Parts Work: Healing From the Inside Out
Have you ever thought:
“Part of me wants to move forward, but another part just can’t.”
“I know I’m safe now, but part of me still feels like something bad is going to happen.”
“Part of me knows I don’t have to take care of everyone, but another part feels guilty when I don’t.”
We naturally use the language of “parts” to describe the different — and sometimes conflicting — ways we think, feel, and respond.
In my work, I use parts work through Janina Fisher’s Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST) model. Similar to Internal Family Systems (IFS), TIST approaches our different parts with curiosity and compassion rather than trying to silence, change, or get rid of them. TIST is specifically rooted in understanding trauma and how our nervous system develops different ways of helping us survive, cope, and stay connected.
Why Parts Work?
After trauma, loss, attachment wounds, or other difficult experiences, parts of us may continue responding as though something from the past is still happening.
You might recognize:
- an anxious part that anticipates what could go wrong
- a part that shuts down or disconnects when things feel overwhelming
- a perfectionistic or critical part
- a part that works hard to keep everyone happy
- an angry part that wants to protect you
- a younger part carrying sadness, fear, shame, or loneliness
Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with me?” parts work invites us to ask:
“What is this part trying to protect me from?”
“What does this part need me to understand?”
Together, we can help your present-day adult self develop a different relationship with these parts — one grounded in curiosity, compassion, and the recognition that the strategies you struggle with today may have once helped you survive.
Sometimes healing begins with something as simple as realizing:
“This is a part of me. This isn’t all of me.”
If parts work resonates with you, we can explore how TIST might become part of our work together in therapy.