If you’ve found that traditional talk therapy hasn’t brought you the level of transformation you’re seeking, you’re not alone. Many people reach a point in their healing journey where they crave a more embodied, integrative approach—one that addresses not only thoughts and behaviors, but also the nervous system, trauma responses, and internal patterns of self-protection.

Somatic Parts Work is a powerful therapeutic method that combines the principles of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy with somatic trauma healing. This integrative approach supports deeper emotional healing by working directly with the mind-body system and the inner “parts” or subpersonalities that shape our experiences.

What Is Somatic Parts Work?

Somatic Parts Work is a gentle, yet effective method for treating trauma, emotional distress, and chronic internal conflict. It is rooted in the belief—central to IFS—that the human psyche is made up of multiple parts, each with its own perspective, emotion, and role. Some of these parts carry burdens from the past, while others try to protect us from emotional pain by suppressing vulnerability, controlling our environment, or avoiding risk.

Through somatic therapy, we can tune into these parts not just cognitively, but felt-sense-wise—through bodily awareness, nervous system cues, and physical sensation. This embodied access allows for profound healing and integration.

How Does Somatic Parts Therapy Work?

In a typical session, your therapist will guide you in cultivating a deeper connection to your Core Self—the wise, compassionate, and calm inner presence that exists beneath your protective parts. From this grounded place, you'll begin to gently explore the parts of you that may be:woman

People who have experienced trauma often develop an acute ability to endure discomfort, whether it's emotional, mental, or physical. Having navigated through profound adversity, their capacity to withstand pain and uncertainty becomes heightened over time. While this resilience can serve them in surviving difficult situations, it can also create a paradox—what was once a survival mechanism becomes a pattern of tolerating unhealthy dynamics, stifling growth, and preventing healing. This ability to endure, honed through hardship, can sometimes mean accepting stress, imbalance, and disconnection in relationships or everyday life. Yet, recognizing this tendency is the first step in breaking the cycle and reclaiming the power to prioritize well-being and growth.

Individuals struggling with addiction have many holistic and evidence-based therapies to help them heal the root cause of their addictions. Some valuable treatment options to address addictive states includes: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), as just a few examples. There are other modalities that can be equally as effective with addiction. Therapists trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS), sometimes known as parts work, can attest to the importance of offering this valuable approach in the treatment of addiction.

Parts Work Therapy, also known as Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, is a therapeutic approach that helps individuals explore and understand their inner thoughts, feelings, and behaviors by viewing the mind as a collection of different "parts." These parts represent different aspects of a person's personality and can be in conflict with each other.

Do You Have A Harsh Inner Critic That Sabotages Your Life? You don’t have to be a trauma survivor to have a harsh inner critic. The self-critical inner voice is persistent and continues to negatively judge and even sabotage dreams and aspirations. In fact, mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety can be rooted in this unhealthy self-dynamic. As anyone tormented by an unkind inner-critic knows, The near-constant flood of negative feelings and emotions linked to the inner critic can also be a great source of stress and self-sabotage.

The truth is, we all have different “parts” that make up our personality, and in ego psychology, we call these sub-personalities. These parts are part of an internal system, kind of like a family that lives within. Sounds extreme, and yet we are not talking about having multiple personalities in the same way someone with a diagnosis of a personality disorder or DID exhibits unintegrated parts (although that is considered the extreme presentation of the same continuum). Have you ever caught yourself saying, “well, part of me wants to do it, and another part says no.” How common is this? A part of you that seeks adventure leans in to the prospect, while a more cautious, protector part steps on the brake.