Parts therapy offers an invaluable approach to understanding the different emotions, thoughts, and sensations you experience by connecting with your inner child parts (and other parts). This can be a powerful resource for developing insight, curiosity, self-compassion, mindfulness along with instilling a deep sense of healing by working with these parts to help heal their trauma and integrate them with the whole.
Working on parts with a trauma-informed therapist provides a solid step toward healing both past and present challenges.
A simple example of parts work: A helpful exercise is to find a photograph of yourself as a child and imagine communicating with this younger version of yourself. Offer them encouragement, love, and wisdom that your adult self now has but was unavailable to you as a child. Reflect on how your child-self might respond. To deepen the connection, you can hold a pen in your non-dominant hand and allow yourself to scribble as you imagine listening to your inner child’s reply.
Most parts work is done without a picture, and is done during a state of calm and relaxation, or under EMDR or hypnosis states.
Parts work is often utilized by Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapists, Hypnotists and hypnotherapists, in Jungian Analytical Therapy, and Gestalt Therapy among others.
Parts work is a valuable tool, one used by therapists and individuals as well. This not only helps heal past trauma, but also empowers clients with a better understanding of themselves, their triggers, and promotes better self mastery, awareness and enables more self compassion and forgiveness of self (which then leads to forgiveness of others)
More information of some schools of therapy which utilize parts work:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy: Developed by Richard C. Schwartz, IFS views the mind as made up of various sub-personalities or “parts,” each with its own perspectives, feelings, and roles. At the center is the “Self,” a core of compassion, wisdom, and healing. IFS intends to help clients understand and harmonize the relationships between parts. Heal wounded parts by fostering a connection with the Self. Reduce the influence of extreme or protective parts (e.g., inner critics or self-saboteurs). This is achieved with: Dialoguing with parts, guided visualization, and unburdening past trauma held by parts.
Jungian Therapy (Analytical Psychology) – Carl Jung emphasized exploring the psyche’s different archetypal parts, such as the shadow (hidden or repressed traits), the anima/animus (feminine/masculine energies), and the Self (the center of the psyche). This approach seeks to integrate these archetypes for personal growth and individuation. Bring unconscious parts into conscious awareness. The techniques used include: Dream analysis, active imagination, and exploring symbolic representations of parts.
Gestalt Therapy – Gestalt therapy emphasizes the integration of fragmented aspects of the self. It often identifies and works with conflicting parts, such as the “top dog” (authoritative self) and the “underdog” (submissive or resistant self). The goals are: Achieve greater self-awareness and integration by addressing internal conflicts and expressing suppressed parts. Techniques used include: The empty chair technique, where clients dialogue between two conflicting parts; also, enacting and embodying different parts to explore their needs and emotions. Ethan utilizes the empty chair technique with and without being in the states of hypnosis.
Ego State Therapy – This approach focuses on resolving conflicts between various “ego states,” which are distinct parts of the self that develop based on life experiences. It aims to identify and strengthen positive states, heal wounded or traumatized states, and the integration and cooperation between states. Techniques used include: Hypnosis, guided imagery, and direct communication with ego states.
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) – CFT helps individuals address harsh self-critical parts by cultivating compassion from a nurturing part of themselves. The goals are: Reduce self-criticism and shame, and to build a compassionate internal dialogue. Techniques include: Visualization of compassionate figures (internal or external) and compassion-focused meditations.
Transactional Analysis (TA) – TA identifies three ego states: the Parent, Adult, and Child. These states represent internalized messages, rational thoughts, and emotional responses, respectively. It aims to help the client recognize how these states influence communication and behavior, Foster healthier interactions and resolve internal conflicts. The techniques used include: Role-playing, dialogue between ego states, and reframing unhealthy patterns.
More on IFS:
In Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, the mind is conceptualized as comprising various “parts,” which are sub-personalities with their own unique perspectives, roles, and emotions. These parts interact within a system, much like members of a family. At the center of this system is the Self, which embodies qualities of wisdom, compassion, and balance. The primary types of parts in IFS are:
1. Exiles
- Role: Hold the pain, fear, shame, or trauma resulting from past experiences. They often represent vulnerable and wounded parts of the self, such as a child who felt neglected, rejected, or abandoned.
- Characteristics:
- Feelings of sadness, fear, hurt, or shame.
- Often pushed away or suppressed to protect the individual from overwhelming emotions.
- Goal in Therapy: To unburden these parts by addressing their pain and allowing them to feel safe and valued.
2. Managers
- Role: Protective parts that work proactively to prevent emotional pain from resurfacing. They seek to maintain control and keep the exiles’ vulnerabilities hidden.
- Characteristics:
- Highly critical, perfectionistic, or controlling.
- May manifest as overachievers, inner critics, or rigid planners.
- Often try to avoid situations that might trigger discomfort or vulnerability.
- Goal in Therapy: To help these parts relax and trust the Self to care for the system.
3. Firefighters
- Role: Another type of protective part, firefighters act reactively when exiles’ pain becomes overwhelming or leaks out. Their actions are often impulsive and focused on immediate distraction or numbing.
- Characteristics:
- Engage in behaviors like overeating, substance use, self-harm, or excessive escapism (e.g., binge-watching, gaming).
- Aim to quickly extinguish distress without considering long-term consequences.
- Goal in Therapy: To help them find healthier ways to respond to distress and trust the Self’s capacity for healing.
4. The Self
- Role: The core of a person, the Self is a calm, compassionate, and wise center that can heal and harmonize the parts.
- Characteristics (referred to as the 8 Cs):
- Curiosity, Calmness, Compassion, Clarity, Creativity, Confidence, Courage, and Connectedness.
- Not a part itself but the leader of the internal system.
- Goal in Therapy: To restore the Self’s leadership within the system so all parts feel heard, valued, and unburdened.
How Parts Work Together
- The Managers and Firefighters often work in opposition but share the same ultimate goal: protecting the system from pain stored in the Exiles.
- The Self acts as a mediator, helping all parts heal and find balance, ensuring that no part feels abandoned or overburdened.