IFS Journal Prompts: 70 Questions for Internal Family Systems Parts Work

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based psychotherapy model that views the mind as naturally composed of multiple sub-personalities or "parts," each with distinct roles, emotions, and motivations. Developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz in the 1980s and formalized in his 1995 book Internal Family Systems Therapy, IFS identifies three categories of parts: Managers (proactive protectors that control behavior to prevent pain), Firefighters (reactive protectors that numb or distract when pain surfaces), and Exiles (wounded parts carrying unprocessed pain from past experiences). At the center of the model is the Self — a person’s core state characterized by qualities Schwartz calls the "8 C’s": curiosity, calm, confidence, compassion, creativity, clarity, courage, and connectedness. A 2013 study by Anderson, Sweezy, and Schwartz demonstrated significant reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms among participants using IFS techniques, while Sinko and Saint Arnault (2020) found IFS particularly effective for trauma processing because it allows individuals to engage with painful material at a pace regulated by their own internal system. These 70+ journal prompts are organized by IFS part type to guide you through structured self-exploration using the IFS framework.

What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?

IFS is an evidence-based therapy model that views your mind as containing distinct parts — Managers, Firefighters, Exiles — led by a compassionate core Self.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based psychotherapy model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz that conceptualizes the mind as naturally containing multiple sub-personalities or "parts," each with its own feelings, memories, beliefs, and protective functions. Unlike therapeutic approaches that pathologize internal conflict, IFS treats all parts as inherently valuable — even those whose behaviors seem harmful are understood as attempting to protect the individual from pain. The model draws from family systems theory, applying concepts like alliance, triangulation, and role rigidity to the internal psychological landscape. Schwartz developed IFS through clinical observation in the 1980s and published the foundational framework in 1995. Since then, the model has been listed by the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP), with controlled studies showing significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Anderson, Sweezy, and Schwartz (2013) published a pilot study demonstrating that IFS treatment produced clinically meaningful improvement in self-concept and emotional regulation among participants with complex trauma histories.

Internal Family Systems is an evidence-based therapy model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz. It's based on a simple but powerful idea: your mind isn't one unified thing—it's made up of different parts, each with its own feelings, beliefs, and intentions.

You've probably noticed this yourself. Part of you wants to speak up in a meeting, while another part tells you to stay quiet. Part of you wants to rest, while another part pushes you to keep working. These aren't contradictions—they're different parts trying to help you in different ways.

IFS identifies three types of parts:

• Managers: Protective parts that try to keep you safe by controlling your behavior, emotions, and environment. They plan, worry, criticize, and try to prevent bad things from happening.
• Firefighters: Reactive parts that jump in when pain becomes overwhelming — often during moments of emotional hijacking. They distract, numb, or act impulsively to get you away from difficult feelings—even if their methods cause problems.
• Exiles: Young, wounded parts that carry pain from past experiences. Managers and firefighters work hard to keep exiles locked away because their pain feels too big to handle.
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Behind all these parts is your Self—the calm, curious, compassionate core of who you are. IFS therapy helps you access Self energy so you can lead your internal system with wisdom rather than reactivity.

Journaling is one of the best ways to do parts work on your own. It creates space to notice parts, listen to them, and develop a relationship with them. For related inner work, see our shadow work prompts.

Getting Started: Understanding Your Parts

Begin IFS parts work by quietly noticing your inner voices, naming each part without judgment, and asking what role it plays in protecting you.

If you're new to IFS, start here. These prompts help you begin noticing the different parts within you.

1. Think of a recent situation where you felt conflicted. What were the different voices or impulses you noticed?
2. What part of you is most active right now, in this moment? What does it want you to know?
3. Describe a part that often "takes over" when you're stressed. What does it do? How does it try to help?
4. What part of you is hardest to accept? What would happen if you approached it with curiosity instead of judgment?
5. Think of a behavior you want to change. What part of you drives that behavior? What is it trying to protect you from?
6. What part shows up when you're criticized? What does it believe about you?
7. Is there a part that criticizes you? What does it say? Where do you think it learned to talk that way?
8. What part of you do others see most often? Is that the whole picture?
9. Describe a part that feels young or childlike. What does it need?
10. What would your parts say if they could all sit around a table together?

Meeting Your Managers

Manager parts are your inner planners and critics — protective voices that try to control situations and prevent emotional pain before it happens.

Managers are proactive protective parts within the IFS framework that work to keep you safe by controlling your behavior, emotions, and environment before pain can surface. Common manager parts include the inner critic (which enforces perfectionism to prevent rejection), the planner (which obsessively anticipates future problems), the people-pleaser (which sacrifices authenticity to maintain approval), and the intellectualizer (which avoids emotion by retreating into analytical thinking). Schwartz (1995) observed that managers develop their strategies in childhood, when the individual has limited coping resources, and continue applying those same strategies in adulthood even when they are no longer adaptive. A key principle of IFS is that managers are not enemies to be defeated but protectors to be understood — they took on their roles for good reasons. When you approach a manager with curiosity rather than criticism, it often relaxes its grip and reveals the vulnerable exile it has been protecting. The prompts below help you identify your manager parts, understand what they fear, and build a relationship based on appreciation rather than resistance.

