The term Ascension refers to the process of expanding consciousness and aligning our vibrational frequency to its highest state of being. For many, ascension involves shedding old, limiting beliefs, healing past trauma, and awakening to a deeper connection with Infinite Self and Source energy. As we progress along this path, there are often inner obstacles—emotional blocks, unresolved trauma, or ingrained patterns—that can impede our growth.
This is where Internal Family Systems (IFS) work can be a powerful ally. IFS is a therapeutic model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz that offers tools to explore and heal the deeper layers of our mind. It helps us to clear the internal clutter that may be preventing our spiritual growth and ascension. IFS views the mind as made up of multiple parts, each with its own needs, beliefs, and emotions, and works to integrate these parts with the Self, the calm, wise, and compassionate core that aligns with higher consciousness.
IFS work can support your ascension journey by helping you with healing emotional wounds, integrating inner conflicts, and facilitating alignment with your true spiritual essence.
What is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?
IFS is a holistic psychotherapy model that posits that the mind consists of different parts or subpersonalities, each playing specific roles based on past experiences. These parts are similar to a family system. As children, our parts are usually happy, balanced and serve in roles that are supportive. However, over time, many of them can also become limiting or dysfunctional as we experience trauma. The primary goal of IFS is to help individuals connect with their Self—the compassionate, curious, non-judgmental, and wise center of the psyche— get to know their parts, and support them in becoming a balanced, integrated system.
There are three primary categories of parts in IFS:
1. Exiles: These are the parts of us that carry unresolved emotional pain, often tied to trauma, rejection, or unmet needs. Exiles are usually suppressed or ignored to protect the individual from re-experiencing overwhelming emotions.
2. Managers: These parts take on the responsibility of keeping the system in control and safe, often through behaviors like perfectionism, avoidance, or overworking. Managers aim to prevent exiled emotions from surfacing by maintaining a sense of order and predictability.
3. Firefighters: When suppressed emotions (exiles) break through and overwhelm the system, firefighters emerge to distract or numb the individual from the pain. Firefighters can manifest as compulsive behaviors, addictions, or intense emotional outbursts designed to immediately “put out the fire” of discomfort.
At the core of IFS is the Self, which represents the true essence of who we are—our higher consciousness, free of distortion and fear. The Self is naturally compassionate, calm, and connected to a sense of purpose. IFS helps us restore balance and harmony by inviting the Self to lead and guide the various parts toward healing and integration.
How IFS Healing Supports the Ascension Process
Ascension is inherently a process of inner transformation, involving the release of outdated paradigms and the embodiment of higher frequencies of consciousness. For many, this journey requires healing unresolved emotional wounds, transforming self-limiting beliefs, and integrating all aspects of the self. Here are some ways IFS work can support this transformation by helping individuals navigate their internal landscape and clear the obstacles standing in the way of their spiritual growth.
1. Healing Emotional Wounds and Past Trauma
Ascension often involves the release of deep-seated emotional blocks that prevent the flow within their existing energy field and new frequencies that come in as the Ascension cycle progresses. These blocks are frequently tied to past trauma or unprocessed emotional wounds. In IFS, exiled parts carry these repressed emotions, which may stem from childhood experiences, past relationships, or painful life events. These parts are often locked in a state of pain, holding onto memories and feelings that, when left unresolved, can cause stagnation in one's spiritual growth.
IFS work provides a safe container to reconnect with these exiled parts, allowing individuals to process and heal old trauma. By addressing these emotional wounds and offering the exiles compassion, a person can clear the energetic and emotional blockages that keep them anchored in vibrational states that aren’t in alignment with their Infinite Self’s intentions. This healing process is crucial for ascension, as unresolved pain keeps us tethered to fear, shame, and guilt—frequencies that are incompatible with higher states of consciousness.
2. Balancing and Integrating Inner Parts
One of the challenges many of us face on our ascension journey is inner conflict. As you begin to open to higher truths and expand your consciousness, managers and firefighters may resist the changes. Managers may attempt to control your spiritual practices or intellectualize your experiences, while firefighters might push you to distract yourself through unhealthy coping mechanisms when the intensity of change feels too overwhelming.
