[Crook32]

Has anyone done parts work in therapy? My T thinks it would be good for me but I would like peoples opinions about it.

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[velcro003]

My art T does a bit of parts work with me. What kind of questions do you have?

[stopdog]

I think the woman I hired talked about it but I never could buy into the idea.

[Favorite Jeans]

I found myself inexplicably hostile and resistant to it even as there were moments that its merits were clear to me. Maybe it just felt too weird to speak of myself in the third person, in a disembodied kind of way. Or maybe it all came up at a time that I didn’t want to be more vulnerable with the therapist than I already was.

That said, there kind of are parts. Like there were times when I could almost feel another part of myself taking the wheel and it was a distinct and intense experience.

[Waterbear]

I think so. We never called it that, but we worked with a very young part of me, the adult part of me and we tried but weren't overly successful at working with the teenage part of me. Not sure ifs that's parts work officially, but it was one of the most healing things I have ever done. I am pretty sure I wouldn't be where I am today without it. 'traditional' therapy wouldn't have worked for me on such a deep level, which is what I knew I needed.

[ElectricManatee]

Yes, I have done some parts work and found it useful. It has helped me make sense of what I do and how I feel and why. The idea that there are no bad parts and that every part exists for a reason has been helpful. It has been particularly important for me to understand my Protectors (link with explanation) since sometimes they react in ways that don't make sense to me or don't seem terribly helpful in my current circumstances.

Note: I don't have dissociative identity disorder or anything, so these aren't alters but rather different feelings or ways of reacting. It has a similar feel to the way one might say, "Part of me wants this, but another part of me wants this." IFS (Internal Family Systems) lets you explore both of those parts and help you figure out how to get them to work together.

[Lostislost]

We have tried a few times i think, but honestly I really struggle with it. He says we can work with whatever parts I bring to therapy, but the parts of me that need therapy aren't there in session. They are there when I feel my worst, when I'm alone, afraid, in a new situation, in crowds of people, in the middle of the night. So mainly I get frustrated when he says we can do parts work.

[Oliviab]

I have done a fair amount of parts work and have found it the single most useful type of therapy I have ever done. By far. I was really disconnected from parts of myself, and exploring my inner world and connecting to various disenfranchised parts has been nothing short of transformative for me.

It's definitely not for everyone, but it has been incredibly powerful for me. And it did feel a little awkward at first. I don't personally like the IFS model, because it categorizes parts by role and that doesn't resonate with how I experience parts. Mine are not quite that unidimensional.

Feel free to ask me questions if you have anything specific.

[velcro003]

Originally Posted by ElectricManatee

Yes, I have done some parts work and found it useful. It has helped me make sense of what I do and how I feel and why. The idea that there are no bad parts and that every part exists for a reason has been helpful. It has been particularly important for me to understand my Protectors (link with explanation) since sometimes they react in ways that don't make sense to me or don't seem terribly helpful in my current circumstances.

Note: I don't have dissociative identity disorder or anything, so these aren't alters but rather different feelings or ways of reacting. It has a similar feel to the way one might say, "Part of me wants this, but another part of me wants this." IFS (Internal Family Systems) lets you explore both of those parts and help you figure out how to get them to work together.

Yeah, this is exactly how my art T works!

[Eejya]

Hi

I came across IFS and Voice Dialogue, and started experimenting on my own.

It has helped me in so many ways.


It has really helped me to get in touch with all the different ways I sabotage myself, which I couldn't really "see" before.

Also came to see how harsh I am towards myself, (eg the dominance of the "inner critic" part).


Am very slowly building a relationship with the different parts, including the vulnerable "child" parts.

Another interesting experience has been learning to trust that (a) I have a Soul/Higher Self part, and (b) that this Self has the capacity that my normal self or other parts do not.


One day I hope to work with a trained IFS or Voice Dialogue specialist.

All the best
Eejya