Can IFS Therapy Work with ADHD?
The answer is Yes, IFS Therapy can work with ADHD Persons. I don’t think this is true just because I am a therapist that uses Internal Family Systems with ADHD adults. There are tons of reasons why this therapy is helpful for neurodivergent people.
If you are not familiar, IFS Therapy for ADHD works like this. There is You, the person reading this. You are comprised full of parts, similar to a watch works or engine. All of these parts exist solely to help you function and protect you from the bad things this world has to offer. These parts hold the many thoughts, feelings, and actions you have. These have existed and always been there, and just come to take more prominent roles in your life as you need them. What’s difficult is that they stick around for too long and no longer become helpful. IFS Therapy’s goal is to undo some of this work and create more space for You, the person who is not apart.
IFS Therapy is Engaging
It’s been well study that a lack of dopamine is found in those diagnosed with ADHD. This neurochemical is responsible for rewarding your brain and reinforcing behaviors and helps us feel pleasure. Lacking in dopamine often results in difficulty with tasks that are not engaging or rewarding. IFS therapy works for ADHD adults by engaging in the internal puzzle of your parts to figure out what they do and why they do it. The result? Figuring out and solving the problem, and a rush of dopamine.
IT Doesn’t Use “Normal’ Conversation
Therapy can be tough for ADHD people, as talking is already a difficult thing to do. Going to a 50-minute session to spill your guts and be deep can be impossible. The result is unproductive sessions, therapy drop-out, or having difficulty retaining what the session was about. Contrastly, IFS Therapy works differently than most typical “talk” therapies. In most therapies, you are having a conversation with your therapist.
In IFS Therapy, the therapist guides you in a conversation with your Parts. The result is you are able to do a lot of communicating with images, metaphors, and imaginal experiences. These tend to come easier with neurodivergent people. The best part? Your therapist will understand this and even encourage it. Does your Part want to take a nap to take a break from the job it’s doing? Fantastic! Let it sleep. Do you have a Part that wants to walk into the ocean and disappear from existence? Cool, let it do just that. All of these are real scenarios I have worked with before. IFS Therapy works for ADHD because it uses the language that’s already been built, rather than using the conventional conversation.
Creativity and IFS Therapy: An ADHD Dream Come True
On top of this, IFS therapy encourages any and all creativity to relate to your Parts. Creativity is one of the 8 C’s that comes with Self Energy (the You that’s not a part). The others include confidence, courage, clarity, compassion, calmness, curiosity, and connectedness. If your experience one of these, that means you are not currently being overcome by a part. I encourage any and all drawing, journaling, and poetry writing within IFS work for my clients. The result is a rewarding experience, further insight, and relationship to your Parts, and develops your ability to express yourself further.
Do your research on IFS Therapy and make sure it’s a good fit for you. There are a ton of resources out there, including some of what I’ve linked to within my blog. Whatever the case, embrace your creativity and self-expression on your healing journey.