How Internal Family Systems Helps Us Survive the Mirror World
A guide to staying grounded—and reaching people trapped in MAGA’s grip
The economy is unraveling.
Disinformation is everywhere.
And millions of people are living in a version of reality where up is down, facts don’t matter, and loyalty to the leader is more important than truth.
If you’ve felt overwhelmed, angry, or like you’re losing your grip watching all this unfold—you’re not alone.
And if you’ve ever wondered how to stay grounded, or how to talk to someone who seems lost in the MAGA mirror world—there’s a tool I want to share with you.
It’s called Internal Family Systems (IFS).
And it’s not just for therapy.
It’s a practice that can help us understand ourselves, resist manipulation, and maybe even reach the people we’ve given up on.
What Is Internal Family Systems?
IFS is based on a simple but radical idea:
We’re not one single self. We’re made up of many different parts—like an internal family.
Some parts try to protect us.
Some carry wounds from the past.
Some get loud and angry.
Others hide and shut down.
But beneath all those parts is something deeper: the Self—the calm, clear, grounded center of who we are.
IFS teaches us how to build relationships with our parts so they don’t take over or act out. It helps us listen to what they need without being hijacked by them.
It’s not about “fixing” ourselves. It’s about healing through connection, compassion, and clarity—inside and out.
Why Does This Matter Now?
Because the same dynamics we work with inside—the fear, the shame, the rage, the need for control—are playing out on a massive scale in our political world.
Authoritarian movements like MAGA hijack people’s internal systems.
They flood them with fear.
They offer simple stories to explain deep pain.
They turn protectors into attackers and weaponize identity to shut down curiosity.
And then they flip the script:
They call you the brainwashed one.
They say you’re the threat.
And suddenly the people you love are repeating lies, rejecting reality, and defending things they never would have believed ten years ago.
This is not just misinformation. It’s psychological manipulation.
How IFS Can Help
IFS gives us a way to stay rooted when the world is designed to knock us off balance.
Instead of reacting from our own fear or rage, we can check in with the parts of us that are activated.
We can step back into Self—into curiosity, compassion, and courage.
From that place, we can make choices that are clear, grounded, and aligned with our values.
And when we’re in that space, we can sometimes reach other people too.
Not by arguing.
Not by proving them wrong.
But by making space for the parts of them that are scared.
The parts that might be whispering, “Something isn’t right.”
The parts that still know how to feel.
It won’t work with everyone.
But if we give up entirely, we’re ceding the ground of reality itself.
The Bigger Picture
We are living through a moment of epistemic collapse—where truth is under attack, fear is the dominant emotion, and people are being trained to disconnect from their own inner knowing.
IFS is a tool for resistance.
Not just personal healing—but collective survival.
It helps us reclaim our minds.
It helps us build communities rooted in clarity and connection.
And it gives us language for what’s happening—inside and outside.
We’re not just fighting a political movement.
We’re resisting a psychological takeover.
And to do that, we need to stay grounded.
We need to stay connected.
And we need to remember that no matter how chaotic it gets—we are not alone.
There is a way through this.
But it starts inside.
I’m writing these posts to keep myself grounded and remember what’s important to me. I’d love to hear from you. Please share this writing if you’re inspired.
Want to learn more about using IFS as a tool for resistance and collective care?
Subscribe to my newsletter and come along for the ride.
Also read: IFS and the Courage to FIght
Find me here:
Yes! All so very clear, important, and true. Thank you!
I get Family Constellations and Internal Family Systems mixed up, but from the little I know about IFS I think it would be an interesting tool to use for staying grounded right now in the wake of an authoritarian takeover. Yes, another psychological operation is underway in 2025. When something sews fear and confusion that is a good indicator that mind control is in play.
2020-2022 was another example of this. Fear and confusion was definitely sown then and people were manipulated into not questioning government orders, following along with unscientific regulations and questionable medical experiments.
People were manipulated into making choices they otherwise would not have. People were manipulated into bullying the heck out of people who didn't go along. No, I didn't go along with it and was prepared to be jobless and homeless. It was a very stressful several years.
No, I did not vote for the current man in the oval office. I wrote, "I do not consent!" on my ballot when I went to vote. However, despite my distaste for the orange man, I was so relieved when his opponent did not win. I didn't expect to feel so relieved! It felt like my dirty secret.
Then I had lunch with a new friend one day. Neither of us had gotten the shots. We confessed our relief in regard to the election outcome. Together we realized it was because the previous Administration had felt so oppressive to us with the mandates and just the really awful things and lies that were told about us.
So the coup of American democracy started before 2025.
It even started before 2017. The demolition of democracy started in at least the early 2000's. Joe did some significant damage to democracy in 2020-2024. Now the current man in the white house is stepping on the accelerator of destruction while people cheer him on not realizing what they are supporting. Just like progressive liberal friends who did not know the agenda they were truly supporting in 2021.