Justmehere
Sponsor
I understand internal family systems therapy (IFS) is helpful to some. I have done some very light IFS around writing a letter to myself as a kid. That was very helpful. The therapist that I worked with to do that work didn't push to use it in any other ways. I only saw them while at a PTSD intensive treatment, but that small thing of writing to myself what I needed to hear as a kid, and what I needed to hear now as an adult, was very settling. I do not have DID, as verified a number of times by professionals, but it still helped.
IFS appears to be a style of therapy that is having a bit of popularity right now, and I'm not sure it's all good. As part of my process to sort myself out lately, have consulted with a handful of therapists. There have been a couple that said they "play" with "personality parts" for people without DID.
A trauma therapist I saw a few times a few years ago asked that I name my emotions. I thought they meant "anger," "fear" and ect. No. They meant names like Sally or Joe. It was the third session. I have never used any other names than my own name. I said no, refused, explained I don't have other names. She pressed in. I asked her why I should used the names she was suggesting. She explained it was part of IFS, etc, and that she also really liked one of the names because it was her favorite niece's name. I never went back.
Not long after that, I signed up here, and my name is "justmehere" is because when I first signed up, I was fed up. It's justmehere. (It fits in many other ways too.)
Another therapist, after some time working together, also asked I do the same thing. They also assured me I didn't have DID. They still wanted names. They proceeded to also suggest that I name myself after a TV show character that has a number for a name. They proceeded to describe the character of the show that I had never seen. I told her, "No. I will not call myself that name or any other name than my legal name." She didn't let it go. Several sessions in a row, she pushed for me to call myself a number as a proper now like the character in the show. She had other suggestions too. She kept using them until I was in tears and left the session telling her that I wondered if this a little bit like what deadnaming feels like for others. She stopped, didn't go there again, and I eventually quit that therapist as well.
While some are helped by IFS, there are ways it can go wrong. There are plenty of threads about the positives, has anyone else experienced any downsides of IFS or it's current popularity?
IFS appears to be a style of therapy that is having a bit of popularity right now, and I'm not sure it's all good. As part of my process to sort myself out lately, have consulted with a handful of therapists. There have been a couple that said they "play" with "personality parts" for people without DID.
A trauma therapist I saw a few times a few years ago asked that I name my emotions. I thought they meant "anger," "fear" and ect. No. They meant names like Sally or Joe. It was the third session. I have never used any other names than my own name. I said no, refused, explained I don't have other names. She pressed in. I asked her why I should used the names she was suggesting. She explained it was part of IFS, etc, and that she also really liked one of the names because it was her favorite niece's name. I never went back.
Not long after that, I signed up here, and my name is "justmehere" is because when I first signed up, I was fed up. It's justmehere. (It fits in many other ways too.)
Another therapist, after some time working together, also asked I do the same thing. They also assured me I didn't have DID. They still wanted names. They proceeded to also suggest that I name myself after a TV show character that has a number for a name. They proceeded to describe the character of the show that I had never seen. I told her, "No. I will not call myself that name or any other name than my legal name." She didn't let it go. Several sessions in a row, she pushed for me to call myself a number as a proper now like the character in the show. She had other suggestions too. She kept using them until I was in tears and left the session telling her that I wondered if this a little bit like what deadnaming feels like for others. She stopped, didn't go there again, and I eventually quit that therapist as well.
While some are helped by IFS, there are ways it can go wrong. There are plenty of threads about the positives, has anyone else experienced any downsides of IFS or it's current popularity?
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