Somatic IFS Therapy Melbourne & Online

Embodied Parts Work Therapy

Somatic IFS is a form of parts work therapy that brings together Internal Family Systems (IFS) and somatic, body-based psychotherapy.

It supports people in understanding their inner world not only through thought and reflection, but through the lived experience of the body — where so much of our emotional life actually unfolds.

This approach is available in Melbourne and online.

 

What Is Somatic IFS?

Somatic Internal Family Systems is an embodied extension of the Internal Family Systems model developed by Richard Schwartz, and further developed by Susan McConnell, who brings together IFS with Hakomi-informed somatic psychotherapy principles.

In IFS, we understand the psyche as made up of different parts of us.

Some parts work to protect us — by keeping us in control, managing emotions, staying busy, or avoiding vulnerability.
Other parts carry more vulnerable experiences — often connected to younger emotional pain, fear, or unmet needs.

None of these parts are problems. They are intelligent responses to what we’ve lived through.

At the centre of this system is something called Self — a steady, grounded quality of awareness that is calm, curious, and compassionate, and already present in everyone.

Somatic IFS brings this understanding into the body.

 

My Approach

My work is informed by Internal Family Systems, somatic psychotherapy, and trauma-sensitive nervous system work.

I am also Hakomi and Somatic Experiencing informed in how I work with pacing, regulation, and embodied awareness. While I am not fully certified in these modalities, they strongly shape how I understand trauma, attachment, and the nervous system.

Rather than following a fixed method, I work in a responsive way — staying close to what is happening in your system moment to moment, and supporting the pace your body can actually work with.

 

What Makes Somatic IFS Different

In traditional IFS, parts are often explored through reflection, dialogue, or imagery.

In Somatic IFS, we bring this into direct relationship with the body.

That means we also pay attention to:

• where a part is felt

• how it shapes breath or posture

• the quality of sensation in the moment

• nervous system responses like activation or shutdown

The body becomes a way of directly meeting what is happening inside you, rather than thinking about it from a distance.

For many people, this allows access to experiences that haven’t fully shifted through talking alone.

 

How Parts Show Up in the Body

Different parts can be experienced in very physical ways.

For example:

• tightness in the chest might reflect a protective part

• heaviness or collapse in the stomach might indicate something younger or overwhelmed

• agitation or restlessness can signal a part trying to manage or stay in control

• ease or spaciousness often reflects a sense of Self being present

These aren’t interpretations to impose — they’re ways of gently tracking what your system is already communicating.

 

What Happens in a Session

A session usually begins in conversation and then may naturally move inward.

We might slow down and notice:

• what is happening in your body right now

• what part of you feels most present

• what that part might need or be protecting

• how other parts respond to it

We stay with whatever emerges at a pace that feels safe and manageable.

There is nothing to force or achieve — the work unfolds through attention, presence, and relationship.

Over time, parts often soften simply from being met in this way, and more space for calm, grounded awareness can become available.

 

The Five Core Practices of Somatic IFS

These are not techniques, but guiding principles that support the work:

Somatic Awareness
Noticing sensation, breath, and movement as expressions of inner experience.

Conscious Breathing
Allowing breath to support regulation and noticing how different states affect it.

Radical Resonance
Bringing steady, attuned presence so parts feel seen and not alone.

Mindful Movement
Allowing subtle movement or shifts that support expression and integration.

Attuned Touch (when appropriate)
Using grounding or self-touch in a consent-led, trauma-informed way when it feels supportive.

 

How This Fits Within My Work

Somatic IFS is one of the core ways I work when supporting deeper emotional patterns, trauma responses, and internal conflict.

It sits alongside somatic psychotherapy, and together they support both the nervous system and the inner world.

Somatic psychotherapy offers the broader foundation of regulation and embodied awareness.
Somatic IFS brings a clear way of relating to the different parts of you that arise within that experience.

Together, they support a more integrated and compassionate relationship with yourself.

 

Who This May Be Helpful For

This approach may be supportive if you:

• notice strong inner conflict or self-criticism

• experience emotional states that feel overwhelming or take over

• feel disconnected from your body or inner experience

• are sensitive to stress, emotion, or relational dynamics

• have done talk therapy but feel something deeper is still there

• are curious about working in a more embodied way