PARTS WORK in Therapy: what is it & how it works (IFS)

Parts work in therapy, also known as Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, is an approach that views the mind as a system of many different sub-personalities, or "parts," each with its own unique role, feelings, and motivations. These parts can be protective, such as a part that tries to avoid pain by numbing emotions, or they can be more challenging, such as a part that expresses anger in unhealthy ways.

Why do parts work? People do parts work for a variety of reasons, including:
• To understand and heal from trauma
• Improving relationships
• To increase self-compassion
• Reducing anxiety and depression
• To make better life choices

How does parts work in Therapy work?
In parts work therapy, the therapist helps the client to identify and connect with their different parts. This can be done through a variety of techniques, such as:

Visualization: The client imagines their parts as characters or symbols.
Dialogue: The client speaks to their parts directly, asking them questions and listening to their responses.
Journaling: The client writes about their parts and their experiences.
Once the client has connected with a part, the therapist helps them to understand the part's role and motivations. The therapist also helps the client to develop compassion for the part, even if it is a challenging part.

As the client develops compassion for their parts, they are able to start to heal the underlying wounds that led to the creation of the parts in the first place. This can lead to significant changes in the client's life, such as improved relationships, reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression, and a greater sense of self-compassion.

Here are some additional benefits of parts work:
• It can be a very empowering approach to therapy, as it helps clients to take ownership of their own healing process.
• It can be helpful for people who have difficulty talking about their emotions, as it allows them to express themselves in a more indirect way.
• It can be a very gentle and compassionate approach to therapy, as it focuses on understanding and healing rather than judgment.
• If you are interested in learning more about parts work, I recommend talking to a therapist who is trained in this approach.

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[SurferJoe]

This might be the most interesting and helpful thing she's ever posted. It's going to dominate my thought process for days to come. Lately I can't squeeze through a doorway without all my old selves getting wedged together making sounds like the Three Stooges, and it's Kati Morton who helped me summon them- all my old selves. And it's kid me that I most want to talk with. I accomplished a lot of what he wanted me to be, but lately I feel like I'm letting him down (and I've been trying to buy him off!). I have always felt those eyes on me, that kid's important to me, and now I have more of an idea how to respond to that. Thanks, KM, for opening these doors for me.

[QuietTom]

After years of useless CBT therapy, I just started IFS with a new therapist and I feel hope for the first time in eons. In two sessions I have learned more about myself than I have in the last 15 (on and off) years of CBT.

[carolmccurdy]

IFS Therapy has been the most important “part “ of my 20 year journey in therapy. Therapy has been more productive and less stressful than ever before. I’m so thankful that you have started this therapy and wish the best for you as you get to know your parts and as a result know yourself.

[LION]

I hope this is about IFS - Internal Family Systems therapy! (Parts work). It's truly fantastic and simple-ish stuff!

[colleenshelton]

Thank you Kati for spreading the word about IFS! I’m an IFS certified therapist in Southern California. I specialize in trauma and couples therapy and this kind of therapy has been a real game changer! I’m currently working on my own parts to get enough courage to make videos of my own 😬…. But probably not… Anyway, thank you for your vulnerability, courage and your sense of humor 😊

[ALifeLearned]

I appreciate so much how vulnerable and real you get with your content. The best therapists are the ones who get down on our level and show us that they are human, just like us. I love my current therapist for that too! She's so humble and real with me. It just helps so much as I work through such a huge tangle of trauma and psychological mess.

I started parts work about 7 months ago and currently I've identified about 14 different parts but I definitely dont think Im anywhere near done. In that regard I found it intriguing how neat, tidy and wholesome your parts seemed to be (at least compared to mine). It sounded like you had very clearly defined person-hoods at different stages of your life, whereas I've had over a dozen pieces break off in response to the hell I've faced.

