IFS Clinical Notes

Follow Ups and Updates from Previous Session's Parts Work

• Discussed the "People-Pleaser" manager part identified last week.
• Client noticed this part activating during a family dinner on 14/05/2024 and successfully paused to acknowledge it internally rather than immediately agreeing to host the next family event.

Presenting Concern / Focus of Session Today

• High anxiety regarding an upcoming performance review at work.
• Difficulty sleeping due to racing thoughts and fear of professional failure.

Parts Present

• Target Part: "The Taskmaster" (Manager). Presents as a harsh, critical inner voice demanding perfection and overworking to prevent criticism.
• "The Exhausted Part" (Firefighter). Wants to shut down, binge-watch television, and call in sick to avoid the performance review entirely.
• Underlying Exile (briefly sensed): A young, terrified part holding feelings of inadequacy and fear of rejection.

Self-Energy

• Initially low Self-energy due to strong blending with both the Taskmaster and an impatient part frustrated by the anxiety.
• Following unblending exercises, the client accessed moderate curiosity and compassion toward the Taskmaster's exhaustion.

Self-to-part Relationship Progress

• Client began the session heavily blended with the Taskmaster.
• Assisted client in differentiating from both the impatient part and the Taskmaster.
• Reactivity decreased from 8/10 to 4/10 once the Taskmaster felt heard and understood by the Self.
• No unburdening or exile witnessing occurred today, maintaining focus on building trust with the protective system first.

Interventions or Techniques Used

• Guided centering and breathwork to facilitate unblending.
• Direct access and internal dialogue with the Taskmaster.
• Mapping the polarization between the Taskmaster (overworking) and the Exhausted Part (avoidance).

Client Insight, Shifts, and/or Subjective Information

• Client recognized that the Taskmaster is not trying to punish her, but is desperately trying to protect her from feeling the shame held by the younger exile.
• Reported a physical sense of relief and softening in the upper back once this protective intention was acknowledged.

Plan and Next Steps

• Practice daily 5-minute check-ins with the Taskmaster to build Self-to-part trust before the performance review.
• Next session (24/05/2024 at 10:00): Explore the polarization between the Taskmaster and the Exhausted Part further, and seek permission from protectors to approach the younger exile.

Clinical Impressions and Additional Notes

• Client remains compliant with escitalopram (Cipralex®) 10 mg PO daily; reports no side effects.
• GAD-7 score: 11 (moderate anxiety, improved from 14 last month).
• Nil acute risk of self-harm or suicidality identified.

Find

• Thought: "If I make one mistake, everything will fall apart."
• Emotion: Acute dread and anticipatory anxiety.
• Somatic location: Tightness and constriction in the chest and shoulders.

Flesh Out

• Sensation described as a heavy, cold iron band wrapped tightly around the ribcage, accompanied by a rigid, bracing posture in the neck and shoulders.

Focus

• As the client focused on the iron band in the chest, an image emerged of a stern figure standing over a desk, holding a ticking stopwatch and pointing at a pile of unfinished paperwork.

Feel Toward

• Initially felt annoyed and overwhelmed by the stern figure ("I just want it to leave me alone so I can rest").
• After asking the annoyed part to step back, the client expressed genuine curiosity and a sense of compassion toward the figure, noting how tired it looked.

Befriend

• The Taskmaster revealed its role has been active since the client was 8 years old, working tirelessly to ensure high academic and professional achievement so the client would never face parental disappointment or rejection.

Fear

• The Taskmaster fears that if it relaxes its standards even slightly, the client will become lazy, fail the performance review, lose her job, and be overwhelmed by unbearable shame.