🧠Internal Family Systems (IFS)
A model developed by Richard Schwartz that meets the inner 'parts' of the self with curiosity.
Imagery evoking Internal Family Systems (IFS), A model developed by Richard Schwartz that meets the inner 'parts' of the self with curiosity.
Symbolic imagery, generated with respect. No sacred ceremony or living person depicted.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-supported therapy developed by Richard Schwartz in the 1980s. It sees the psyche as a family of parts, each with its own history and intent, guided by a core Self that is calm, curious, and compassionate. Parts are met with curiosity, not eliminated. IFS is being studied for PTSD, depression, and chronic conditions. In 2015 SAMHSA added it to the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs.
Insurance sometimes covers; $120, $250/session.
Estimates only. Many traditions offer sliding-scale, donation, or community access; sacred ceremonies are never for sale.
Distinguishing cultural belief, traditional practice, and evidence-supported effect where applicable.
Emotional
Meets self-criticism with parts-work instead of fight.
Psychological
Evidence-supported for PTSD, depression, and chronic conditions.
Spiritual
The Self has qualities many traditions call the soul.
- Working with an IFS-trained therapist
- Reading Richard Schwartz's No Bad Parts
- Beginning to notice your parts without judgment
- The 6 F's: Find, Focus, Flesh out, Feel toward, be-Friend, discover Fears
Evidence, risks, and contraindications
Evidence supported
Elements of this practice have been studied in peer-reviewed research and show measurable benefits for specific concerns. Study quality varies, and the tradition itself is broader than what science has measured.
- Practitioner quality varies. This tradition is not licensed or regulated in most countries. Skill, ethics, and training vary widely between practitioners. Ask about lineage, training length, informed consent practices, and how safety concerns are handled.
This information is general education, not medical advice. Always share your full health history and current medications with the practitioner and with your regular healthcare provider before beginning something new.
Which part of me is speaking loudest right now?
What would that part want me to know if I asked with curiosity?
Written in the spirit of this tradition, held as invitations, not instructions. Take what serves your reflection.
Which part of me is loudest right now, and what is it protecting?
What in me is calm, curious, and never destroyed, even in the hardest weeks?
Which of my inner parts learned its role from someone in my family?
Traditions that share needs, practices, or cultural context with this one. Explore with respect for each lineage's origins.
Paul Gilbert's approach cultivating self-compassion as an antidote to shame.
- Curated companion
- Shared needs: self-criticism, depression, trauma
- Similar practices: working, reading
A modern behavioral therapy pairing acceptance and mindfulness with values-based action.
- Curated companion
- Shared needs: anxiety, depression
- Similar practices: working, therapist
A framework guiding every helping profession to work in ways that do not re-injure.
- Curated companion
- Similar practices: reading
- Same region (Global)
Practices drawn from Stephen Porges's Polyvagal Theory to teach the nervous system safety.
- Shared needs: trauma, anxiety
- Similar practices: working, therapist
- Same region (Global)
The most researched psychotherapy, working with the loop of thoughts, feelings, and behavior.
- Shared needs: depression, anxiety
- Similar practices: working, therapist
- Same region (Global)
The eight-limbed path from India, posture, breath, ethics, and meditation as one whole.
- Shared needs: anxiety, depression, trauma
- Similar practices: working