IFS now classified as an Evidence-Based Practice in the USA
“As a clinical treatment, IFS has been rated effective for improving general functioning and well-being.”
“In addition, it has been rated promising for each of: improving phobia, panic, and generalized anxiety disorders and symptoms; physical health conditions and symptoms; personal resilience/self-concept; and depression and depressive symptoms.”
The full study is available at: http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2013/08/10/jrheum.121465.full.pdf
IFS Research Studies
MDMA and PTSD STUDIES (ongoing research)
Below is an excerpt from the 2019 edition of Internal Family Systems Therapy – 2nd Edition. Since 2008, Michael Mithoefer (clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina) and his colleagues have been studying methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (called ecstasy on the street) in conjunction with psychotherapy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). More than 1100 individuals have received MDMA in phase 1 or phase 2 clinical trials so far without any unexpected drug-related serious adverse events (Lancet, 2016, p. 4). Because of the remarkable success of these first two studies, phase 3 trials are now underway with a multi….
The Efficacy Of Internal Family Systems Therapy In The Treatment Of Depression Among Female College Students: A Pilot Study (2016)
“Results demonstrated a decline in depressive symptoms for both conditions and no significant differences in the magnitude or rate of change. The results provide preliminary evidence for the efficacy of IFS in the treatment of depressive symptoms”.
Authors: Shelley A. Haddock, Lindsey M. Weiler, Lisa J. Trump, Kimberly L. Henry In 2016, Shelley Haddock and colleagues published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy ( Haddock, et al, 2016) a study that tested IFS as an alternative treatment for depressed female college students, “a significant portion of whom do not benefit” from the existing empirically supported treatments, which the authors list as “antidepressant medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT).” Subjects were randomly assigned to the IFS condition (n=17) and the treatment as….
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Treatment for PTSD and Comorbid Conditions: A Pilot Study (currently under submission to journals)
Authors: Hilary Hodgdon, Ph.D., Frank G. Anderson, M.D., Elizabeth Southwell, B.A., Wendy Hrubec, LICSW, Richard Schwartz, Ph.D. This pilot study had remarkable results. Of the thirteen subjects who were diagnosed with PTSD and completed the 16 sessions of IFS, only 1 still qualified for the diagnosis at the end of the study and at the one-month follow-up. That is, 92% of the participants no longer met the PTSD criteria, which translates into a huge effect size of -4.46. In addition, there were significant decreases in depression, affect dysregulation, dissociation, disrupted self-perception….
IFS Shown to Reduce Pain and Depression, and Improve Physical Function for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients (2013)
Results of Randomized Controlled Study Published in the Journal of Rheumatology August 15, 2013 – The results from a randomized controlled study, published recently in the Journal of Rheumatology, show that an IFS-based intervention had positive effects on patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), reducing pain and depressive symptoms, while improving physical function and self-compassion. The study was the first randomized control trial of its kind conducted to assess the efficacy of IFS on patient outcomes Dr. Nancy Shadick, from the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at….
“As a clinical treatment, IFS has been rated EFFECTIVE for improving general functioning and well-being.
In addition, it has been rated PROMISING for each of: improving phobia, panic, and generalized anxiety disorders and symptoms; physical health conditions and symptoms; personal resilience/self-concept; and depression and depressive symptoms.”
The full study is available at: http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2013/08/10/jrheum.121465.full.pdf
