Internal Family Systems Therapy
Heal from Within: Understanding IFS Therapy
Have you ever felt different parts of you pulling in different directions—an inner critic, a quiet voice, a worried protector, or a painful memory from long ago?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a compassionate and evidence-informed approach that helps you understand those “parts,” care for their needs, and guide them toward healing.
IFS is based on the idea that our mind isn’t one single voice—it’s a community of inner parts, each with its own thoughts, feelings, and needs. Some parts work hard to protect you from pain, others carry deep hurt from the past, and others help you manage daily life.
At the centre of it all is your Self—the calm, compassionate, and wise core of who you are. It’s not a “part” of you, but rather your natural state of being—the inner leader that can see all your parts with understanding and care. When you’re in Self, you feel qualities like clarity, curiosity, confidence, and kindness. From this place, you can connect with your protective parts, support your wounded parts, and guide your inner system toward balance and healing. The Self is always present—it just becomes easier to access as your parts learn to trust it.
Instead of pushing away or “fixing” difficult parts, IFS invites you to meet them with curiosity and kindness. As they learn they can trust your Self, they release old burdens, resolve inner conflicts, and help you feel more balanced and whole, more able to experience the joy of life. In one-on-one therapy, you have the privacy, focus, and safety to explore this process at your own pace.
A Closer Look at Exiles and Protectors in IFS
In IFS, exiles are parts that store deep emotional pain—perhaps from childhood or painful experiences. They carry feelings like shame, fear, grief, or loneliness—once too overwhelming to face.
Other parts—called protectors—step in to shield you from this pain. While protective, over time this can lead to emotional triggers, disconnection, or patterns you’d like to change.
IFS offers a safe way to reconnect with exiled parts. Guided by your Self’s compassion, you bear witness to their pain, comfort them, and help them release their burdens—creating a lighter, more integrated inner life. This in turn can contribute to protector parts feeling less burdened also and focusing on other roles.
Example: IFS in Action with Anxiety
Imagine the night before a social event—you feel a tightness in your chest. Instead of pushing through, IFS invites you to pause and get curious:
You notice the anxious part—tense, restless, running worst-case scenarios.
You discover it’s a protector, working to prevent embarrassment or rejection.
As you listen with warmth, it reveals it’s guarding an exile—a younger part of you that once felt humiliated in front of classmates.
From your Self’s calm presence, you reassure that younger part it’s safe and no longer alone.
Over time, the exile lets go of its shame, and the anxious protector no longer needs to brace for every social interaction.
Example: IFS in Action with Depression
Imagine Sunday evenings bring a heavy, sinking feeling. Instead of avoiding it, IFS invites you to turn toward it:
You notice a depressed part—flat, heavy, without hope.
A protector shows up as an inner critic, telling you to “snap out of it.”
Beneath that voice, you meet an exile carrying long-standing fears of failure and not being good enough.
With your Self’s compassion, you let that exile know it’s valued and not alone.
Over time, the exile releases its shame, the critic softens, and the heaviness begins to lift.
Example: IFS in Action with Trauma
Imagine you’ve faced repeated criticism or shaming—perhaps from a parent or carer in childhood, or from a partner in a relationship. Even now, certain tones or looks trigger feelings of dread or self-doubt.
In IFS, you first notice the protector that withdraws, stays quiet, or quickly shuts you down to keep you safe from further harm.
As you connect, it reveals it’s guarding an exile—a vulnerable part holding shame, fear, and unworthiness from those past experiences.
From your Self’s steady presence, you offer that exile safety and understanding.
With time, the exile releases its burden, and the protector can relax—allowing you to respond in the present with confidence and calm.
IFS and Relationship Challenges
Relationships can bring up some of our deepest emotions and patterns. At times, you might find yourself pulling away when your partner wants closeness, feeling caught in repeating arguments, or struggling to trust even when you want to. IFS offers a gentle way to understand these reactions.
For example, you might notice a part of you that becomes irritated when your partner asks for affection. Beneath that irritation could be a more vulnerable part, carrying old hurts from past rejection.
In another situation, jealousy may surface, driven by a protective part working hard to shield you from the pain of past betrayals.
Or perhaps arguments keep spiralling because one part of you gets defensive while another shuts down to avoid feeling criticised.
Instead of pushing these reactions away, IFS helps you turn toward them with curiosity and compassion. Each part has a reason for being there — usually trying to keep you safe. As these parts begin to feel heard and supported by your calmer, wiser Self, they no longer need to work so hard. This creates more space for trust, open communication, and genuine closeness in your relationship.
