Managers and Firefighters: I have them. According to my therapist, we all do. They are part of our Internal Family Systems (IFS).
Our true authentic self is at the Center. The Self is the compassionate, curious, grounded Center from which we can relate to all our parts. I feel my Center as my inner writer, my inner child… that heartbeat of my essence.
We always have access to Center Self, but that access becomes knotted and entangled over time and through our experiences and traumas. And we become less and less the curious child who was genuine, vulnerable, and open to awe, and more and more the crusty adult hidden within hard protective shells.
I’ll offer an oversimplified explanation of IFS, bending it toward writer life.
My Traumas
We all suffer trauma as we tick through our life calendars. Some of the parts that carry wounds are called exiles.
What has my inner writer suffered? What are her traumas?
- Red pens.
- A professor who read my teenage poetry and questioned my interest in writing.
- Creative writing classes taught by frustrated (traumatized?) writers.
- Classes on literary theory.
- Rejections.
- And on and on with microtraumas, self-doubt , and self-flagellation, and on and on…
When we exile parts of ourselves, what happens to that tender writer finding her feet on the page, to that truest part of ourselves?
The Managers and Firefighters come in. Managers try to prevent us from getting hurt by keeping us safe, controlled, prepared, and away from risk. Firefighters react when the pain or vulnerability breaks through. They try to put out the emotional fire, often through distraction or numbing.
“Oh no, dear. Don’t do that. Don’t press submit. It’s not, I mean… look, come back here where it’s safe.”
“Back here” will be different for each of us. For me, “back here” is my freelance work, where my work and expertise are recognized and valued, literally valued with a paycheck.
“No, no, dear… don’t throw your good self out into that void, that uncertainty… Let’s have a drink and think about it instead.”
The Firefighters exercise extreme distraction. Those distractions can become addictions, checking out, numbing by any means possible.
Maybe that’s part of the reason the alcoholic writer has become such a familiar trope.
My Protectors
When our therapist described the Internal Family System, I recognized my managers right away.
Years ago, after reading The Artist’s Way, I began naming my inner voices. I took Julia Cameron’s advice to heart.
- Edith the Editor.
- Carla the Critic
- Gertrude the Grump.
- Debbie the Doubter.
I’ve also had tangles with my Firefighters, but I knew checking out would endanger my Center’s dream. I’d rather find myself on a page that no one reads than lose myself in a bottle.
On this YouTube video that our therapist shared, Karen Faith approaches the voices and protectors from a different angle. The key is not to strangle Edith or lock Carla away. I need them, even Gertrude and Debbie. The key is to lean in and listen, stay curious and find love and compassion for them all. They are just trying to do their jobs, to protect me.
Then, have the talk. Gently, “I hear you and I love you. And this is what we’re doing…”
Then I do what my truest, most authentic Center wants to do, despite the danger, despite the fears, despite the past trauma. Not because those experiences didn’t matter, but because my protectors don’t get to make all my decisions.
My partner and I went to therapy to work on our relationship. I hope our therapist won’t mind that I brought along my writer, too.
How do your protectors behave? Have you had “the talk” with them yet?
©Pennie Nichols. All Rights Reserved. 2026.
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