IFS stands for Internal Family Systems and is one of the most widely used modern forms of Parts Work. Initially developed by Richard Schwartz, it comes out of his work in family therapy. Richard listened to the descriptions his clients gave of the experience of their thoughts and inner voices and developed his IFS system.

Internal Family Systems is used widely in trauma therapy, as well as other issues, but was developed for more general use, and is not a specific trauma tool, although Richard Schwartz and his colleague Richard Anderson in particular have made huge advances in using it with Trauma, addictions and many other fields.

Janina Fischer, also involved in IFS development, as well as being a key figure in the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy field (a form of advanced somatic processing) developed TIST or Trauma Informed Stabilisation Therapy. TIST assumes previous knowledge of IFS and thus builds on and compliments IFS rather than seeking to compete with it.

So what does Parts work do?

Parts work enables us to process our inner voices, inner feelings and hidden drives. one might say it gives a voice to our unconscious thoughts and feelings, parts that include what Jung termed the Shadow Side.

All these Parts? Sounds scary. what are they?

In reality we think in images, concepts and words all the time, and we often "talk to ourselves" either in our heads or even out loud. This is completely natural! It is only really because of misguided religious bias where faith based organisations misinterpreted the parts as somehow demonic or possession, that people because worried about our own normal internal processing mechanisms!

Parts are usually versions of us, each one formed usually at a different age, often at key moments with key tasks. For example our inner infant may be concerned with getting things right and pleasing people, just as we did when we were 6-10 age range. Our inner teenager might be our rebellious side, our inner 20 year old might be worried about exam results or work..... and if we experienced trauma at any stage that part probably had behaviours, feelings, strategies and emotions all bound up in you surviving that traumatic time.

Parts often get stuck in their age, and are quite rigid in the behaviours they encourage in us, because these were designed to protect or save us at the time. For obvious reasons then, the part is obsessed with maintaining that survival strategy. Some parts guide us away from certain situations and behaviours, others jump in when things go wrong, and some are hidden away because they have previously been unloved and unacceptable to others.

There are absolutely no "bad parts" as Richard Schwartz is famous for saying - they all exist to protect us. The problem is they are rooted in the past, and are not "up to date".

Whichever parts work therapy method is used, the objective is to update, negotiate and reallocate the parts of us that are frozen in time and behaviour, setting those parts of us free to live in the new safe post trauma reality. Obviously this means it must take place as part of an overall trauma process where the client is moving on in real life at the same time as in their consciousness. Therefore parts work is usually a stage 2 process out of the 3 stages (Stabilisation, Processing, Post Trauma Growth).

Does Parts Work suffice alone for trauma?

No - no one therapy method alone is enough for complex trauma. Complex trauma therapy requires a protocol that passes through (usually 3) stages. At each stage or phase there are different goals from therapy, and these goals require choosing from different therapy methods. A Certified Complex Trauma Therapist like Stuart is trained and certified in multiple therapy models so as to provide competency and choice at each stage of this process.

Parts Work should always be provided by a properly trained therapist, either with stand alone qualifications in a parts work method, or with the competency trainings available for existing professionals. Stuart has completed competency training courses with Richard Schwarz in IFS for professionals and with Janina Fischer for competency for professionals in TIST. He has also completed multiple other parts work CPD courses.

OK so I sort of understand the idea of Parts Work,

but is there any evidence of it working?