by Harmony Kwiker, MA, LPC, Founder of The Awakened Therapist Approach
The Rise of Parts Work in Modern Therapy
Internal Family Systems (IFS) has become one of the most talked-about approaches in contemporary psychotherapy. Its language of “parts,” “protectors,” and “Self” has given clients and therapists a compassionate framework for understanding inner conflict. With so much attention on internal family systems training, many clinicians are discovering the profound relief that comes from meeting each part of the psyche with curiosity and care.
But long before IFS emerged, Gestalt therapy and psychosynthesis laid the groundwork for this type of exploration. Fritz Perls and Roberto Assagioli both recognized that the human psyche is not a single, unified voice but a constellation of subpersonalities, needs, and energies—each one seeking integration. These early pioneers taught that healing occurs not by eliminating parts, but by bringing them into awareness and relationship through embodied experience.
Gestalt: The Original Parts Work
In Gestalt therapy, every aspect of the self is invited into the present moment so it can be seen, felt, and integrated. The “empty chair” technique, for example, is one of the earliest and most powerful forms of parts work. It allows clients to dialogue between conflicting aspects of themselves—what one part wants, what another fears—while grounding the process in direct experience. This isn’t just cognitive exploration; it’s experiential transformation.
Gestalt recognizes that each part emerges as a creative adaptation—a way the organism has tried to maintain safety, belonging, or control. When we bring awareness to these parts without judgment, their protective energy begins to soften. Awareness itself becomes the integrating force. That’s the heart of somatic intelligence—the knowing that lives in the body and reveals truth through sensation, breath, and movement.
Why IFS Became So Popular
One reason IFS has gained such traction is it’s focus on “parts.” It gives language to inner dynamics in a way that therapists and clients find accessible. The idea that there is no “bad part,” only parts trying to protect us, resonates deeply in a culture that is learning to move beyond shame-based narratives.
However, much of what makes IFS powerful already lives within the foundations of Gestalt therapy—presence, dialogue, and compassionate curiosity. The difference lies in emphasis. While IFS often uses visualization and metaphor to engage internal parts, Gestalt invites those same parts into the here and now, anchoring them in the body’s lived experience. In other words, Gestalt doesn’t just help clients see their parts—it helps them feel and embody them.
The Missing Link: Somatic Intelligence
As internal family systems training continues to grow in popularity, many practitioners are realizing that intellectual understanding alone is not enough. Insight must be integrated through the body for true transformation to occur. This is where somatic therapy integration becomes essential.
When we combine IFS-style inner dialogue with somatic intelligence, clients access not only their parts but also the body’s wisdom that holds their history. A part that feels fear may also carry tightness in the chest or trembling in the hands. When we bring gentle awareness to these sensations—without trying to fix them—the nervous system begins to regulate. The body becomes a collaborator in healing, not just a vessel for emotion.
Embodied Integration: Beyond Insight
In The Awakened Therapist Approach, we view somatic awareness as the bridge between parts work and wholeness. Rather than guiding clients to talk about a part, we help them contact it directly: How does it feel in your body? What does it need from you right now? Can you stay present with it just as it is?
This embodied presence is where transformation happens. Awareness communicates safety. Safety allows the part to soften. And as the body relaxes, energy that was once bound in protection becomes available for vitality, creativity, and connection. It’s not enough to understand our parts—we must learn to inhabit our wholeness. That’s the work of somatic therapy integration.
Gestalt and IFS: Complementary, Not Competing
Gestalt therapy already contains the essence of what makes IFS so transformative—awareness, compassion, and relationship. But it goes further by including the immediacy of embodiment and the energetic resonance of the present moment. IFS offers a beautiful map of the inner world, while Gestalt provides the experience of inhabiting it. Together, and with the inclusion of somatic intelligence, they form a path of deep integration—one that unites psychology, embodiment, and spirituality.
For therapists, this means we don’t have to choose between models. We can honor the clarity of IFS and the depth of Gestalt, using somatic awareness as the bridge. In practice, this looks like helping clients dialogue with their parts while staying grounded in the body, aware of sensations, breath, and energy as they shift in real time.
From Parts to Presence
Ultimately, healing the inner self is not about fixing or even integrating parts—it’s about expanding awareness to include them all. As awareness grows, the parts no longer need to compete for control; they are met within a larger field of consciousness that holds them in love. This is the essence of both Gestalt and transpersonal work: awareness itself is the healing agent.
Internal family systems training has reintroduced the world to the power of inner dialogue, and that’s a gift. But when we infuse this dialogue with somatic intelligence and embodied presence, we move from understanding ourselves conceptually to inhabiting our wholeness directly. This is where the evolution of therapy is heading: from mind to body, from parts to presence, from insight to integration.
Deepening the Practice
If you’re drawn to blending IFS principles with somatic awareness and Gestalt foundations, our trainings through The Awakened Therapist Approach offer a deeply embodied path. You’ll learn how to bring awareness, energy, and compassion together to help clients access their inner wisdom and transform through direct experience. Contact us for more information.
Learn more about our trainings: https://awakenedtherapist.com/holistic-therapy-trainings/