Understanding Self in IFS Therapy: The 8 C’s and 5 P’s
A central tenet of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, created by Richard Schwartz, is the concept of the Self. At the core of IFS lies the belief that each individual possesses a wise center, often referred to as the Self.
But what does that really mean, anyway?
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The Self in IFS has been defined by the “8 C's” and “5 P's”. The 8 C’s of Self are Curiosity, Compassion, Calm, Clarity, Courage, Confidence, Creativity, and Connectedness. The 5 P’s of Self are Presence, Perspective, Patience, Persistence, and Playfulness.
There are different ways to think about Self energy. At IFS EMDR Therapy Group, we align with the founder of IFS in the belief that we are all born with Self energy. We also prioritize the belief that there are “no bad parts,” as stated by Richard Schwartz, which means we respect every part and aim to harness the wisdom of every part within our system. This is our pathway to Self energy.
We embark on a collaborative journey with our clients to learn more about how their system is organized around protection and how we can work together to create conditions that empower their system to move toward healing.
One way we do this is to look for and understand any parts within our system that has ever experienced any of the 8 C’s or 5 P’s. If there are none, we work to find examples of these in everyday life, books, nature, movies, and pop cultures, etc.
Let's take a look at what the 8 C’s and 5 P’s are. Following the explanation, we’ve included reflection questions to help you harness these qualities in your own life.
Click here to download the infographic as a PDF.
The 8 C's of the Self in IFS Therapy:
Curiosity: This means being open-minded and wanting more information about something - it can also be described as a learner’s mindset.
Compassion: It’s all about being kind and understanding, especially to feelings such as hurt, anger, or sadness.
Calm: This is about feeling centered and peaceful inside, even when things are tough.
Clarity: It's like having a clear picture of what we want, how we feel, and who we are, which helps us know the next right action in everyday life.
Courage: This means being brave enough to admit our fears, move toward things that feel scary, and explore our feelings or desired actions.
Confidence: It's believing in ourselves and knowing we're worth it, even when we feel unsure. It is a belief that we can do hard things and are capable.
Creativity: This is an energy of new ideas and ways to express ourselves or bring our ideas to life.
Connectedness: Feeling and knowing that our inner parts are in relationship with each other and with us, and that we are also linked with others outside of us and the world around us.
The 5 P's in IFS Therapy:
Presence: Being right here, right now, with awareness of what's happening inside our bodies, minds, and the room around us without getting overwhelmed.
Perspective: Seeing things and ourselves from a bigger view, beyond just how we feel right now or have felt historically.
Patience: Being okay with taking things slow and understanding that things take time.
Persistence: A commitment to keep going, even when things get tough, because we know it's worth it.
Playfulness: Approaching life with a light-hearted attitude and finding fun and joy in exploring ourselves.
Photo by Shameika Black-Odei on Unsplash
In IFS therapy, these qualities help us understand and heal ourselves. By practicing the 8 C's and 5 P's, we can discover who we really are and feel better inside.To start using these qualities in your own life. Here are some questions to ask yourself.
Start with each quality one at a time. Fill in the blank of the question below with that quality and move down the list.
Can you think of any time you have felt deeply ____________about something?
Can you think of a moment in your life where you received ___________ from someone?
Can you think of a person in your life, an animal or plant, or a character in a book, movie, or show that is an example of ___________?
By noticing moments or associations you have with the qualities of Self, you can start to work on building those qualities by visiting these examples regularly.
If the above step felt comfortable and safe for you, next identify one quality you’d like to work on enhancing in your daily life. Try bringing attention to your examples listed above every day for two weeks during the transitions of your days; when you wake up, brush your teeth, go to work, come home from work, wash the dishes, or go to bed. Then after two weeks of daily respective practice, try to bring that same energy to your thoughts and feelings. If you find this challenging, that's okay. It takes time to build new muscles. It is a personal journey and it's okay if it takes time.
If you want help along the way, talking to an IFS-informed therapist can be really helpful. Exploring and enhancing these qualities can lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and a more authentic way of living.
More Reading:
Healing Attachment Wounds: How EMDR And Parts Work Can Help
Understanding Trauma: Symptoms and Healing
How EMDR Can Help With Negative Thoughts
Authorship: This blog was written by Morgan Levine, LCSW and Katy Levine, LMSW (no relation). Katy (licensed in Washington, D.C., MD, VA, & PA) focuses on supporting clients with complex trauma history, attachment wounding, anxiety, and perfectionism, using IFS-informed EMDR. Morgan (licensed in MD, DC, VA, PA, and CO) specializes in intensive EMDR and IFS-Informed EMDR in-person in her office or in Immersive Intensive Retreats, as well as virtually. Morgan is passionate about working with adults who want to heal from perfectionism, overworking, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADHD, obsessions and compulsions, relationship issues, CPTSD, use of substances or people, attachment wounds, and specific trauma events.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for mental health care nor a recommendation or endorsement for any particular treatment plan, organization, provider, professional service, or product. The information may change without notice. No claims, promises, or guarantees are made about the completeness, accuracy, currency, content or quality of information linked. You assume all responsibility and risk for any use of the information.
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For more information on IFS, visit https://ifs-institute.com/.
