An IFS Therapist's View on Inside Out: Insights from IFS Therapy

* Spoiler alert—this following article reveals a lot about the movie, so if you want to be surprised, please read this after you have seen the film.

As an IFS therapist, I find Pixar's Inside Out to be an insightful and engaging depiction of our inner emotional world. The film beautifully portrays the complexity of our emotions and how they interact within us, aligning closely with the principles of Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy.

Check out the trailer below:

Understanding Emotions through Inside Out

In Inside Out, we follow Riley, an 11-year-old girl navigating the significant life change of moving to a new city. Inside her mind, five core emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust—struggle to guide her through this transition. This internal struggle mirrors the IFS model, where different parts of our psyche, known as subpersonalities, interact and influence our behavior and feelings.

IFS Therapy and Emotional Parts

IFS Therapy views the mind as an internal family of parts, each with its own perspective, desires, and memories. Just like Riley's emotions in Inside Out, our parts can sometimes clash, leading to internal conflicts. IFS Therapy helps clients understand and harmonize these parts, fostering self-compassion and inner peace.

In the movie, Joy initially tries to suppress Sadness, believing that Riley must remain happy. This dynamic illustrates a common scenario in IFS Therapy: our dominant parts (like Joy) often try to protect us by controlling or ignoring other parts (like Sadness). However, IFS teaches that all parts have valuable roles and should be understood and integrated.

The Role of the Self in IFS Therapy

A key concept in IFS Therapy is the Self—a core aspect of our being characterized by qualities such as compassion, curiosity, and calmness. The Self is distinct from our parts and can help mediate between them. Throughout Inside Out, Riley's emotional journey showcases moments where her Self shines through, helping to balance her emotions.

Practical Takeaways from Inside Out for IFS Therapy

Acknowledging All Parts: Just as Joy learns to appreciate Sadness, we must acknowledge and validate all our parts. Each part, no matter how difficult, has a purpose and contributes to our overall well-being.
Fostering Self-Compassion: Embracing the Self's qualities helps us approach our parts with compassion and understanding. This approach can transform internal conflicts into opportunities for growth.
Balancing Emotions: The film emphasizes the importance of emotional balance. In IFS Therapy, this balance is achieved by allowing the Self to lead and harmonize our parts.

Conclusion

Inside Out offers a compelling visual representation of the principles of IFS Therapy. By understanding and integrating our parts, we can achieve greater emotional balance and self-compassion. As an IFS therapist, I encourage you to explore these themes within your own emotional landscape and discover the healing potential of IFS Therapy.

Book a therapy session with me or find a professional using this IFS practitioner's directory.

Watch the trailer for Inside Out 2 here.