Seeing, hearing, and talking with inner “parts” can be a disturbing experience.

Using neuroscience, we can hypothesize that parts represent pattern-based predictions.

Pattern-based predictions are learned expectations about what is likely to happen.

Co-authored with Sarah Bergenfield

Internal family systems (IFS) therapy generally begins with this request: Turn your attention inside and notice. Whatever you notice, we’ll call it a part. It might be saying something to you. It might be showing you something. It might be two parts arguing. Or it might show up as a sensation. Once you notice it, you’re differentiating: It is not you, and you are not it. If you find yourself wishing it away or tuning it out because you fear or hate it, that is another part, and you can ask it to differentiate, or unblend, too. IFS calls curiosity, clarity, confidence, compassion, and the other centered feeling states that commonly arise when parts differentiate self or self-energy. Sometimes when one part unblends, another one blends. If this happens, you just keep asking them to separate until you feel curious.

As a psychotherapy approach, IFS has been more concerned with engagement than explanation. It aims for participants to interact with and occupy—rather than distract or dissociate from—their inner experience. But that’s not satisfactory for some people, including those who find the process of helping multiple parts unblend frustrating and confusing and those who feel alarmed when their parts talk back. Once the focus becomes understanding what’s being asked rather........

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