parts work therapy: internal family system (ifs) + intra-relational aedp

Parts Work is a way to understand your inner world, and help it to transform and heal. It’s normal and neuroscientifically validated that we all have an inner system within the mind, much like an internal family or social network. Our mainstream culture just doesn’t talk about it. But if you’ve experienced reverberations from heavy experiences in the past or extreme mood shifts or habits, you have likely experienced your parts in action.

And just like a family or social group is made up of different individuals with their own unique personalities and roles, our internal world is composed of different “parts,” with different roles, qualities, desires, and intentions. Parts can even hold unique thoughts, emotions, beliefs, habits, physical sensations, attachment/relational patterns and emotional and/or audio-visual memories. These parts can sometimes conflict with each other and create internal struggles and difficulties in our lives. Often they feel incredibly burdened and alone. We’re here to undo that aloneness together and between parts, so healing can happen.

Here’s the bonus of Parts Work: at the center of our inner system is a resourceful, felt-sense of “just me,” a Self at the core of every person that is always undamaged, waiting for the right conditions to fully emerge. By working with parts they — and you as a whole - feel better connected and unencumbered, in the long run. This experience of our unique Core Self — a consistent sense of compassion, authenticity, calm, harmony, confidence and clarity — is one of the primary benefits, in addition to reduction of symptoms and internal and external challenges.

Both Intra-Relational AEDP and IFS Therapy parts work represents a synthesis of direct care and work with parts, systems thinking, compassionate self-inquiry, and respect for the normal multiplicity of our minds. Although I offer “pure” experiences of both styles, I often combine their strategies for the best experience and effectiveness possible for my clients.

Integrating Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) with parts work therapy, Intra-relational AEDP (1) fosters capacities for self-regulation through shared states of resonance between therapist, the individual, and the individual’s parts; (2) facilitating authentic, open internal dialogue between parts which can alter engrained patterns of intra-psychic conflict and self-punishment; (3) developing abilities for self-reflection and emotional processing disowned emotions and memories with here and now experience; and (4) attending to positive feelings evoked through experiences of transformation, self-compassion, and self-affirmation.
IFS is a way to understand your inner world, and help it to transform and heal. The IFS model represents a novel synthesis of systems thinking, compassionate self-inquiry, and the multiplicity of the mind. IFS is based on the principle that there is an undamaged, resourceful Self at the core of every person and that accessing and working with that Self is a safe, effective way to heal other hurt parts of the mind.
According to IFS, we all have different parts within us that carry different thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. These parts can sometimes conflict with each other and create internal struggles and difficulties in our lives.
The best way to understand IFS is to describe the inner system of the mind using the analogy of a family. Just like a family is made up of different individuals with their own unique personalities and roles, our internal world is composed of different parts. Each part has its own specific qualities, desires, and intentions.
Here are the key components of the Internal Family Systems model:
1. Self: The Self is the core or essence of a person. It represents qualities like compassion, wisdom, and curiosity. The Self is not affected by the challenges or conflicts of the different parts but remains steady and centered.
2. Parts: Parts are the different aspects or subpersonalities within us. They can be thought of as different characters within the internal family. Some examples of parts might include the Inner Critic, the Inner Child, the Pleaser, the Protector, or the Perfectionist. Each part has its own unique role and purpose.
3. Exiles: Exiles are wounded or vulnerable parts that hold painful emotions, memories, or traumatic experiences. These parts often carry unresolved pain from the past and are often hidden or pushed away to protect the individual from further harm.
4. Managers (Proactive Protectors): Managers are parts that try to control or protect us from experiencing the pain carried by the exiles. They are proactive and often take charge in order to keep things under control. Examples of managers include the Perfectionist, the Controller, or the Rationalizer.
5. Firefighters (Reactive Protectors): Firefighters are parts that emerge in response to overwhelming emotions or situations. They engage in impulsive or distracting behaviors to provide immediate relief or escape from distress. Examples of firefighters might include excessive alcohol or substance use, self-harm, or binge eating.
The goal of IFS therapy is to establish a healthy and balanced relationship between the different parts of ourselves and the core Self. The therapist helps the client develop a compassionate and curious stance towards their internal parts, fostering understanding, empathy, and healing.
Through the IFS process, clients can learn to recognize and communicate with their parts, understand their roles, and ultimately transform their relationships with these parts. By cultivating a harmonious internal system, clients can experience increased self-acceptance, self-compassion, and overall well-being.
IFS therapy is a gentle and effective way to heal the inner world. It is a non-pathologizing approach that respects the client's experience. IFS therapy has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, and eating disorders.
My work brings a focus to the experience of parts as well and trauma in the body.