IFS and Brainspotting: What’s the difference?

IFS and Brainspotting are both ways of working with parts and what’s underneath the surface — but they get there differently.

IFS works through a combination of talking, visualisation, somatic experiences, and using the senses. It can sometimes be a meditative process, sometimes a conversation, other times externalisation work with props or role plays, and so on.

For example, we could be discussing ways to help parts feel safe, noticing hidden layers, talking about your parts, talking to your parts, and slowly building trust between them and your Self. It incorporates some observation, mindfulness work, and systems thinking — noticing how the internal family of parts work together in different ways.

On the other hand, Brainspotting uses where you’re looking — your eye position — to access places in the brain, body, and nervous system where we believe that pain, trauma, or unprocessed difficult emotions and sensations are held. These are often below the level of conscious thought. Brainspotting harnesses the power of your brain, body, and nervous system to process it directly. Sessions can sometimes be pretty quiet, yet with a lot of processing happening in the silence.

Many clients benefit from both. IFS can give you the language and understanding for what’s happening inside you, while Brainspotting can sometimes more easily reach and process what’s stored or stuck inside the brain, body, and nervous system. Depending on what you’re working through, we might use one, the other, or move between both in the same session.