Helping Formators Shine a Light on the Internal Life of Seminarians

Abstract

Spiritual directors and formation advisors are charged with the responsibility of getting to know the men and women they work with who are in formation for religious life and the priesthood. This includes understanding the experiences of the people they work with, especially their inner lives. But the inner life of another person is a dark, vast, and mysterious world. This article draws on features of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy to help shine a light on the interior lives of those in formation for religious life and diocesan priesthood. IFS can help a formator make sense of the complex internal relationships every person experiences by identifying the different kinds of internal reactions a person experiences while proceeding through formation. The article explains key IFS terms such as protectors, managers, firefighters, exiles, and the Self that help formators understand those reactions and what a person in formation is experiencing. After considering some of the implications that this IFS approach to the interior life holds for formation advising and spiritual direction, the author offers three formational practices based on IFS that can promote self-knowledge for those in formation. The author concludes with a discussion of the transformation of one's identity and leadership. This article lays the groundwork for further research on the status of the Self in IFS and Christian theology.