IFS provides a framework for understanding and working with these protective parts. By recognizing that these parts are acting out of love and a desire to protect, individuals can approach them with compassion instead of judgment. Through IFS, you can encourage these protective parts to relax their grip and allow the Self to lead the way. As you create more harmony between the parts and the Self, your internal system becomes more aligned, making it easier to navigate the challenges of ascension with greater ease and flow.
3. Increasing Self-Awareness and Compassion
A critical aspect of ascension is increasing one's awareness of the unconscious patterns that govern behavior and perception. IFS fosters self-awareness by helping individuals observe their thoughts, emotions, and reactions from a place of non-judgment. By identifying the roles that each part plays, you can gain clarity on how past trauma, old conditioning, or limiting beliefs have shaped your current experience.
Along with self-awareness, self-compassion is an essential component of ascension. In IFS, the Self is a nurturing, loving energy that approaches all parts with unconditional love. This compassionate relationship allows the individual to release inner criticism and judgment, creating space for healing and spiritual growth. Self-compassion helps you navigate the ascension process without resistance or self-doubt, allowing you to step more fully into your higher vibrational state.
4. Aligning with the Higher Self
A central aim of both IFS and ascension is to help individuals reconnect with their Infinite Self—the source of inner wisdom, clarity, and spiritual truth. In the IFS model, the Self is not just an abstract concept but a tangible presence that can guide you toward deeper healing and integration.
Another aim is to get to know, trust, and love yourself on a deeper level through connecting with your parts, learning about them, understanding why they behave the way they do, and helping them move into a role that supports the system in a healthy way.
Through IFS, individuals can uncover the ways in which their parts (particularly the managers and firefighters) have kept them disconnected from their infinite self. When the parts are healed and balanced, the individual is able to access their divine essence with greater clarity. This connection with the Higher Self is foundational for ascension, as it allows you to operate from a place of pure consciousness, embodying your truest spiritual potential. The more you align with the Higher Self, the more your life becomes a reflection of higher consciousness, love, and divine purpose.
Ascension is a process of inner evolution that requires healing, transformation, and integration. IFS offers a powerful framework for addressing the emotional wounds, limiting beliefs, and protective patterns that may hinder your ascension journey. By engaging with your internal system through compassion and curiosity, you can transmute the energetic blocks that hold you back and create the inner harmony necessary to raise your vibration and align with your highest spiritual essence.
IFS work facilitates a deeper connection to the Self, helping you heal old trauma, integrate fragmented parts of your consciousness, and step more fully into your divine purpose. As you heal, grow, and heal outdated patterns, you expand your capacity to embody light frequencies and contribute to the collective ascension of humanity.
Internal Family Systems therapy, coaching, and self-work provide not just a healing tool, but a map for navigating the complex terrain of spiritual growth. With its guidance, you can move through the ascension process with greater ease, compassion, and self-awareness—ultimately aligning with the highest version of yourself.
Ready to Begin Your Journey?
If you’re excited about the potential of IFS coaching to help you transform your life and get closer to your goals, I’m here for you! Whether you want to dive into personal growth, explore your inner landscape, or tackle specific challenges, we can work together to create a roadmap for your journey.
Want to know more, or are you ready to take the plunge? Click the button below to book a discovery call. I can’t wait to hear from you and help you embark on this exciting adventure of self-discovery and growth!
Barbara Buck has facilitated energy healing in one form or another since 2000. She currently practices her own style of multidimensional healing using gold light Source frequency. She is an intuitive healer, IFS Coach, and empath who assists other healers and psychics to activate and fully remember their abilities and connect with their personal modalities. She is often called by her peers “a healer’s healer.” She guides others to discover their highest potential and remember their reason for being here at this incredible time of accelerated awakening. If you're interested in knowing more about her healing work, visit barbarabuck.org
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