Sometimes I like to delude myself into thinking Im like other people who access therapy, because in the end everyone has some form of trauma. But more and more its pretty clear that my therapists have been right through the years: my trauma was simply exceptional compared to most people. Its just not common to be emotionally neglected through your childhood, molested for 5 years, handed over to a new pedophile to then be raped every day, multiple times a day for 6 years while also being beaten on a weekly to biweekly basis. And to then also have your aunt murdered during that time and then to be dragged through the court system like a piece of dead meat only to have the perpetrator charged with less time than the years he took from you. I mean, thank goodness that isnt common! But also how isolating to know Im so alone in the extremity of the insanity I've faced.

Hence so many pieces breaking off, though. In that regard, my therapist explained a month or so ago that she actually isnt moving through Parts Work with me in the same, conventional way she would with other clients because of the extremity of my experiences. She said there are just so many unknowns that my ability to be triggered by something that is otherwise helpful to someone else is just way to high to take the generic route. So we are actually moving at an absolute snails pace and sometimes it feels like Im not making progress at all. But in the background of my psyche I have genuinely been feeling a growing sense of calm and acceptance of self that no previous therapy could offer so I know Im getting places. I guess I just feel impatient about the progress sometimes because I've been in therapy for over a decade. But in that sense Parts Work is the first therapy I've done where Im starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, just like you said Kati. So thank you for making this video. You have always been one of my favorite YouTubers over the last decade of being a content creator and I dont see that changing any time soon!

On that note, for anyone who's read this far, feel free to check out my channel if you'd like so see some anecdotes from someone who's actively going through Part Work now. My channel is about sharing my lived experience to help others feel less alone and/or share a little knowledge. So there may be a little something there for you :)

[sapphfire]

I am so happy you did this video. I have severe C-PTSD from lifelong trauma, and after several years of CBT getting me nowhere, I saw a brilliant EMDR therapist trained in IFS. We have been combining both therapies for a few years to enormous positive effect. It allowed me to finally break away from abusers and start finding my self again. After 3 years, we're wrapping it up now and the next step is DBT (I am currently 4 weeks into a 6 month course in that). Once you know your parts and understand yourself, DBT just makes sense a lot faster, and is the perfect follow-up to EMDR and IFS. I wish you all the best on your journey and hope you continue to make videos showcasing this type of therapy. Raising awareness of it will undoubtedly help so many people!

[Inugmi]

Oh Katie, I’m so glad you found parts work! I do that on my own. For those who are interested you can find the manual and workbook on audible, that’s where I found it. As far as my parts I have one (my inner child) who spends the most time with me. She wasn’t keen on me at first, I had to earn her trust (most likely back) but I have now and she shares a lot with me. My inner child is probably a manager. There’s a man who shows up sometimes, too, particularly when I’m stressed out who I think is probably a fireman. I’ve found a few exiles, as well and have processed some stored emotions. I also was able to reconnect with my therapist self (this is another part from childhood who is also probably a manager) It’s given me a way to talk to myself. I really like it. I’ve honestly made more headway with this modality than I have with EMDR. Not to knock EMDR. I find any book I can on the subject. 👍

[NoahOfTheCosmos]

Ifs has literally saved my life. I’m so glad to see others trying it and spreading information!!! 😍😍😍

[danipeaeden]

I've been in therapy for more years than I care to share, and I was just introduced to IFS last Fall. I have never made such quick progress in my life, and it has me and my loved ones floored. This is one of the best videos I have seen on YouTube, period — a real, knowledgeable, helpful person! Thanks so much :)

[jscire__]

This video was very beneficial for me on my own IFS journey. I would really love to see Katie interview the founder of IFS modality Dr. Richard Schwartz.

[tommclure]

Thanks.
I think IFS is about parts, how parts relate to each other, and patterns of parts activity sequences. Sometimes parts polarize and create internal conflicts with enormous impact. “Treat the system, not the symptom. IFS training is worth the investment.

[beholden]

Very good video Katie about IFS. You asked for our input. I would just emphasize importance of Self energy in IFS. That is essentially where the healing and compassion emanates. Self in IFS is connected to the Universal Source or Spirit that transcends our neuroses and trauma wounds. It is similar to Higher Power in 12 step programs. Each person may have their own interpretation and relationship with Self. But it is universal in we are all connected in some way with this Divine source. The Self is the ultimate foundation to the wonderful healing that happens when consistently practicing IFS therapy.

