Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy
Gently getting to know the parts of you--so healing can unforld from the inside out
Have you ever felt like part of you wants to move forward while another part holds you back? One part wants to stop drinking, or raging, or people pleasing, but alternative parts of you keep doing these behaviors. Having these contradictory feelings, thoughts, and behaviors are a normal part of the human condition. You may want to work on problem behaviors, thoughts, and emotions, but simply having these antithetical thoughts are not abnormal.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a compassionate, evidence-based approach that helps you understand and heal the different “parts” of yourself, especially those shaped by trauma, stress, adversity, or overwhelming life experiences.
IFS offers a hopeful and non-pathologizing way to heal. Rather than trying to get rid of symptoms, we listen to them; because every part of you has a reason for being there.
What is Internal Family Systems Therapy?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a trauma-informed therapy developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz. It’s based on a simple but powerful idea: We all have multiple parts, and at our core we have an inner Self that is calm, compassionate, and capable of healing.
In IFS, we work to:
- Understand the protective roles different parts play
- Heal wounded or burdened parts with care and respect
- Strengthen access to your Self; the wise, grounded center within you
There are no “bad” parts in IFS. Even the parts that create anxiety, avoidance, self-criticism, or numbing developed to protect you in some way.
How IFS Helps with Trauma and Emotional Healing
Trauma often leaves parts of us stuck in the past—holding fear, pain, or shame long after the danger has passed. Other parts may work tirelessly to keep those feelings out of awareness, sometimes through perfectionism, over-functioning, dissociation, or substance use.
IFS helps you:
- Gently access and heal trauma without reliving it
- Reduce inner conflict and self-judgment
- Build emotional regulation and resilience
- Develop a kinder, more trusting relationship with yourself
Because IFS moves at the pace of your nervous system, it’s especially well-suited for complex trauma, developmental trauma, and attachment wounds.
What to Expect in IFS Therapy
In IFS sessions, you will often be guided to listen inward with compassion, curiosity, and nonjudgmentalness. IFS sessions are collaborative, gentle, respectful, and at times can be deeply moving.
In our work together, you might:
- Learn to notice different parts of your inner experience
- Develop curiosity instead of judgment toward difficult emotions
- Build trust with protective parts before going deeper
- Allow healing to happen from a place of safety and choice
IFS and the “Self”
At the heart of IFS is the belief that everyone has a core Self: A state of being characterized by calm, clarity, compassion, courage, connection, curiosity, creativity, and confidence. Trauma can make it harder to access this Self, but the Self is never lost.
IFS therapy helps you reconnect with the Self: this inner healing wisdom we all have. As you strengthen your Self energy, you can heal from past wounds that developed extreme parts and exiled, wounded parts. The result is an emergence of Self leadership leading the system. Life inevitably goes better when the Self is leading the show.
Integrating IFS with EMDR and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy
IFS integrates beautifully with other trauma-informed approaches, including:
- EMDR therapy, to support memory reconsolidation while honoring protective parts
- Ketamine-assisted EMDR and Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, where IFS can help create intention, increase internal safety, and support integration
- Mindfulness to support nervous system regulation
This integrative approach allows healing to occur on emotional, cognitive, and nervous system levels—while staying grounded and relational.
Who IFS Therapy Is For
IFS can be helpful if you’re experiencing:
- Trauma or PTSD
- Childhood or developmental trauma
- Attachment and relational wounds
- Depression and negative self beliefs
- Medical trauma
- Anxiety and panic
- Grief and loss
- Chronic shame, self-criticism, or perfectionism
As the work progresses, many clients notice not just symptom relief, but a deeper sense of self-trust, emotional regulation, and inner resilience
A Compassionate Path Forward
IFS therapy offers something many people have never experienced: being met with understanding rather than judgment by both the therapist and by yourself – The Self.
Healing doesn’t come from fixing who you are. It comes from listening, unburdening, and allowing your natural resilience to lead the way.
If you’re curious about Internal Family Systems therapy and wondering if it’s a good fit for you, I’d be honored to support you.
Training
I am a Level One trained IFS therapist and have used the model since 2021.
Below is a link and a book to find out more about IFS. Feel free to reach out to me through the contact page on this website if you are interested in IFS therapy.
No Bad Parts, by Richard C. Schwartz