I have found the Internal Family Systems approach to therapy, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, to be a very effective method for peeling back layers of protection to get to, and heal the core of our wounding. In the language of IFS, we are not one unified personality, but instead are made up of many parts, much like a committee. As with most committees, there can an environment of polarity and chaos without good leadership—leadership that is able to hear all of the voices and help them communicate with compassion, clariy and confidence.
In the IFS method, we are ultimately seeking the guidance of the Self. In my words, I call this the Higher Self, the divine within, or Big Mind. It is the deepest truth of who we are at our core, beyond our egos and wounding. The qualities of the Self are about love, compassion, empathy, creativity, clarity, and confidence, to name a few. Healing happens when we can tap this place within and extend it to our wounded parts without the guidance of the Self, protective parts of us take over and often push parts of us that carry hurt, fear and past painful experiences into exile.
While I am not officially an Internal Family Systems therapist, I have attended several IFS workshops over the last several years. I have been integrating this approach more and more into my work with clients.