What the Evidence Says About IFS Therapy
Anxiety & Depression
IFS shows promising efficacy for depression and anxiety, though most evidence is still preliminary. A pilot randomized controlled trial by Haddock and colleagues (2017) compared IFS to treatment-as-usual (cognitive-behavioural therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy) in female college students. Both groups experienced significant reductions in depressive symptoms over 16 sessions, suggesting IFS may be as effective as established treatments for depression.
The U.S. SAMHSA registry (2015) also recognised IFS as effective for overall functioning and promising for easing depression, anxiety, and phobias. More recently, a pilot evaluation of IFS for adults with Major Depressive Disorder found significant symptom improvements (Smith et al., 2023).
What this means for you: IFS may help ease symptoms of anxiety and depression while supporting you to feel more grounded and resilient in daily life.
PTSD, Trauma & Complex Trauma
IFS has the strongest evidence base in treating trauma. A pilot study of adults with multiple childhood traumas found significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, depression, dissociation, and shame, with some benefits maintained at follow-up. A recent clinical effectiveness study (Jones et al., 2024) further supported IFS in treating complex PTSD with comorbid depression and anxiety.
Systematic reviews conclude that IFS helps trauma survivors reduce symptoms, improve emotional regulation, and strengthen overall psychological functioning.
What this means for you: If you’ve lived through trauma, IFS offers a safe way to work with painful memories while building new ways of coping and healing.
Self-Compassion, Self-Forgiveness & Personal Integration
Beyond symptom relief, IFS appears to foster self-compassion, self-forgiveness, and a more integrated sense of self. This aligns with studies showing that clients often develop a more compassionate inner relationship, which contributes to broader emotional healing.
What this means for you: IFS doesn’t just reduce symptoms—it can also help you build a kinder, more supportive relationship with yourself.
What We Don’t Know: Limited or Emerging Evidence
OCD: No robust controlled trials; only anecdotal and clinical use.
Bipolar Disorder: Very limited formal research; practitioner reports exist but not controlled studies.
Other conditions (e.g. phobias, panic, generalised anxiety): Rated promising by SAMHSA, but large-scale studies are still lacking.
What this means for you: While IFS may help with other conditions, the research is still catching up, so we don’t yet know how effective it is in those areas.
Important Notes & Considerations
Early evidence is encouraging for trauma, PTSD, depression, and anxiety.
Most findings come from pilot or feasibility studies with small sample sizes.
IFS is not first-line for severe conditions such as active psychosis or delusions.
Therapist training and experience influence outcomes significantly.
More rigorous research is still needed, particularly for OCD and bipolar disorder.
Quick Takeaway
IFS therapy can help if you're dealing with trauma (including PTSD), parts-based confusion, depression, or anxiety. Research suggests it can calm inner turmoil and help your parts work together more peacefully.
Early studies show it’s as effective as other talking therapies for depression, but the strongest evidence is where trauma is involved.
When it comes to OCD, bipolar, or other specific issues, research is still limited. That doesn't mean IFS won’t help, but we don't yet have the data to say for certain.
IFS is all about a kind, curious attitude toward your own inner parts—not fighting them but helping them heal. That can offer transformation—but it works best with a trained, experienced therapist.
You may find yourself feeling a bit unsettled at first, as IFS encourages you to gently explore sensitive or hidden parts of yourself. That’s often part of the healing journey.
Why It Matters to You
If anxiety, depression, trauma, or emotional disconnection has you feeling divided inside, one-on-one IFS therapy offers:
A safe, personalized path to healing, with your Self at the helm
Real transformation, because your parts are heard with warmth and understanding
Evidence-backed confidence, rooted in emerging, peer-reviewed research
If you’re ready to meet your parts, help them heal, and grow with compassion and clarity—IFS could be your journey forward.
For more information on IFS see following YouTube Video link:
What is IFS Therapy? | Intro to Internal Family Systems - YouTube
References
Haddock, S. A., Weiler, L. M., Trump, L. J., & Henry, K. L. (2017). The efficacy of Internal Family Systems therapy in the treatment of depression among female college students: A pilot study. Journal of Marital & Family Therapy, 43(1), 131–144. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12184
Jones, D. E., Ramirez, L., & Matthews, J. (2024). Effectiveness of Internal Family Systems therapy for complex PTSD with comorbid mood symptoms: A clinical effectiveness study. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2024.1234567
Shadick, N. A., Sowell, N. F., Frits, M. L., Hoffman, S. M., Hartz, S. A., Booth, F. D., … Schwartz, R. C. (2013). A randomized controlled trial of an Internal Family Systems-based psychotherapeutic intervention on outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis: A proof-of-concept study. The Journal of Rheumatology, 40(11), 1831–1841. https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.130210
Smith, A. B., Lee, C. D., & Patel, K. (2023). A pilot evaluation of individual Internal Family Systems therapy for adults with Major Depressive Disorder. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2765
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2015). National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Internal Family Systems Therapy. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.