Meeting Your Parts: How IFS Can Help You Heal from Trauma

When we feel stuck, overwhelmed, or caught in the same emotional patterns, it’s easy to believe something is “wrong” with us. But what if those inner struggles were actually parts of us, each trying to help in its own way?

That idea is at the heart of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a compassionate and evidence-based model of therapy that helps us understand and heal our inner world.

Understanding the Inner System

IFS views the mind as made up of many parts (distinct inner voices, feelings, or subpersonalities) that all belong to us. Some parts carry pain or fear, others try to protect us from pain.

For example, you might have:

• A part that worries constantly, trying to keep you safe.

• A part that criticizes you harshly, hoping to push you to do better.

• A part that wants to hide, afraid of rejection.

Rather than trying to “get rid of” these parts, IFS helps you get to know them, know that there are "no bad parts". When we listen with curiosity and compassion, each part’s role and purpose become clear, and real healing can begin.

The Role of the Self

IFS rests on the belief that beneath all our parts, there is a core Self: calm, wise, and compassionate. This Self isn’t something we have to create; it’s who we are when we feel safe and connected, and it has been there since we were born.

Therapy helps people access that Self so they can relate to their parts with understanding instead of judgment. From that place of inner leadership, our system can begin to relax and reorganize.

IFS and Trauma Healing

For those who have experienced trauma, parts often carry painful memories or emotions that were too overwhelming to process at the time. Other parts may develop protective strategies, shutting down, avoiding closeness, staying “on guard.”

IFS offers a gentle way to approach trauma without re-traumatizing. Instead of reliving experiences, we work with the protective system first, helping each part feel seen and safe. Over time, the burden of trauma can be released, and the person’s inner world becomes more balanced, connected, and resilient.

My Approach to IFS

In my clinical work, I integrate IFS with other evidence-based therapies such as ACT and CBT, along with creative and neuroscience-informed methods. My training with Dr. Frank Anderson and the IFS Institute has deepened my understanding of how trauma impacts both the brain and the inner system, and how healing occurs when compassion meets science.

Whether you are dealing with trauma, anxiety, chronic pain, or life transitions, IFS provides a powerful framework for healing from within. It helps transform self-criticism into curiosity, fear into understanding, and fragmentation into wholeness.

Final Thoughts

Every part of you has a story, and every story deserves to be heard. Through IFS, you can learn to meet your inner world with compassion, connect with your true Self, and move toward lasting healing.

At the Aurora Center for Psychology & Wellbeing, I use IFS as one of the foundations of therapy, helping clients explore their inner experience safely and with care.

If you’d like to learn more or explore how this approach could support you, I’d be happy to talk.