parts work · 8 min read

parts work, explained

the part that pushes, the part that pleases, and what they protect

written by saddy babu · 20 october 2026

somatic practitioner and breathwork facilitator

everyone has parts

you already speak this language: “part of me wants to go, and part of me wants to stay home.” listen for it and you’ll hear a whole cast. there’s the part that pushes you through the list and won’t let you sit down, the engine behind a lot of high-functioning anxiety. there’s the part that says yes before you’ve checked whether you mean it, and the part that goes flat and far away when everything gets too much. parts work takes that everyday way of talking seriously.

most of what follows comes from internal family systems, or ifs. richard schwartz, a family therapist, began developing it in the early 1980s, when clients with eating disorders kept describing parts of themselves that seemed to have minds of their own, and he brought family-systems thinking to that inner world. in ifs, a mind is naturally made of many parts, and every part is trying to help, including the ones that make life harder. schwartz’s 2021 book on it is called no bad parts.

the research on ifs is promising and still developing. early trials are encouraging, particularly for depression, chronic pain and ptsd, but most published studies are case studies or small pilots, and it hasn’t yet been tested at the scale of older therapies such as cbt. so take it seriously, and be wary of anyone who promises it will fix everything.

protectors and the parts they protect

ifs gives that cast a map. most of the parts you meet in an ordinary day are protectors, working to keep you safe, connected and able to cope, and they come in two kinds. managers protect in advance, arranging life so the hurt never arrives: the planner, the perfectionist, the pleaser and the inner critic, whose logic runs something like “if I criticise myself first, no one else can hurt me as much.” firefighters step in afterwards, once a feeling has already landed, to bring it down fast: the scroll you can’t put down, the drink, the sudden numbness, the flash of anger that ends a conversation.

the parts they protect, ifs calls exiles: younger parts carrying feelings and conclusions from earlier experiences, such as “I’m too much” or “my needs don’t matter.” protectors work hard to keep those feelings out of sight, which is where the name comes from. from here on I’ll simply call them younger parts.

the pleaser’s automatic yes is what nervous system language calls fawn, and the part that goes numb when it’s all too much, which can look like functional freeze from the outside, is one putting out a fire. ifs treats each of them with respect: each took its job on for a reason, usually when you had far fewer options, and each believes something bad would happen if it stopped.

getting to know a part

the work itself is getting to know these parts, with curiosity and some patience. fighting them rarely helps, partly because the one doing the fighting is usually another part: whatever wants your inner critic gone is a protector too, and two protectors in an argument tend to dig in.

so ifs starts with a simple check. once you’ve noticed a part, ask how you feel towards it. if the answer is irritation, or “I want it gone,” that’s another part, and you can ask it to step back. when the answer is curious, open or even a bit warm, you’re closer to what ifs calls Self, written with a capital S to set it apart from the parts and described through eight qualities that all happen to start with c: calm, curiosity, clarity, compassion, confidence, courage, creativity and connectedness. you don’t need all eight. curiosity is enough to begin.

from there the questions are simple, and they take time. who is here, and what are they protecting? what is this part afraid would happen if it stopped? a critic might be trying to spare you humiliation, and a pusher might be making sure nobody can ever call you lazy. asking doesn’t mean agreeing with its methods, and in ifs a protector that feels understood is far more willing to step back and let you choose.

where you feel a part

this is where parts work meets somatic work, and it’s how I practise it. one of the first steps in ifs is to find the part in, on or around your body. the pusher might show up as a forward lean and a jaw that won’t unclench, the pleaser as a tight throat and a smile that arrives before you’ve decided to smile, the critic as pressure behind the eyes or heat in the chest. a part will often whisper in the body before it becomes a scream in your behaviour.

in one well-known study, more than 700 people in finland, sweden and taiwan coloured in body outlines to show where they felt different emotions, and the maps were consistent across those groups. noticing those sensations is a skill called interoception, and you can practise it. my free guided body scan is good training, because it teaches you to find sensation without needing to change it.

“I’m anxious” makes a feeling sound like who you are. “there’s a part of me that’s anxious, and I can feel it as a tightness under my ribs” makes it something you’re having, with you there noticing it. ifs calls that small distance unblending, and it gives you enough room to stay curious while the feeling is still there.

how to start noticing your parts

start small, and start with protectors. the everyday ones are the easiest to meet: the critic narrating your morning, the yes that leaves your mouth too fast, the pull towards your phone the moment a feeling arrives. pick a moment that was mildly uncomfortable, and leave the biggest thing in your life for later.

settle first, with your feet on the floor, the chair taking your weight and a few breaths leaving a little slower than they arrived. then bring the moment to mind and finish the sentence “there’s a part of me that…” out loud or in your head. notice where you feel it and how you feel towards it, and if that answer is anything other than curious, ask the reaction to step back. after that, ask the part one question and wait: what are you worried would happen if you stopped? the answer might come as words, an image or a change in sensation, and any of those counts. thank it before you finish.

leave the younger parts alone for now. ifs works with protectors first and asks their permission before going anywhere near what they protect, and there’s no need to go looking for memories. stay inside your window of tolerance: if you start to feel flooded, very young or a long way from yourself, open your eyes, look around the room, name a few things you can see, and stop there. stopping early counts.

when to work with a trained practitioner

deep work with trauma belongs with a trained practitioner. so does meeting the younger parts, and so does any practice that floods you, shuts you down or leaves you shaky for hours afterwards. the same goes for any protector whose way of bringing a feeling down puts your health or safety at risk. look for an ifs-trained therapist, or a somatic practitioner who works with parts, and expect them to go slowly, ask your protectors before going further, and never push you towards a memory.

parts work and emotional integration are what I specialise in, and the rule I keep to is this: move as fast as the slowest part of you. in parts work, that line is almost literal.

if you’re in crisis, call 000 in australia (or your local emergency number), or lifeline on 13 11 14.

common questions about parts work