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So often, addiction is viewed as a disease or an uncontrollable habit that signals a lack of willpower. In Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy for Addictions, IFS educator Cece Sykes, IFS author Martha Sweezy, and IFS founder, Richard Schwartz, suggest a paradigm shift. Rather than viewing addiction as a pathology, they propose that it reflects the behavior of polarized, protective parts struggling to manage underlying emotional pain.
In this manual, therapists will learn to access their core, compassionate Self and collaborate with clients in befriending protective parts who engage in addictive processes; healing the vulnerable, wounded parts they protect; and restoring balance to their system.
Included inside: Experiential exercises to help clients (and therapists) get to know their own parts
Guidelines for conducting assessments in an engaging, collaborative way
Clear strategies for negotiating internal conflict and navigating polarizations between opposing parts
Case examples annotated with step-by-step explanations
Downloadable worksheets, handouts, and meditations
About the author
Cece Sykes, LCSW, is a consultant and senior trainer with the Internal Family Systems Institute, where she specializes in trauma and addiction and educates therapists around the world on how to apply the IFS therapy model to addictive processes. Additionally, Sykes is now exploring how psychotherapy affects the therapist's life. She lectures, consults, and leads workshops on these and related topics, and also maintains a private practice in Chicago. She has co-authored a number of articles on treating the impact of sexual trauma in families and authored the chapter "An IFS Lens on Addiction: Compassion for Extreme Parts" in the 2017 book, Innovations and Elaborations in Internal Family Systems Therapy.
