What is Parts work?
Parts work is one of my favorite therapeutic approaches because it helps us explore and understand the complex inner world we all carry. When I think about parts work, the Structural Dissociation Model (SDM) is particularly useful. This trauma-specific model explains how, in the face of overwhelming or traumatic experiences, particularly in early life, the mind can split into distinct "parts" to protect us. These include a "daily life" part that helps us function day-to-day and "emergency parts" or "emotional parts" that hold unprocessed trauma, emotions, and survival responses.
Imagine your mind as a house with many rooms. The daily life part is like the well-lit living room where you spend most of your time. It keeps the house running smoothly, handling work, socializing, and day-to-day responsibilities. The emergency parts, on the other hand, are like locked rooms in the house. These rooms hold the intense emotions, memories, and survival mechanisms that were too overwhelming to process at the time. Locking those doors was the mind’s way of protecting you, ensuring the rest of the house could remain functional.
It makes sense that the mind would create these parts. This separation allows us to survive in the moment by safely storing what feels unbearable. However, these protective mechanisms don’t just disappear. The emotions, sensations, or memories held in those locked rooms often remain outside of our awareness and can be activated by anything that feels familiar to the original trauma or wounding.
As a result, many complex trauma survivors describe a fear of their own inner world, as though unlocking these doors would unleash a “monster” inside—a never-ending pit of darkness, despair, rage, horror, aloneness, or disgust. This fear can lead to avoiding emotions and sensations altogether, but because these emergency parts were walled off for so long, they might manifest in ways that feel raw and overwhelming when triggered, such as uncontrollable rage, intense “neediness”, or self-harm impulses.
In therapy sessions, I help clients slow down and notice when one of these locked rooms is calling for attention. It might show up as a knot in the stomach, a wave of anger, or an old memory surfacing. With gentle curiosity, we step toward that door, listening to what’s inside. Often, we discover a younger, scared, or hurt part that’s been holding onto the pain for years. By understanding and caring for this part—sometimes through visualization or body-based practices—we begin to unburden it from its role. It no longer needs to stand guard or carry the weight of survival alone.
Over time, this process unlocks the doors. The rooms that once felt closed off or overwhelming become places of peace and rest. Your daily life part—the part running the house—feels less fragmented and burdened by the past, and the emergency parts find relief, knowing they don’t have to work so hard anymore.
Parts work helps bring the whole house into harmony, fostering a sense of wholeness and self-compassion. It’s not about getting rid of any part of you—it’s about understanding, honoring, and collaborating with them, so you can live more freely and fully in your inner world.
If you’re curious about parts work, I invite you to book a free 20-minute consultation to explore whether this approach feels right for you.
