Mapping your parts is a powerful exercise from Internal Family Systems IFS to heal from trauma.
Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership
Today we’re going to do something a little different. We’re going to do an exercise from Internal Family Systems called “Mapping your Parts”. In IFS we come to see our different feelings, inner voices, thoughts, urges or habits as “parts” that interact like an internal family. Because when we can see them clearly and learn to listen to them, our parts can start to work together for our good.
This exercise can help you when you’re internally conflicted, or have a difficult decision to make, or when you keep reacting to a situation in a way that you don’t like or understand. IFS is a respected treatment modality for working through trauma or PTSD or Childhood Trauma. Your parts can give you a lot of insight into what’s going on.
00:00 IFS Trauma Healing: How Mapping Your Parts Brings Clarity
01:06 No Bad Parts: Every Part Has a Good Intention
02:52 IFS Mapping Your Parts–Step by Step
03:05 Step 1: Prepare for the Exercise
03:41 Step 2: Identify One Part
06:16 Step 3: Get to Know This Part with Curiosity
07:11 Step 4: Let the Self Lead
07:58 Step 5: Repeat for a Few More Parts
08:54 Step 6: Heal Trauma with IFS Self Leadership
10:44 Personal Example: Mapping My Perfectionist Part
13:00 Mapping Your Parts—Don’t Rush It
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell
FREE Mental Health Resources: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources
Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/
Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe
If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 988 or your local emergency services.
Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership
Today we’re going to do something a little different. We’re going to do an exercise from Internal Family Systems called “Mapping your Parts”. In IFS we come to see our different feelings, inner voices, thoughts, urges or habits as “parts” that interact like an internal family. Because when we can see them clearly and learn to listen to them, our parts can start to work together for our good.
This exercise can help you when you’re internally conflicted, or have a difficult decision to make, or when you keep reacting to a situation in a way that you don’t like or understand. IFS is a respected treatment modality for working through trauma or PTSD or Childhood Trauma. Your parts can give you a lot of insight into what’s going on.
00:00 IFS Trauma Healing: How Mapping Your Parts Brings Clarity
01:06 No Bad Parts: Every Part Has a Good Intention
02:52 IFS Mapping Your Parts–Step by Step
03:05 Step 1: Prepare for the Exercise
03:41 Step 2: Identify One Part
06:16 Step 3: Get to Know This Part with Curiosity
07:11 Step 4: Let the Self Lead
07:58 Step 5: Repeat for a Few More Parts
08:54 Step 6: Heal Trauma with IFS Self Leadership
10:44 Personal Example: Mapping My Perfectionist Part
13:00 Mapping Your Parts—Don’t Rush It
Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell
FREE Mental Health Resources: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources
Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/
Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe
If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 988 or your local emergency services.
Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

