Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

[ENCORE EPISODE] Richard Schwartz, PhD: No Bad Parts

26 snips
Nov 13, 2025
Richard Schwartz, PhD, is the innovative mind behind the Internal Family Systems model, focusing on healing trauma through understanding our inner 'parts.' In this discussion, he reveals how even our most troubling behaviors hold protective intentions designed to shield us from pain. Schwartz challenges the 'mono mind' myth, explains the unburdening process, and shares personal experiences of transformation. He emphasizes the importance of self-leadership, mindfulness exercises, and how this approach can heal not just individuals but also enhance relationships.
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INSIGHT

Protective Intent Behind Harmful Parts

  • Harmful-seeming parts usually carry protective intentions rooted in past pain.
  • Richard Schwartz shows curiosity reveals these parts aim to keep us or others safe.
ANECDOTE

Cutting Part Was A Protector

  • A client who cut herself revealed the cutting part had protected her during sexual abuse by dissociating her.
  • When thanked and understood, the cutting part wept and shifted away from harming her.
INSIGHT

Offending Parts Carry Perpetrator Burdens

  • Even perpetrators' offending parts can stem from absorbed perpetrator energy from their own abuse.
  • Unloading that burden can transform such parts into nonharmful states.
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