Scott Alexander, curated
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What Is Going On In IFS?

Quality
63
Strong
Claude Shift
44
Moderate
RWI
1
of 10

Follows up on

Book Review: The Others Within Us — Book review · May 2024

Summary

A follow-up to the Others-Within-Us review, engaging IFS therapists' pushback about whether IFS involves a trance state. Scott tries to pin down the discover-not-invent / trance-state claim (which matters for Falconer's demons-are-real thesis), quotes therapists who say it isn't trance-like for them, and lands on 'IFS works differently for different people' + his own inability to access the imaginal realm — a thoughtful but inconclusive inquiry into the introspection/suggestibility spectrum.

Why this score

Quality 63 · Strong. Strong (lower): a genuine, honest inquiry into an interesting question (discover-vs-invent introspection), but reaches no firm conclusion.

Claude’s paradigm shift 44 · Moderate. Moderate: surfaces the introspection-spectrum question without resolving it.

Real-world impact 1 · Negligible. Within-blog inquiry; negligible material reach. =1.