What Is Somatic IFS Therapy? Benefits and How It Can Help You Heal
From My Practice to You
As a Somatic Internal Family Systems (Somatic IFS) practitioner, one of the most common questions I hear is:
“What is Somatic IFS and how can it help me?”
Many of my clients come to me after years of intellectualizing their problems, feeling like they understand their struggles but still feel stressed in their bodies. That’s where Somatic IFS makes a difference. It integrates the mind and the body, offering a path to healing that goes deeper than words—so you can feel lasting change from the inside out.
What Somatic IFS Therapy Is
Somatic IFS is an embodied extension of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a therapeutic model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz. IFS views the psyche as made up of different “parts”—inner roles that protect us, criticize us, or hold pain from earlier experiences. All parts of you are welcome, because all parts serve a purpose.
Somatic IFS, as expanded by Susan McConnell (2020), brings the body into this work. Emotions don’t just live in the mind—they show up as tightness in the chest, shallow breathing, or heaviness in the abdomen. In sessions, we gently slow down and notice these sensations. Together, we explore how different parts live in your body, and we invite breath, movement, and compassion to support release and healing.
In practice, this means our sessions often feel grounding and spacious. We might pause for mindful breathing, notice the energy of a protective part, or even use gentle postural shifts to help the body soften.
Roots in Eastern Philosophies
Somatic IFS draws inspiration from Eastern philosophies—particularly Buddhism, mindfulness, and yoga. These traditions emphasize presence, compassion, and non-attachment, which align beautifully with the IFS principle that all parts deserve care and respect.
From Buddhism, the teaching of compassion for suffering, non-attachment to outcome and the practice of non-judgment toward all inner experiences.
From mindfulness, present-moment awareness as a foundation—helping clients notice what arises in the body and mind without pushing it away.
From yoga, the wisdom of the body, breath, and movement as pathways to integration and balance.
These influences allow the therapist to hold space not only for your parts but also for the wholeness beneath them—the calm, compassionate Self that is always present, even when hidden. As a person of Asian descent, it has felt natural and particularly important for me to honor the way ancient philosophies have always acknowledged the mind body spirit connection.
Why the Body Matters
So often, we try to “think our way out” of pain. But trauma and stress are not only mental—they live in the body. Somatic IFS helps us listen to the wisdom of the body as a doorway into healing.
“The body can reveal the stories of our parts, offering direct access to healing and integration that purely cognitive approaches may miss.””
By inviting your body into the process—through breath, posture, movement, and stillness—you give yourself the opportunity for deeper, more sustainable transformation.
Who Somatic IFS Can Help
Navigating Multicultural Identity
If you hold multiple cultural identities, you may carry conflicting parts: one shaped by family traditions, another by the desire for individuality. Somatic IFS allows each part to be felt and heard in the body, helping you embrace complexity without abandoning yourself.
AAPI Clients
For many AAPI clients I work with, there is a deep connection to family sacrifice and cultural expectations. These parts often push toward achievement or perfection, creating tension and exhaustion in the body. In therapy, we honor these protective parts while creating space for your own authentic voice and needs.
College Students and Young Adults
Young adulthood is full of transition, uncertainty, and pressure. Parts may show up as perfectionism, procrastination, or self-doubt. Somatic IFS offers tools to ground in the body, listen to anxious or critical parts with compassion, and create clarity in times of change.
Caregivers
When you’re caring for others, it’s easy to silence the parts of you that need rest. Somatic IFS helps you reconnect with your body’s signals for balance and nurture the parts of you that long for care, too.
Professionals Experiencing Burnout
Burnout often shows up as tension, fatigue, and disconnection. Through Somatic IFS, we work with the parts that push you to overachieve while softening into parts that crave rest and boundaries. Over time, this allows you to reconnect with purpose without depleting yourself.
Those Navigating Depression
Depression can feel heavy, both emotionally and physically. Somatic IFS offers a gentle, compassionate way to meet the parts that feel stuck or hopeless while also using breath and embodiment to slowly invite vitality back into your system.
Those with High-Functioning Anxiety
On the outside, you may appear calm and capable, but inside, anxiety drives you forward. In our work together, we notice how this shows up in the body—tightness in the chest, racing breath—and explore what these anxious parts are trying to protect you from. Somatic IFS helps you access calm and compassion beneath the anxiety.
Navigating Major Life Transitions
Big life changes—whether in relationships, careers, or identity—can stir up fear and uncertainty. Somatic IFS provides a grounded space to notice and integrate all the parts that arise during these transitions, helping you move forward with clarity and trust.
People-Pleasing and Boundary Setting
People-pleasing parts often want to keep you safe from conflict or rejection, but they can leave you disconnected from your true needs. Somatic IFS helps you notice these parts in your body, soften the fear they carry, and strengthen the parts that support healthy boundaries and authenticity.
Frequently Asked Questions about Somatic IFS Therapy
How is Somatic IFS different from traditional talk therapy?
Traditional talk therapy often focuses only on analyzing thoughts and behaviors. Somatic IFS adds a body-based approach, helping you notice where emotions and protective parts live in your body. This creates deeper healing because the body often holds what the mind can’t fully express.
What happens in a Somatic IFS session?
Sessions typically involve slowing down, tuning into sensations, and gently exploring the “parts” of you that show up. We might use breathwork, mindfulness, or subtle movement. Each session is paced according to your comfort, and nothing is forced.
How many sessions will I need?
Every client’s journey is unique. Some people notice shifts within a few sessions, while others choose to continue longer-term as they deepen their healing or enjoy maintaining a space just for them. Together, we’ll tailor the process to your goals and needs.
Is Somatic IFS right for me?
Somatic IFS can be helpful if you feel “stuck,” carry stress or trauma in your body, struggle with anxiety or depression, or want to reconnect with your authentic self. It’s especially supportive if you’ve tried traditional therapy but still feel disconnected or overwhelmed.
Final Thoughts
In my practice, I believe your body carries wisdom that your mind alone cannot access. Somatic IFS, informed by mindfulness, yoga, and Buddhist compassion practices, offers a pathway to reconnect with yourself on the deepest levels.
If you are navigating burnout, anxiety, depression, cultural identity, or simply feel disconnected from yourself, Somatic IFS can help you soften, listen, and grow. You don’t have to do it by striving harder. You can do it by turning inward, slowing down, and learning to welcome every part of you.
References
McConnell, S. (2020). Somatic internal family systems therapy: Awareness, breath, resonance, movement and touch in practice. W. W. Norton & Company.
Schwartz, R. C. (2021). No bad parts: Healing trauma and restoring wholeness with the Internal Family Systems model. Sounds True.
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.