SOMATIC IFS · SELF-COMPASSION

What Is Somatic IFS? Listening to Your Body with Curiosity and Compassion

23 October 2026 · 6 minute read

By Pauline O’Brien, RP | Inspired Reiki

Have you ever understood something logically, while your body seemed to tell a different story?

You might know you can say no, yet feel your throat tighten when you try. You might want to rest, while another part of you insists you should keep going. Or you may notice tension, restlessness, or numbness before you have words for what you are feeling.

Somatic Internal Family Systems, or Somatic IFS, offers a way to explore these experiences with curiosity and compassion. It brings together parts work and attention to the body, making room for sensations, emotions, and protective responses alongside conversation.

What do we mean by “parts”?

Internal Family Systems understands our inner lives as made up of different parts. You might recognize a part that works hard, a part that worries about disappointing people, or a part that withdraws when life becomes overwhelming.

These are ways of describing aspects of our experience. You do not need to picture separate characters or hear an inner voice to explore parts work.

In IFS, we approach parts with the possibility that their responses have a protective purpose—even when those responses have become exhausting or difficult to live with. Rather than immediately trying to change them, we begin by getting curious about what they need us to understand.

Bringing the body into the conversation

Somatic IFS, developed by Susan McConnell, integrates IFS with five practices: somatic awareness, conscious breathing, radical resonance, mindful movement, and attuned touch. Together, they invite attention to the bodily and relational dimensions of our experience. (embodiedself.net)

For example, you might begin with:

“A part of me feels responsible for keeping everyone happy.”

As we explore this, you might notice raised shoulders, a tight jaw, or an urge to lean forward. These observations offer another way to get to know your experience. They do not have a fixed meaning; we explore what they mean for you.

The five practices, in everyday language

Somatic awareness: noticing what is here

This means gently noticing sensations such as warmth, pressure, movement, tension, or stillness.

You do not have to scan your whole body or find a strong feeling. Sometimes the starting point is noticing your feet on the floor—or recognizing that feeling inside is difficult today.

Conscious breathing: bringing curiosity to the breath

We may notice how your breathing changes as different feelings or parts emerge. Any exploration of changing the breath is optional and guided by your comfort.

There is no requirement to take deep breaths. Your natural breathing can be enough.

Radical resonance: being met with presence

This practice emphasizes the therapist’s embodied presence and responsiveness. In everyday terms, it involves being accompanied by someone who pays attention to your words, your pace, and your nonverbal experience.

There is room for silence, uncertainty, and feelings that are hard to explain.

Mindful movement: allowing expression through movement

A small movement can become part of the exploration: turning your head, shifting your position, stretching your hands, or noticing an impulse to step back.

Movement is adapted to your body, access needs, and preferences. There is no performance to get right.

Attuned touch: exploring support with clear consent

Touch is one practice within Somatic IFS, and it is always optional. Self-touch, such as placing your own hand somewhere that feels supportive, may be explored if you choose.

Any therapist-provided touch requires a separate discussion of consent, purpose, boundaries, and appropriateness. Somatic IFS can also take place entirely without touch.

What might a session feel like?

Imagine arriving with a familiar concern:

“I keep agreeing to things, and then I feel resentful.”

We might begin by listening to the part that says yes. What is it concerned would happen if you declined? As you speak, we may gently notice what happens in your body.

Perhaps your chest tightens. Perhaps you feel very little. Perhaps another part becomes impatient and wants a solution immediately.

Each response can help guide the conversation. We do not need to force a sensation, revisit a painful memory, or make something dramatic happen. You can pause, change direction, keep your eyes open, or choose to stay with talking.

The aim is to develop more understanding and choice in how you relate to yourself.

What if connecting with my body feels uncomfortable?

For some people, paying attention inside feels unfamiliar, overwhelming, or inaccessible. We can respect that.

A starting point might be looking around the room, noticing the support of a chair, talking about what matters to you, or identifying what would make the session more comfortable. Numbness and uncertainty are welcome information, too.

Your sensory preferences, disability, culture, identity, and lived experience belong in the conversation. There is no single correct way to feel connected to your body.

How does Somatic IFS fit at Inspired Reiki?

At Inspired Reiki, my Somatic IFS work is offered within my role as a Registered Psychotherapist. Psychotherapy and Reiki are distinct services, with their own purposes and consent processes.

You do not need a particular spiritual belief to explore Somatic IFS. We can make room for spirituality if it is meaningful to you, and we can work in everyday language if that feels more comfortable.

A gentler relationship with yourself

Somatic IFS invites a different kind of question:

“What might this part of me need me to understand?”

Over time, this exploration may support greater self-understanding and more choice in how you respond to difficult experiences. Everyone’s process is different.

You do not need to arrive feeling calm, know how to meditate, or have the right words. We can begin with what is here.

To learn more about working with me, visit Somatic IFS therapy with Pauline O’Brien, RP at Inspired Reiki.

Take what resonates and leave the rest.

Reference

McConnell, S. (n.d.). Somatic Internal Family Systems therapy. Embodied Self. https://www.embodiedself.net/