client “firing” the therapist, devaluing him or her in some way, or terminating their treatment altogether. In some cases, punishment may be evident in self-injurious behaviors or substance abuse. Protector Parts tend to worry that Child Parts will become too dependent upon the therapist. They see this as one way they can “fight back.”
In traditional therapy settings, the therapist may feel encouraged by the clients’ reports and encourage them to continue to disclose information and secrets about their past. The result is that Protector Parts feel even more threatened. This behavior comes across to them as “taking sides.”
Why Doesn’t the Memory Disclosure Approach Work?
Research has shown that the memory disclosure approach to trauma therapy has been detrimental to many clients instead of healing. These individuals, who were desperate for relief from their symptoms, only got worse.
In her book, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors, Janina Fisher discusses a client who became afraid when her therapist disclosed a Child Part’s memories to her. It bothered her that she could attend a therapy session and not have any recollection of what happened there. The client ended up feeling “possessed” when her therapist talked about how the Parts spoke to her, separate from the client’s knowledge.
Traditional trauma therapy does not work because it can lead clients to feel out of control and even worse than they were when they started. If you or someone you love needs trauma therapy that really works, I highly recommend IFS Therapy.
Contact me today for an appointment.
