Beyond crisis in Southeast Asia

IFS is more than a model of psychotherapy. It provides a framework for social justice; it’s an approach to self-healing; it’s a lens through which we can observe facets of life. People around the globe have started using the principles of IFS, as part of a broader approach to bring greater levels of social justice and more Self energy into the world, including Southeast Asia.

Myanmar (also known as Burma) is a country of approximately 55 million people located in the heart of Southeast Asia. Bordered by India, Bangladesh, China, Laos, and Thailand, Myanmar was the largest empire in the region for a short period in the 16th Century. More recently, however, the country has experienced significant humanitarian challenges due to its repressive military regime, ongoing violence, and armed conflicts. Consequently, safe community spaces are limited, as are spaces for emotional sharing.

Juan (name changed for confidentiality) is involved in a faith-based program with funding from the catholic church. The purpose of the program is to increase self-awareness and wellbeing experiences for participants, as well as to foster resilience within their families, organizations, and communities. These programs have been actively including the IFS methodology since 2022.

In early 2023 Juan had the opportunity to complete Level 1 training with the IFS institute in Spain, and then he followed that up with Level 2 training in early 2024. It was in this context that Juan started to include more practical activities to raise awareness about Parts and Self in order to help people regain balance and inner resilience. The main idea has been to invite diverse participants (in terms of religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, geographical location, and gender) in order to help them rediscover themselves and engage in a community of listening and support.

Workshops have provided an opportunity for people to come together and build understanding through the language of IFS, as well as to connect through Self energy. There have been a wide range of processes, including art methodologies such as painting, dancing, mask making, movies and role playing. Between 2022 and 2024 Juan and his team have conducted 23 workshops—all of them five days long, with a combination of face-to-face work and biweekly online sessions. Between May 2022–May 2024, approximately 160 individuals participated in the process.

Juan notes several outcomes from this project that are worth mentioning. For example, in simple terms, there has been significant improvement, in terms of the participants’ capacity to become self-aware and notice their Parts and how they impact in their daily lives and behaviors. In what can be a very stressful environment, generally, he cites one example of a religious sister who was teaching and looking after more than 100 children at a camp for internally displaced people. In response to the natural challenges of this situation, the sister would often react from frustrated or exhausted parts. But after joining Juan’s program, she was able to be more aware of why she got angry, or experienced body pain, when some children did not listen to her.

Juan cited another case of a former government teacher who was excluded from her community after joining the protest movement against the military coup. This individual shared how these workshops supported her mental wellbeing and her capacity to cope with this challenging loss. She reports being better able to find resources within, as well to continue with her life and to be supportive of others in similar situations.

It can be hard to find hope, compassion, or solidarity in the painful, lived circumstances of many people in Myanmar. However, by integrating IFS methodology into the self-awareness process of everyday life, some individuals have been better able to cope and become more resilient amidst the humanitarian and natural disasters. Providing food, medicine, and shelter are fundamental responses to crises and essential for the survival of entire communities but so is helping to make people’s lives visible by supportive and compassionate self-led approaches.

People in crisis also need to feel that their humanity is still present and that their lives are worth living. IFS can help achieve this.

Photo: Fishermen at sunset, Inle Lake Intha, Myanmar (Burma)