What Is Parts Work?

 Parts work is a transformative therapeutic approach that recognizes a fundamental truth about human psychology: we are not just one unified self, but rather a complex system of different internal “parts” or sub-personalities. Each of these parts has its own thoughts, feelings, motivations, and protective strategies that developed throughout your life experiences.

 Think of it this way – you might notice that you act differently at work than you do with your family, or that there’s a part of you that wants to take risks while another part wants to play it safe. These aren’t contradictions in your personality; they’re different parts of you that formed to help you navigate various situations and relationships.

 Parts work, also known as Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, helps you understand, communicate with, and heal these different aspects of yourself. When integrated with hypnotherapy, this approach becomes even more powerful, allowing you to access and work with parts that may be operating below your conscious awareness.

 

How We All Develop Multiple Parts

 From the moment you’re born, you begin developing different parts of yourself in response to your experiences and environment. These parts aren’t pathological – they’re a natural and healthy aspect of human psychology. However, some parts can become “frozen” in time, continuing to operate from outdated information or childhood perspectives that may no longer serve you.

 For example, you might have developed a “perfectionist part” as a child to gain approval from demanding parents. This part worked hard to keep you safe by ensuring you never disappointed anyone. While this part served an important protective function during childhood, it might now be causing you stress, burnout, or fear of taking risks as an adult.

  

Similarly, you might have a “people-pleasing part” that learned early on that keeping others happy meant staying safe and loved. Or perhaps you have a “rebellious part” that formed to assert independence when you felt controlled or misunderstood.

Understanding Frozen Parts and Outdated Jobs

  Many of the parts we carry were created during significant events or ongoing situations in our lives, particularly during childhood when we were most vulnerable and impressionable. These parts took on specific jobs – protective roles designed to keep you safe, loved, or successful based on what you needed at that time.

The challenge is that parts can become “frozen” in the age and circumstances when they were formed. A part that developed when you were seven years old might still be operating from a seven-year-old’s understanding of the world, even though you’re now an adult with much more knowledge, resources, and capabilities.

Consider this example: A woman came to therapy struggling with an inability to speak up for herself in relationships. Through parts work, we discovered a “silent part” that had formed when she was around eight years old. Her parents fought frequently, and she learned that staying quiet and invisible kept her safe from their anger and conflict. This “silent part” had been doing its job faithfully for over thirty years, but the job was now outdated. As an adult, her silence was preventing her from having healthy, authentic relationships.

These frozen parts continue their protective strategies because they haven’t been updated with current information about your life, your capabilities, or your safety. They’re still operating from the original situation that created them, which is why parts work can be so transformative – it allows you to communicate with these parts and help them understand that their old job might need to change.

How Parts Work Integrates with Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy provides the perfect environment for parts work because it helps you access the relaxed, focused state where these internal parts can be more easily identified and communicated with. Just as we discussed in our previous article about regression therapy, hypnosis bypasses the analytical conscious mind and allows you to connect with deeper aspects of your psyche.

In a hypnotherapeutic parts work session, you enter a gentle trance state where your analytical mind steps aside. This creates space for your various parts to emerge and express themselves. You might find yourself having internal conversations with different aspects of yourself, each with their own voice, concerns, and perspectives.

The beauty of combining parts work with hypnotherapy is that it allows you to:

• Access parts that are normally hidden: Some parts operate so far below conscious awareness that they can only be reached in an altered state
• Facilitate communication between parts: Hypnosis creates a safe internal environment where conflicting parts can dialogue with each other
• Negotiate new arrangements: You can help parts update their roles and responsibilities based on your current life circumstances
• Integrate fragmented aspects: Parts that have been cut off or rejected can be welcomed back into your internal system 

The Connection Between Parts Work and Regression Therapy 

Parts work and regression therapy often work hand in hand because many parts are created during specific events or periods in your life. When a part is particularly stuck or resistant to change, it may be necessary to explore the original circumstances that created that part – this is where regression therapy becomes invaluable.

For instance, you might identify an “anxious part” through parts work, but to fully heal this part, you may need to regress to the memories and experiences that first taught this part that the world wasn’t safe. By combining both approaches, you can not only communicate with your parts but also heal the original wounds that created them.

Sometimes during parts work, a part will specifically request to revisit certain memories or experiences. This is the part’s way of asking for deeper healing through regression therapy. The integration of these two approaches often leads to more complete and lasting transformation.

Understanding Gestalt Therapy in Parts Work

Parts work also incorporates principles from Gestalt therapy, a powerful therapeutic approach that focuses on present-moment awareness and integration of fragmented aspects of the self. The word “Gestalt” comes from German and roughly translates to “whole” or “form” – it refers to the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Gestalt therapy recognizes that we often fragment ourselves by disowning or rejecting certain aspects of our personality. We might push away parts of ourselves that we consider unacceptable, weak, or problematic. However, these rejected parts don’t disappear – they continue to influence us from the shadows, often in ways that create internal conflict or self-sabotage.