[yoshi]

I did IFS work with a therapist while waiting for DID treatment. It helped, and it didn't. I was able to identify and work through the basic pathology of each alter, but that exacerbated some of the symptoms. Without trauma support and coaching to treat DID symptoms, my dissociation became much worse. I slip in/out of my body much more frequently and intensely now, whereas I was able to co-host before. On the positive side, I am less frightened about what is going on inside my mind, and have learned to trust more pieces of myself and their role in the homeostasis of my psyche.

[Mooch]

Sounds a lot like the kind of work you do in therapy to treat DID, I'm looking forward to watching this video so I can compare it to my experiences with that :)

[WaysToHeal]

Loved it! This is what my therapist is using in our sessions. Well, sometimes, she integrate it with techniques from other types of therapy and others. But this part work works for me. I discovered different parts of me:
1. The pressured part, kind of acting like a manager. She's kind of a mediator between whatever parts are having conflict with each other. She is also the one who has a great trust in what I do. She's gentle and caring.
2. The firefighter part. She's kind of an aggressive part who often wants to lash out to people. She also has a kind of playful trait. Sometimes she just loves scaring people just for fun.
3. The neglected part. She's often sad and hurt. She's always spending her time alone. She often cannot express her needs effectively. She is kind of confused. Well, she is a kid.
4. The guilty part. I think this one is an exiled part. She is often guilty and feel some kind of shame for whatever she has done in the past. She always has this tendency to internalize everyone's mistakes and blame all things to herself.
5. The blaming part. This one is kind of somebody who loves to blame. The sad thing is, she's often fueling the guilt that my guilty part is feeling. Sometimes the guilty part tries to not listen to what she's saying but she keeps on blaming and blaming.
6. The I don't know part. This one feels like she's playing safe or something? But this part actually is somebody who is often afraid to just make an assumption. She loves saying "I don't know" because she wants me to be so sure of things. Sometimes, she also do this as her way of telling me to be more curious, driving me to dig deeper to whatever I want to know.
7. The teen-aged part. This one kind of represents the teen me who lives in a controlling environment. I remember when this part showed up as somebody who's in front of the crowd. She wants to be free and be allowed to live life as a normal human being. What I mean is, she doesn't want to be performer all the time. She needs space and do other things the give her joy.
8. The no audio part. We used to call this part a "no audio" because she's often in silence. The first time I heard something from her is amazing and I was so grateful that she was able to say some things that she wanted me to know. Often, however, she's communicating through movements, bodilysensations, or emotions, not in a verbal manner.
9. The heavy part. This one is a little similar to the no audio part. The difference is that, the heavy part is having more difficulty expressing what she wants to tell me. I am not sure yet if she is confused or hesitant or what. I think we still gotta explore it further.
10. The on-guard child part. She's similar to the firefighter part in the sense that it's trying to protect me from other people. She's a female but she acts in a masculine manner. She's aggressive and might really harm other people if she's given a chance to do so.
And, there are lots of parts that showed up. We haven't name them yet because those parts were not revealing themselves that much. Maybe I have to earn their trust to my Self first.
I can also relate to the meeting room, although my therapist used a conference room. There, I was able to talk to many parts that I have.

[kathleenwharton]

All I needed was a little emotional support from my husband and I didn’t know he was a Narcissist. Very hard life. Luckily I had five children to love so it worked pretty good until the children grew up and then it was Over. Not complicated but very painful sometimes. 😊❤

[julianeneumann]

Wow, just stumbled over this because I am learning about Parts in Psychology and I teared up, thinking about my own parts... This seems a very powerful work and I will continue the teachings on that front. Thank you for being so authentic and sharing this content.

[DiuQuy]

IFS is life changing! As a therapist who uses IFS and also seek therapy for it, I can honestly say I've never seen healing like this before!

[starlingswallow]

I'm in Trauma therapy right now working through IFS therapy. It's amazing! (But difficult to get my mind around:)
I have spent my life with contradictory thoughts and feelings and feeling crazzzzy! These parts really explain the WHY. It's...wow. ❤