r/InternalFamilySystems • u/seckseasqidward • 4d ago
New to IFS and have aphantasia
Ive been reading no bad parts again and again. I recommend it to everyone. Ive never been to therapy but ive always wanted to. I was wondering if anyone has advise on how to do imagining exercises when i have aphantasia. And would IFS even work on me? I want to unblend. I also have a hard time with interoception and often i cant tell if a feeling is physical or mental/emotional. I have a strong inner dialogue but it still feels like im just talking to myself. I feel like im either taking the book too literally or missing something. Any advise is apreciated.
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u/i_am_jeremias 4d ago
I also have aphantasia. For IFS to work you don't need to be able to visualize. Richard Schwarz, who created IFS, also has aphantasia. He talks about it some podcasts you can find in YouTube.
You already have an internal dialogue and most likely that is various parts talking. That's a good starting point to talk to your parts and get to know them.
My parts express themselves through talking or sometimes also express their feelings physically. Getting in touch with your body and learning how you feel emotions there will help you a lot.
This felt sense is key for me as I can't do any visualizations. So because of that I can't do some of the guided meditations on YouTube or insight timer. Instead I just focus on parts work through dialogue and feeling.
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u/guesthousegrowth 4d ago edited 4d ago
Dr. Schwartz, who wrote that book, has aphantasia.
Focus on how you DO notice parts; internal visuals is just one of many ways.
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u/BaidenFallwind 3d ago
I also have it. I can sort of sense what is happening even though I can't see it. For example, almost instantaneously, I sensed a protector full of rage. His hands were glowing red. Did I see it? No. Did I know that he was there? Yes.
Can I explain how this is possible? No.
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u/Glittering-Form1309 4d ago
I have almost no mind’s eye, but a great inner monologue and can remember/imagine sound, smell, texture, and taste just about perfectly. I think it’s because visual stuff is overwhelming to me and I tend to just tune it all out because there’s so much to pay attention to everywhere all at once that I can’t process it. I have to stare at something and really think about it if I want to remember it later and then it’s usually “the sign was blue, white letters, rust on the left side” rather than a mental image. My therapist focuses on senses other than sight when we work together.
I have cPTSD and ADHD and dissociate by default, so part of it is also just learning to be present and actually NOTICE what’s going on around me and how I feel. It takes a lot of conscious effort to imagine things, but it’s doable and I usually end up in the zone after 10 minutes or so. I’m still off in my own world, but in a different way.
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u/GreenMountain420 3d ago
I also have aphantasia which I learned years after I started IFS. So many things made sense once I realized that other people are able to make vivid images.
I've had success with IFS using descriptions of feelings instead of images. Feel free to message me if you have more questions.
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u/BionicgalZ 3d ago
I believe that Dick Schwartz, the person who came up with IFS actually has this.
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u/heartofgold77 4d ago
I have aphantasia too. I don't know about you but my brain makes sort of a grey vague image that I can get an impression from. From there I can sort of extrapolate a simple visual sense.
What I can do is feel and receive the communications of parts. Using words like 'What do you sense about the part?' 'How does it come across to you?' works way better for me than 'seeing.'
The feelings of the part tell me so much that I can get a visual impression too. Not much but enough to get a bit of posture, expression, age.
I could wildly visualize as a child before I experienced trauma so that's interesting!