You Are Not Broken — How “Parts Work” Can Help You Heal with Compassion

Have you ever said something like…

“A part of me wants to move on, but another part just can’t let go.”

“I know I’m safe now, but I still feel like that scared child inside.”

“I keep sabotaging myself… I don’t know why I do this.”

If so, you’re not alone — and you’re not crazy. What you’re noticing is something real: the presence of different parts within you that are carrying different feelings, needs, and stories.

This is the heart of Parts Work — a powerful, trauma-informed therapy approach that helps you understand, heal, and bring compassion to the different parts of yourself.

What Is Parts Work? (In Simple Terms)

Parts Work (often called Internal Family Systems, or IFS) is based on a simple but profound idea:

We are made up of many different parts — and every part has a purpose.

Just like a family has many members with different roles, you also have an internal family of parts. Some parts are protectors. Some carry pain. Some want to achieve. Others may want to run and hide. None of these parts are bad. Even the ones that seem “destructive” — like the angry part, the perfectionist, or the one that shuts down — are actually trying to protect you the best way they know how.

A Story to Illustrate Parts Work

Let’s imagine your inner world is like a bus.

You're the driver — but over the years, other parts have jumped in to help steer when things felt unsafe.

One part might have grabbed the wheel after a trauma and said, “I’ve got this! We’re never getting hurt again!”

Another part — maybe the anxious one — might always be checking the rearview mirror, saying, “Watch out! Remember what happened last time?”

And a very young part might be curled up in the back seat, afraid to be seen or heard.

In Parts Work, we gently listen to each of these parts — not to judge or fix them, but to understand what they’ve been carrying. With curiosity and compassion, we invite them to step out of survival roles and make space for healing. 

How Parts Work Helps Trauma Survivors

When you've been through trauma — especially if it happened in childhood — some parts of you may still feel stuck in that time and place. They haven’t had a chance to grow up, rest, or feel safe.

Parts Work helps by:

• Creating a safe internal relationship with those wounded parts

• Bringing understanding and compassion to the “protectors” (like anger, shutdown, people-pleasing, or control)

• Helping the true Self — the calm, wise, Spirit-connected part of you — take the lead again

• You begin to realize: I’m not broken — I’m protecting something precious inside. And with care, you can begin to unburden the pain those parts are carrying.

  
  

A Faith-Based Perspective

From a Christian perspective, I see Parts Work as a beautiful reflection of God’s desire to restore the whole person.

Romans 12:5 says, “So in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

Just like the body of Christ is made up of many members, your internal world is made up of many parts — each with a role, a voice, and a story.

Your “true Self” — the part of you that’s grounded, wise, and compassionate — is how God designed you. When we work with your parts in therapy, we invite that Self to lead with the fruits of the Spirit: love, gentleness, patience, and peace.

You Don’t Have to Keep Fighting Yourself

Many trauma survivors feel like they're at war inside — torn between parts that want to grow and parts that want to hide. Parts Work gives you a way to end the inner conflict and begin creating a sense of safety, clarity, and integration.

You don’t have to silence your parts.

You don’t have to “get rid” of them.

You get to know them, care for them, and gently help them heal.

When your parts feel safe, you begin to feel more whole — more “you.”

And that’s the beginning of true, deep healing.

If this resonates with you, I would be honored to walk with you.

Together, we can explore the parts of your story that are longing to be heard — and help you come home to yourself with compassion, faith, and hope.

🌀 EMDR Is Like mental Surgery: How I Prepare You for a Safe and Healing Experience

If you’ve heard of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), you may know it as one of the most research-supported and effective therapies for trauma. And it’s true—EMDR can bring deep and lasting healing. I've personally witnessed transformations that left me in awe—clients who finally felt peace after years of being stuck in survival mode.

But if you’ve also heard scary stories—of people feeling overwhelmed, flooded, or even re-traumatized after EMDR—you’re not alone. And I want you to know: your fear is valid.

As a trauma therapist who deeply values safety and pacing, I want to share something important with you: EMDR is like surgery. It can be life-changing—but only when you're ready, prepared, and supported before, during, and after.

🏥 EMDR is Like Surgery—So Let’s Prepare Well

Imagine EMDR as a kind of emotional surgery—a way to help your brain “clean out” the wounds trauma left behind. But just like with physical surgery, we wouldn’t rush into it without:

• Checking your overall health and stress levels

• Making sure you have support at home

• Teaching you how to rest and heal afterward

Without this preparation, surgery can be too risky or overwhelming. The same is true for EMDR. 

In my clinical experience, I’ve seen that the most successful EMDR experiences happen when we take the time to consider:

• Your level of symptoms (like anxiety, dissociation, panic)

• Your personality and coping style

• Your life stressors and outside support

• Your treatment goals and pace

If you’re someone who’s been hurt, ignored, or rushed before in therapy, you deserve to know: I will never force you into reprocessing before you’re ready.

In fact, sometimes the most powerful healing happens before we even touch the trauma memories.

One model I love and integrate into my work is from Dr. Judith Herman, a pioneer in trauma treatment. Her trauma recovery framework has three stages:

1. Safety & Stabilization

We start by helping you feel safe in your body, emotions, and relationships. You’ll learn grounding tools, calming techniques, and ways to stay in your window of tolerance. This is where we build trust—and you’ll always have the choice to say "pause" or "not yet."

2. Remembrance & Mourning

When you're ready, we begin reprocessing traumatic memories using EMDR—gently, at your pace. You stay in control the whole time. We don’t relive the trauma—we help your brain digest it so it can move from stuck survival mode to calm clarity.

3. Reconnection & Integration

After reprocessing, we focus on helping you reconnect with your strengths, identity, and future. This includes learning how to live, love, and dream beyond the trauma.

🧘🏻‍♀️ Healing That Honors Your Pace

I’ve heard too many stories of people who were thrown into EMDR too fast—who left feeling scared or worse than before. That breaks my heart, because EMDR is a beautiful and powerful tool when done with care and respect.

That’s why I’m deeply committed to making your experience:

• Gentle

• Respectful of your pace

• Collaborative

• Empowering

You’re not “too broken” or “not ready”—we just need the right tools and timing.

🌼 Final Words of Hope

If you’re reading this and feeling a little nervous but also a little hopeful—good. That means your healing system is working. It’s looking for help, safety, and wholeness.

And I’m here to walk with you, step by step.

You don’t have to do trauma work alone or fast. You deserve to feel safe, supported, and seen. EMDR can help—and together, we’ll make sure it’s a healing surgery, not a scary one.