The use of hypnotherapy in combination with parts or IFS

As a hypnotherapist trained in psychotherapeutic modalities, I often use hypnotherapy in combination with other modalities. One powerful combination I frequently use is internal family systems (IFS), or parts work.

Understanding the core parts in IFS

IFS identifies three main types of internal parts:

• Exiles: Wounded or vulnerable parts, often carrying trauma, shame or pain.
• Managers: These control your life to keep pain away. Think of perfectionists, planners or critics. They manage risks.
• Firefighters: They react when pain breaks out. They might binge, scroll, dissociate, or rage in order to put out emotional fires.

It's important to understand these parts in order to build self-awareness and compassion. If a part feels seen, heard or unburdened, they naturally transform.

How hypnotherapy supports parts work

By using hypnotherapy, we can access the unconscious where parts live and influence your behaviour. It all starts with identifying the conflict, e.g. one part might want you to quit something, the other one is terrified of quitting altogether. There will most likely be an incongruence somewhere where parts conflict.

Going into hypnosis, we quiet the critical mind and, therefore, create a safe space for a dialogue. Remember, in hypnosis, you are in full control. You can come out of it at any time. 

We would invite conflicting parts to speak to us and explain their positive intention. Even the problem part has a positive intention. That part is thinking that it is helping.

An example could be that the part does not want you to do something. Maybe out of fear, or out of fear that you might not like it, even though it might be better for you.

Let me give you an example:

Names amended to protect confidentiality

Sam is a mid-level manager and has a lot of stress at work. He came to therapy because he felt that something was off, he felt stuck in his career, was procrastinating and felt overwhelmed even thinking of his to-do list. He was silently beating himself up for being lazy.

His problem was obvious: Whilst he knew what he needed to do, he just did not do it. Then he spiralled into guilt.

There are a few parts we identified:

1. The Procrastinator: Avoiding work, scrolling, zoning out.
2. The Inner Critic: Criticising him for delaying things.
3. The Perfectionist: Everything had to be done flawlessly.

Each part had a positive intention:

• The Procrastinator wanted to protect him from failure - if he does not start, he will not make a mistake.
• The Inner Critic was trying to motivate him, pushing him forward.
• The Perfectionist wanted to make sure he was respected and would shine in front of others.

As you can see, all three parts wanted something positive for Sam. The idea, then, in therapy, was to acknowledge the good intention of each part and meet them non-judgmentally with compassion.

Whilst this can be done in talking therapy without hypnosis, it is a lot easier to quieten the critical mind and focus on what the unconscious is telling us. Sam was able to befriend all of his parts and work with them, seeing the positive in each of them.

When you are in hypnosis, it is easier for you to feel into each part. Feel them physically, emotionally and energetically. You can get the parts to talk to each other, too. As a therapist, I might guide them to understand each other's roles and concerns.

• What are they all trying to achieve?
• Where is the overlap?

As a therapist, I help you mediate the conversation.

I would also support reframing of the parts; this is particularly useful if there is a part that has not been updated since childhood and is no longer valid in today's world. We can also integrate parts and merge two or more into a new, unified self. And, since you are in hypnosis, we can anchor the new agreement deep into your unconscious.

In conclusion, the work with parts in hypnotherapy is not about fixing you. It is about listening to the parts, understanding them and updating the stories.

When we meet our internal self with compassion and not criticism, something shifts. Parts that used to fight each other start to collaborate; some inner voices will quieten. Hypnotherapy really deepens this process and opens a space where internal conversation can take place. It is almost as if we are creating a safe space for parts to speak and shift through hypnosis. That is where the transformation lives.