11. What part of you is always planning and worrying about the future? What is it afraid will happen if it stops?
12. Describe your inner critic. What does it sound like? Whose voice does it remind you of?
13. What part tries to make you perfect? What does it believe will happen if you're not?
14. Is there a part that people-pleases? What is it trying to avoid by keeping others happy?
15. What part pushes you to overwork? What does it think would happen if you rested?
16. Describe a part that tries to control your emotions. What feelings is it afraid of?
17. What part of you analyzes and intellectualizes? What would it mean to feel instead of think?
18. Is there a part that keeps you from being vulnerable? What experience taught it that vulnerability is dangerous?
19. What would your manager parts say they need from you in order to relax?
20. Thank a manager part for its hard work. Ask it: What are you really trying to protect?

Understanding Your Firefighters

Firefighter parts react impulsively when pain surfaces, using numbing, distraction, or avoidance to pull you away from overwhelming emotions quickly.

Firefighters are reactive parts that jump in when pain becomes overwhelming. They might use distraction, numbing, or impulsive behavior to get you away from difficult feelings. These prompts help you understand firefighter parts with compassion.

21. What do you turn to when emotions feel overwhelming? What part drives that behavior?
22. Describe a part that wants to escape or check out. What is it trying to escape from?
23. Is there a part that numbs you with food, screens, substances, or busyness? What pain is it trying to protect you from?
24. What part shows up when you procrastinate? What feeling is it helping you avoid?
25. Describe a reactive part that gets angry or defensive. What vulnerable feeling is underneath the anger?
26. Is there a part that sabotages good things? What does it believe about what you deserve?
27. What part of you wants to run away when things get hard? Where did it learn that leaving was the best option?
28. Think of a habit you want to change. Ask the part that drives it: What would happen if you stopped? What are you protecting me from feeling?
29. What does your firefighter part need you to understand about why it does what it does?
30. How can you appreciate your firefighter parts for trying to help, even when their methods cause problems?

Connecting with Exiles

Exiles are wounded inner parts carrying unprocessed pain from past experiences, often locked away by Managers and Firefighters to prevent overwhelm.

Exiles are the wounded, vulnerable parts within the IFS model that carry unprocessed pain, shame, fear, loneliness, or grief from past experiences — particularly from childhood. The term "exile" reflects how the psyche handles overwhelming pain: managers and firefighters work together to keep these wounded parts locked away, out of conscious awareness, because their pain feels unbearable. Schwartz (1995) described exiles as holding the emotional memories and beliefs formed during moments of neglect, abuse, loss, or humiliation — beliefs like "I am unlovable," "I am too much," or "The world is not safe." When exile pain leaks through despite the protectors’ efforts, it can feel like disproportionate emotional reactions to minor triggers. Sinko and Saint Arnault (2020) found that IFS-based approaches to trauma processing were effective specifically because they allow individuals to engage with exile material at a pace regulated by their own internal system, rather than through therapist-directed exposure. The prompts below help you gently and safely begin connecting with your exiled parts. Note: Go slowly. If you feel overwhelmed at any point, pause and return to these prompts with the support of a qualified IFS therapist.

31. Is there a young part of you that still carries pain from childhood? What does it need you to know?
32. What part of you feels unlovable? When did it first start believing that?
33. Describe a part that carries shame. What experience created that shame? Was it really your fault?
34. Is there a part that feels invisible or unimportant? When did it first feel unseen?
35. What part of you is afraid of abandonment? What experience taught it that people leave?
36. Describe a part that feels "too much"—too emotional, too needy, too sensitive. Who first told it that?
37. Is there a part that still waits for someone to rescue it? What does it need from you instead?
38. What wounded part have you been avoiding? What would it take to turn toward it with compassion?
39. If you could go back to a younger version of yourself, what would you say? What did they need to hear?
40. What does your most wounded part need to believe in order to heal?

Accessing Self Energy

Self energy is your calm, curious, compassionate core — the natural leadership state from which you can relate to all parts without judgment.

In IFS, the Self is your core—calm, curious, compassionate, and connected. When you're in Self, you can lead your internal system with wisdom. These prompts help you access and strengthen Self energy.

41. Think of a time you felt calm, grounded, and clear. What was that like? That's Self energy.
42. What gets in the way of accessing your Self? What parts take over?
43. Describe how you feel when you're in Self versus when a part is "blended" with you.
44. What helps you return to Self when you're overwhelmed? (Nature, breath, movement, stillness?)
45. From a place of Self, what would you say to your most critical part?
46. From Self, what does your youngest, most wounded part need to hear?
47. If Self could lead your life today, what would be different?
48. What parts don't trust Self to lead? What experiences made them doubt?
49. How can you show your protective parts that Self is capable of handling pain?
50. Write a message from Self to all your parts: What do you want them to know?

