The One Inside: An Internal Family Systems (IFS) podcast IFS and Shame and Addiction with Mary Kruger
May 21, 2021
Mary Kruger, lead IFS trainer and co-developer of Level Two IFS in Addiction, combines decades of addiction and eating disorder work with IFS. She explores shame as a core driver, reframes addiction from disease to disharmony, discusses integrating IFS with 12-step paths, and highlights the shame-reducing power of group work. Curiosity and compassion are presented as the primary healing tools.
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Early Exposure Shaped Her Path
- Mary Kruger describes growing up around alcohol and cutting her hand on her father's beer bottle as a child.
- She links family exposure and a violent stepfather to later eating disorder and 12-step involvement in her twenties.
Befriend Addictive Parts To Heal
- IFS reframes addiction work by recognizing internal parts in clients, therapists, and systems that polarize and drive behavior.
- Befriending addictive parts reveals their wisdom and intentions and opens the way to unburden underlying shame.
Shame Fuels The Addiction Cycle
- Shame is culturally transmitted and fuels cycles of blaming and more shame across relationships and systems.
- Unburdening shame changes interactions and reduces the fuel that keeps addictive behaviors active.
