Internal Family Systems Therapy for Addictions: Trauma-Informed, Compassion-Based Interventions for Substance Use, Eating, Gambling and More

I am not a mental health professional. But I’m a smart guy with a doctoral degree, with over a decade of therapy experience that has done wonders in helping me deal with severe trauma, but given me very limited progress in dealing with compulsive sexual behavior. Several months ago, I started with a new psychologist with an IFS focus. This book has been tremendously useful in helping me to understand the treatment focus. I have noticed huge benefits already. I’ve had too many recurrences to say “this time is my last,” but I have so much more clarity. It’s been profound.This book speaks to both practitioners and patients who want to understand how IFS can be used to treat the addictive process. The book covers theory in an easily readable format, including examples from therapy sessions. This is the first book I’ve read where I quickly felt the need to thank and reach out to the lead author, Cece Sykes.I am a professional who deals all the time in my work with people suffering from trauma and abuse. Not as a therapist, but as a lawyer who represents this population. I wish so much that everyone who deals with addiction can learn from this smart and compassionate approach that gently treats the core addiction problem, instead of just giving behavioral tips to stop the behavior/symptoms.Thank you so much, Cece and Martha, for a wonderful book. And of course to Richard Schwartz who developed this brilliant therapy method.

Even if you don’t believe in therapy you would read this book. IFS is great for anyone and really helps with self reflecting and understanding your behaviors.

Cece never ceases to amaze me with her conceptualization of the IFS model and the ease and simplification in which she explains it. This is a brilliant work of healing art!!!! Such a needed text on loving up on and having the courage to work with the parts that have been so socially demonized and the addictive process. There is very little out there in IFS texts that does any justice on how to work with challenging polarized parts that influence the delicate balancing act of our internal system and this succinct text nails it. It is a go to for those very competent in IFS as well as those learning the model. The applicable exercises and easy to follow client scripts paint an easy to understand road map on how to show up in Self for clients that sometimes feel challenging to parts of us. Can’t recommend this valuable book enough. Thank you for putting it into our hands.

Whether your goal is deeper understanding of the IFS philosophy, or clinical applications of the IFS perspective, this book will be a revelation for you. While focused on addiction, the authors' presentation will also be welcomed by anyone wishing to engage in the what, why and how of IFS work in general. I was particularly impressed by the clarity of the writing. There were gold nuggets of phrasing sprinkled throughout.

As an IFS clinician and client this book is a fresh perspective on addictive parts in all of us. I appreciate the gentleness and compassionate approach to those places inside all of us that have good intentions to soothe pain. I highly recommend this book and recommend not skipping over the exercises; they are worth doing!!!! A real gem for the IFS community!