No Bad Parts

Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model

By: Richard C. Schwartz PhD, Alanis Morissette - foreword introduction

Narrated by: Charlie Mechling

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Discover an empowering new way of understanding your multifaceted mind - and healing the many parts that make you who you are.

Is there just one “you”? We’ve been taught to believe we have a single identity, and to feel fear or shame when we can’t control the inner voices that don’t match the ideal of who we think we should be. Yet Dr. Richard Schwartz’s research now challenges this “mono-mind” theory. “All of us are born with many sub-minds - or parts,” says Dr. Schwartz. “These parts are not imaginary or symbolic. They are individuals who exist as an internal family within us - and the key to health and happiness is to honor, understand, and love every part.”

Dr. Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems (IFS) model has been transforming psychology for decades. With No Bad Parts, you’ll learn why IFS has been so effective in areas such as trauma recovery, addiction therapy, and depression treatment - and how this new understanding of consciousness has the potential to radically change our lives. Here you’ll explore:

• The IFS revolution - how honoring and communicating with our parts changes our approach to mental wellness
• Overturning the cultural, scientific, and spiritual assumptions that reinforce an outdated mono-mind model
• The ego, the inner critic, the saboteur - making these often-maligned parts into powerful allies
• Burdens - why our parts become distorted and stuck in childhood traumas and cultural beliefs
• How IFS demonstrates human goodness by revealing that there are no bad parts
• The Self - discover your wise, compassionate essence of goodness that is the source of healing and harmony
• Exercises for mapping your parts, accessing the Self, working with a challenging protector, identifying each part’s triggers, and more

IFS is a paradigm-changing model because it gives us a powerful approach for healing ourselves, our culture, and our planet. As Dr. Schwartz teaches, “Our parts can sometimes be disruptive or harmful, but once they’re unburdened, they return to their essential goodness. When we learn to love all our parts, we can learn to love all people - and that will contribute to healing the world.”

©2021 Richard C. Schwartz, PhD (P)2021 Sounds True

Critic reviews

“An enormous gift - transformative, compassionate, and wise. These simple and brilliant teachings will open your mind and free your spirit and your heart.” (Jack Kornfield, PhD, author of A Path with Heart)

“Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, and the understanding that we all contain valuable parts that are forced into extreme roles to deal with pain and disappointment, has been one of the great advances in trauma therapy. Understanding the role they have played in our survival and being able to unburden the original traumas leads to self-compassion and inner harmony. The notion that all of our parts are welcome is truly revolutionary and opens up a path to self-acceptance and self-leadership. IFS is one of the cornerstones of effective and lasting trauma therapy.” (Bessel van der Kolk, MD, author of The Body Keeps the Score)

“In this trim and highly readable volume, Dr. Richard Schwartz articulates and deftly illustrates his Internal Family Systems model, one of the most innovative, intuitive, comprehensive, and transformational therapies to have emerged in the present century.” (Gabor Maté, MD, author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction)

The Best Book on Parts Work E.V.E.R.

No stranger to IFS, this book feels like a masterclass distillation of Richard Schwartz’s development, implementation and experience over the years. For me, what “self” has always “known” blossomed in the reading and practises presented in this book. Here it is! A healing salve for our inner family that naturally unfolds to our outer family and onward to the entire world. Dare I say Universe? Thank you! Such a blessing and a grace!

A must read for anyone and everyone

I have been studying various psychotherapeutic techniques and believe that IFS is a superior technique to many others or at least an excellent compliment. It can perfectly work with somatic experiencing and psychedelic therapy. This book is an easy way to learn about IFS with multiple beneficial exercises.

Excellent

I really paid attention when I heard this was a Sounds True publication.
Fascinating and instantly applicable information and exercises. I am going to immediately listen to it again Highly recommend.

Life Changing!

All humans should read or listen to this book. we need to be better with ourselves and this book provides a journey to start with.

Great insight

This book was very hands on with the “sessions” you could
participate in. It have a real experience of IFS.

Not an intro to IFS

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I had to listen another book on IFS that discusses the theory behind the practice and exercises.

I recommend this book to anyone who is ready to alleviate their burdens and address the roots of where polarized emotions can live in the mind and body.

This book doesn’t make me want to change who I am as person but accept and love the parts of me that feel unlovable. That attitude shift I’ve gotten from this book has impacted my life positively, thank you.

Context for my kids

This book really helped me better understand my parts, my kids. I have been struggling and feeling stuck. I’m hoping that doing this work will provide a healthy shift.

Life changing insights and perspectives

Mind blowing—in a good way! That’s how I describe this book. Using these straightforward techniques, I have found break throughs in my inner life. There’s a lot here, but fundamentally it is about learning to listen to yourself, hear the pain you carry deep inside, and gently get to know it and even heal the hidden and buried voices. Its about being kind and loving to yourself. This has manifested breakthroughs in my anxiety, and has helped me unlock tremendous creative energies. A must read for those looking for a therapy breakthrough.

Fantastic examination of the inner world

I thoroughly enjoyed the content of this book. Next time would love some less cheesy voice actors, or to have the book read fully by Dr. Schwartz himself.

game changer

I love so many things about this book and couldn't recommend it more. Some of the ideas Dick details in this book have helped me lay the groundwork for radical changes in my parenting, relationships, and how I view myself. I'm so grateful to have listened to this fantastic audiobook!