By Icarus Rising
As our country lurches forward towards fascism before our eyes, let’s go back to basics to help stay grounded. A key principle for the battles ahead is that everything that’s happening in the outside world is also happening inside of us.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a model of the mind that sees us not as a single, unified self but as a system of different “parts” — each with its own perspective, emotions, and strategies for survival. Some parts of us are protectors, working hard to keep us functioning in the world. Others are exiles, carrying deep wounds, fears, and suppressed memories. At the core of this system, beyond all the internal conflict and trauma, is something deeper: the Self.
The Self is not a part — it’s the center of who we are when we are connected, calm, and leading from clarity rather than reaction. When our parts trust the Self to lead, we feel grounded, creative, and courageous. We don’t exile or suppress parts of ourselves — we integrate them. Healing happens not by dominating or controlling the mind, but by listening, understanding, and bringing all of our inner world into balance.
But what happens when a society, like an individual, is built on exile and domination?
Fascism: The Politics of Exile and Control
Fascism is not just a political system — it’s a way of organizing power that mirrors the same patterns of exile and suppression that traumatized minds experience. In authoritarian states, dissent is crushed, contradictions are silenced, and those who do not conform are cast out. There is no room for complexity, uncertainty, or questioning — only obedience, control, and fear.
IFS teaches us that when a person has exiled parts, they develop extreme protectors to keep those parts hidden. The same thing happens in authoritarian societies:
• The government functions like an extreme protector, trying to keep order by any means necessary.
• Those who challenge the system are treated like exiles — pushed out, discredited, or destroyed.
• Fear becomes the organizing principle — for both the rulers and the ruled.
And just like in an individual psyche, the more a system relies on repression, the more fragile it becomes. The exiles don’t disappear. They grow stronger in the shadows. The system becomes more extreme, more paranoid, more desperate to maintain control.
But there is an alternative. Just as IFS teaches that healing comes from Self-leadership, societies can heal through collective leadership — through creating space for all voices, embracing complexity, and refusing to be ruled by fear.
That’s where courage comes in.
Courage: The Key to Facing What’s Happening
In IFS, courage is an aspect of the Self. Not as an abstract concept, but as an embodied state — a way of being that allows us to face fear, hold our ground, and act with clarity even in the face of overwhelming pressure.
Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s the ability to move forward despite fear. It’s what allows us to:
• Look at reality without turning away.
• Stand up to systems of oppression without losing ourselves in hatred or despair.
• Trust that another world is possible, even when everything around us is crumbling.
Fascism feeds on fear and isolation. It wants us to believe that we are alone, that resistance is futile, that we must obey to survive. But courage shatters isolation. It reminds us that we are not alone, that there are others who see what we see, and that together we are stronger than any system that seeks to control us.
Courage is not just about individual action — it’s about collective transformation.
Building Self-Led Communities: The Path to a New World
The old systems — authoritarian politics, extractive capitalism, and rigid top-down control — are collapsing under their own weight. The future is not going to be built by governments, corporations, or elites. It will be built by people—by communities that take responsibility for shaping the world they want to live in.
This is why self-led groups and healthy leadership are the future. Just as IFS teaches us to trust the Self to lead internally, we need to cultivate leadership that is accountable, responsive, and rooted in connection rather than coercion.
Authoritarianism thrives on control and domination — where leadership is about exerting power over others. The alternative is not the absence of leadership, but a different kind of leadership — one that is shared, participatory, and in service to the whole.
Imagine:
• Networks of mutual aid that meet real needs while building long-term infrastructure for survival.
• Groups where leadership is dynamic — where people step up to guide, teach, and organize based on trust, skill, and accountability, rather than status or control.
• Communities that create space for real decision-making, where leadership is about responsibility and contribution rather than authority.
This is the difference between hierarchical domination and healthy leadership:
• Fascist leaders hoard power. Healthy leaders distribute it.
• Fascist leaders suppress dissent. Healthy leaders make space for different perspectives.
• Fascist leaders operate from fear. Healthy leaders cultivate courage.
When leadership is about service rather than control, responsibility rather than dominance, and relationship rather than coercion, it strengthens communities rather than creating dependency.
Fascism teaches us that power means domination. But the truth is, real power comes from connection, trust, and the ability to move together toward a shared vision. The more we practice Self-leadership, collective courage, and accountable organizing, the less control the old systems have over us.
This is how we win — not by waiting for permission, but by building something new, together. Let’s start by talking about it.
Expanding the Vision: IFS Support Groups and Collective Healing
Imagine a future where Internal Family Systems practice extends beyond therapy rooms into grassroots communities. I envision self-led IFS support groups, both face-to-face and online, where people come together like in 12-step groups to share their inner journeys, support each other’s healing, and practice courageous self-leadership in a world that tries to divide us. These groups could offer regular meetings, peer support, and shared resources, creating networks of care and empowerment. In a time when isolation and fear are weaponized, spaces where we can bring our whole selves — wounded parts and all — into connection are revolutionary. Let’s build those spaces together.
Info: undergroundtransmissions.substack.com