In today’s episode, I sit down with the actual founder of Internal Family Systems, Dr. Dick Schwartz. IFS isn’t just another therapeutic tool or model – it’s a whole new lens through which to see ourselves. One that says we’re not broken, or bad, or beyond help – but actually, beautifully complex. That all these parts of us – the inner critic, the perfectionist, the compulsive exerciser, the overachiever, even the saboteur – are just trying, in their own often misguided ways, to protect us.
And as you’ll hear, I didn’t just interview Dick... I sort of unintentionally did a live therapy session. We went there – deep into my own OCD patterns, back to my four-year-old self, and through to a place I hadn’t allowed myself to revisit in decades.
There are uncomfortable moments. There are some very big emotions. But please stick with it – because what unfolds is something quietly powerful. Healing doesn’t always come with fireworks. Sometimes it’s the quiet relief of simply being seen.
If you’ve ever felt like your behaviours are betraying you – or like you’ve lost your sense of self beneath the weight of coping mechanisms – I think you’ll find something in this. Maybe even a softening. I certainly did.
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Find Dick:
Website: https://ifs-institute.com/about-us/richard-c-schwartz-phd
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