Parts Dialogue and Communication

Parts dialogue involves writing conversations between your different inner parts, allowing them to express needs and negotiate with each other directly.

One of the most powerful IFS techniques is having direct conversations with your parts. These prompts guide you through parts dialogue.

51. Choose a part you've been struggling with. Ask it: What do you want me to know?
52. Ask a protective part: What are you afraid would happen if you stopped protecting me?
53. Ask an exile: What happened to you? What do you need from me?
54. When two parts are in conflict, ask each one: What do you need from the other?
55. Ask a part: How old are you? When did you first take on this role?
56. Ask a part that causes problems: What would you rather be doing if you didn't have to do this job?
57. Ask a protective part: What would need to happen for you to trust me to handle things?
58. Write a dialogue between your inner critic and a compassionate part. What do they say to each other?
59. Ask a part: What do you need from me right now?
60. Thank a part for talking with you. Ask: Is there anything else you want me to know?

Integration and Healing

Integration in IFS means building trust between parts so they release extreme roles and work together under the compassionate leadership of your Self.

These prompts help you integrate what you've learned and support ongoing healing. IFS work often pairs well with somatic awareness practices—tuning into your body's physical sensations can help you locate where parts "live" and what they need.

61. What have you learned about yourself through parts work? What surprised you?
62. How has your relationship with a particular part changed through this work?
63. What part still needs more attention and compassion?
64. How can you bring more Self energy into your daily life?
65. What does "internal harmony" look like for you? Not the absence of parts, but parts working together.
66. Write a commitment to your parts: How will you continue to show up for them?
67. What boundary do you need to set to protect your healing?
68. How will you know when a part has begun to trust you more?
69. What would it mean for your exiles to finally feel seen and safe?
70. Describe the version of yourself where all your parts feel understood and at peace.

How to Use These Prompts

Use these IFS prompts by choosing one section at a time, writing freely without censoring, and approaching every part with curiosity and compassion.

For Beginners

• Start with the "Getting Started" section
• Write without judging what comes up
• Approach all parts with curiosity, not criticism
• Go slowly—parts work isn't a race

For Deeper Work

• Focus on one section (Managers, Firefighters, Exiles) for a week
• Return to prompts that trigger strong reactions
• Try writing a dialogue with a specific part
• Notice which parts show up most often in daily life

When to Seek Support

• If exile work brings up overwhelming emotions, work with an IFS-trained therapist
• If a part won't let you access Self, that's information—it needs more trust-building first
• IFS journaling complements therapy but doesn't replace it for trauma work

For related prompts, see our guides on journaling prompts for mental health and self-love journal prompts.

Related Resources

Explore additional IFS tools including guided meditations, parts-mapping worksheets, and recommended books to deepen your Internal Family Systems practice.

• Shadow Work Prompts: 100+ Questions for Self-Discovery
• Journaling Prompts for Mental Health
• Self-Love Journal Prompts: 100+ Questions
• Shadow Work vs Therapy: When to Use Which
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Journal Prompts — Skills-based prompts for distress tolerance and emotion regulation
• 100 Therapy Questions — Therapy-inspired questions organized by category for deeper self-exploration

Looking for more? Check out our guide to fun journal prompts.

You might also enjoy our guide to journaling for emotional regulation.

FAQ

Common IFS journaling questions answered — including how often to practice, what to do when parts resist, and when to seek professional support.

What is IFS therapy?

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based psychotherapy model that views the mind as made up of different "parts"—protective managers, reactive firefighters, and wounded exiles—all led by a compassionate core Self. It was developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz in the 1980s.

Can I do IFS on my own through journaling?

Yes, journaling is an excellent way to explore your parts. However, for deep trauma work or when working with highly activated exiles, it's best to work with an IFS-trained therapist who can help you stay grounded and process difficult material safely.

What's the difference between IFS and shadow work?

Both approaches work with hidden or rejected parts of ourselves. Shadow work (from Jungian psychology) focuses on integrating repressed aspects of personality. IFS provides a more structured framework with specific part types (managers, firefighters, exiles) and emphasizes the Self as a healing resource.

How do I know if I'm "blended" with a part?

When you're blended, a part's feelings and beliefs feel like THE truth rather than A perspective. You might feel overwhelmed, reactive, or unable to see other viewpoints. When you're in Self, you can observe the part's feelings with curiosity and compassion without being consumed by them.

What if a part won't talk to me?

Parts that won't communicate usually don't trust that it's safe yet. This is normal. Thank the part for being protective. Ask what it needs in order to feel safe enough to share. Sometimes parts need time and consistent, non-judgmental attention before they open up.