In Gestalt-informed parts work, we practice what’s called “gestaltng” – the process of integrating these fragmented parts back into wholeness. This involves:

1. Awareness: First becoming conscious of the different parts and their various roles and characteristics.

2. Acceptance: Learning to acknowledge and accept all parts of yourself, even those you might prefer to reject or change. 

3. Integration: Bringing these parts into dialogue with each other and finding ways for them to coexist harmoniously within your internal system.

4. Wholeness: Achieving a sense of internal unity where all parts feel valued, heard, and appropriately expressed.

Common Types of Parts You Might Recognize 

As you begin to understand parts work, you might start recognizing some of these common types of parts within yourself:

The Critic: This part points out flaws, mistakes, and areas for improvement. While it can be helpful for growth, it can also become harsh and undermining.

The Perfectionist: This part demands excellence and fears making mistakes. It often developed to gain approval or avoid criticism.

The People Pleaser: This part prioritizes others’ needs and happiness, sometimes at the expense of your own well-being.

The Rebel: This part resists authority and pushes against restrictions, often developing in response to feeling controlled or misunderstood.

The Caretaker: This part feels responsible for others’ emotions and well-being, often taking on more than is healthy or appropriate.

The Inner Child: This part holds your spontaneity, creativity, and capacity for joy, but may also carry childhood wounds and fears.

The Protector: This part works to keep you safe from physical or emotional harm, but may become overprotective and limiting.

For details on scheduling virtual and in‑person hypnotherapy sessions with Dr. Ann Marie, visit our main practice page.

How Parts Work Leads to Healing

The goal of parts work isn’t to eliminate or suppress certain parts of yourself. Instead, it’s about creating internal harmony where all parts feel heard, valued, and appropriately expressed. When parts are fighting against each other or operating from outdated information, you experience internal conflict, self-sabotage, or feeling “stuck.”

Through parts work in hypnotherapy, you can:

• Understand each part’s positive intention: Even parts that seem problematic are usually trying to protect or help you in some way
• Update outdated strategies: Help parts learn new, more effective ways to fulfill their protective functions
• Resolve internal conflicts: Facilitate communication between parts that may be working against each other
• Integrate rejected aspects: Welcome back parts of yourself that you may have pushed away or denied
• Create internal cooperation: Establish a harmonious internal system where all parts work together toward your highest good

Real-Life Example: The Overachiever and the Free Spirit

Consider Sarah, a successful business executive who came to therapy feeling exhausted and unfulfilled despite her professional accomplishments. Through parts work, we identified two major parts that were in constant conflict:

Her “Overachiever part” had formed in childhood when she learned that academic and professional success brought love and approval from her achievement-oriented parents. This part worked tirelessly, driving her to excel in her career.

However, she also had a “Free Spirit part” that yearned for creativity, adventure, and spontaneity. This part felt suffocated by the demands of corporate life and kept trying to sabotage her career success through procrastination and burnout.

These two parts were essentially fighting for control, leaving Sarah feeling torn and exhausted. Through hypnotic parts work, we facilitated a dialogue between these parts. The Overachiever learned that some spontaneity and creativity could actually enhance rather than threaten her success. The Free Spirit learned that some structure and achievement could provide the security needed to truly enjoy freedom and creativity.

The result was an integration where both parts could coexist and contribute to Sarah’s overall well-being. She began incorporating more creative projects into her work and took regular breaks for adventure and spontaneity, while still maintaining the level of success that felt important to her. 

The Power of Internal Integration

Parts work in hypnotherapy offers a unique opportunity to develop a healthy relationship with all aspects of yourself. Instead of fighting against parts of your personality or trying to eliminate certain traits, you learn to become the wise, compassionate leader of your internal system.

This approach recognizes that every part of you developed for good reasons and served important functions at some point in your life. By honoring these parts while helping them evolve and adapt to your current circumstances, you can achieve a level of internal harmony and self-acceptance that creates profound positive changes in your external life.

Is Parts Work Right for You?

 If you find yourself feeling internally conflicted, experiencing self-sabotage, or noticing that different situations bring out very different aspects of your personality, parts work might be exactly what you need. This approach is particularly helpful for people who:

• Feel torn between different desires or goals
• Experience internal criticism or harsh self-judgment
• Notice patterns of self-sabotage or conflicting behaviors
• Have difficulty making decisions or setting boundaries
• Feel like they’re “different people” in different situations
• Want to develop better self-understanding and self-compassion

 Remember, the goal isn’t to become a different person – it’s to become a more integrated, harmonious version of who you already are. Through parts work in hypnotherapy, you can discover the wisdom and gifts that each of your parts brings, while helping them work together in service of your highest potential and deepest fulfillment.