Why Your Anxiety Has Different "Personalities": Understanding Parts Work and Somatic Therapy
When It Feels Like You're At War With Yourself
One part of you desperately wants to put your art out into the world. Another part is terrified of being seen.
One part knows you deserve rest. Another part drives you relentlessly toward productivity.
One part wants intimacy and connection. Another part pushes people away the moment they get too close.
If you've ever felt this internal tug-of-war, you're not experiencing something wrong with you — you're experiencing the natural multiplicity of the human psyche.
As a somatic therapist in Brooklyn who specializes in parts work (Internal Family Systems), I want to introduce you to a paradigm shift that might change everything: what if all these conflicting voices aren't obstacles to overcome, but parts of you trying to help in the only way they know how?
What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy?
Internal Family Systems, or IFS, is a therapeutic approach developed by Richard Schwartz that recognizes we all have different "parts" — sub-personalities with their own perspectives, feelings, and roles.
You probably already know this intuitively. Think about how you might say:
"Part of me wants to quit my job, but part of me is scared"
"A part of me feels angry, and another part feels guilty about the anger"
"One part of me knows I should set boundaries, but another part just wants to keep the peace"
IFS says: what if we took that language seriously?
What if, instead of trying to eliminate the anxious part, the critical part, or the scared part, we got curious about what they're trying to protect you from?
Why Anxious, Creative People Especially Benefit from Parts Work
If you're a highly sensitive, creative person, you likely have a rich inner world — which also means you have a lot of parts vying for attention.
Here's what I see in my Brooklyn therapy practice all the time:
The Perfectionist Part vs. The Free Spirit
Your perfectionist part believes that if you just work hard enough, you'll finally be safe. Meanwhile, your creative, spontaneous part is suffocating under all those rules.
The People-Pleaser vs. The Rebel
One part desperately wants everyone to like you. Another part wants to burn it all down and do exactly what you want. They're both exhausted.
The Anxious Part vs. The Numb Part
When anxiety gets overwhelming, a part of you might check out entirely — through dissociation, substances, scrolling, binge-watching. That numb part isn't lazy; it's protecting you from feeling too much.
The Vulnerable Part vs. The Armored Part
The young, tender part of you wants to be seen and loved. But an older, protective part built walls so high that no one can get in — not even you.
What Makes Somatic IFS Different from Regular IFS
Traditional IFS focuses on having internal dialogues with your parts — talking to them, getting to know them, understanding their roles.
Somatic IFS adds the body into the equation.
Here's why that matters:
Your parts don't just live in your mind — they live in your body:
Anxiety might show up as tightness in your chest or a knot in your stomach
The critic might manifest as tension in your jaw or shoulders
A young, wounded part might make you feel small, collapsed, or curled inward
A protective part might create a sense of buzzing energy or hypervigilance
In somatic parts work, we pay attention to:
Where in your body each part lives
What sensations arise when a part is activated
How your nervous system responds to different parts
What your body needs to feel safe enough to connect with vulnerable parts
This body-based approach often allows for deeper, faster healing — especially for highly sensitive people who are naturally attuned to physical sensations.
What Somatic Parts Work Looks Like in Practice
Let me walk you through what might happen in a session:
Step 1: Noticing What's Alive
We might start by noticing what's present in the moment. Maybe you're feeling anxious about a work presentation. Where do you feel that in your body? What does it feel like?
Step 2: Getting Curious About the Part
Instead of trying to make the anxiety go away, we get curious. If this anxious part could speak, what would it say? How old does it feel? What is it worried about?
Step 3: Separating from the Part
This is key: you are not your anxiety. You have an anxious part. There's a "you" (what IFS calls Self) that can observe, be curious, and ultimately lead the healing process.
Step 4: Asking What It Needs
Often, anxious or protective parts are stuck in old roles. The anxious part might still think you're 12 years old and that making a mistake will lead to catastrophic consequences. When we help it update its information — when it realizes you're an adult now with resources — it can finally relax.
Step 5: Working with the Body
Throughout this process, we're tracking your nervous system. Are you regulated enough to stay present? Do you need grounding? What helps you feel safe in your body?
We might use somatic tools like:
Breath work
Grounding techniques
Movement or gesture
Tracking sensations
Gentle touch (self-guided)
Common Parts You Might Recognize
While everyone's system is unique, here are some parts I frequently meet in my work with anxious creatives:
The Inner Critic
Where it lives in the body: Tight jaw, tense shoulders, constricted throat
What it's trying to do: Keep you safe from failure, rejection, or judgment by making sure you're "perfect"
What it needs: To know that you're safe even when you make mistakes
The Overwhelmed Part
Where it lives in the body: Chest tightness, shallow breathing, racing heart
What it's trying to do: Alert you to danger (real or perceived)
What it needs: Reassurance that the present moment is safe
The Escape Artist
Where it lives in the body: Numbness, disconnection, feeling "floaty" or "not here"
What it's trying to do: Protect you from overwhelming emotions or sensations
What it needs: To trust that you can handle feelings without being destroyed by them
The Little One
Where it lives in the body: Feeling small, collapsed, childlike
What it's trying to do: This isn't a protector — it's the young part that was hurt and is still waiting to be seen
What it needs: Your presence, compassion, and the knowledge that you're here now
Why This Approach Works for Highly Sensitive People
If you identify as a highly sensitive person (HSP), you've probably been told you're "too sensitive," "too emotional," or "overthinking it."
Somatic parts work says: your sensitivity is not a flaw. It's how your system is wired, and we can work with it, not against it.
HSPs often:
Feel emotions and sensations more intensely
Pick up on subtle environmental cues
Need more time to process experiences
Have rich inner lives with lots of parts to manage
Parts work honors all of this. We're not trying to make you less sensitive — we're helping your parts feel safe so you can be sensitive without being overwhelmed.
Combining Parts Work with Art Therapy
As an art therapist who does somatic IFS, I sometimes invite clients to create visual representations of their parts:
Drawing or painting different parts
Creating a "parts map" of your internal system
Using collage to represent what different parts need
Making art from the perspective of a specific part
This can be incredibly powerful, especially for people who are visual thinkers or who struggle to access parts through conversation alone.
You don't need to be "good at art" — this is about expression and exploration, not aesthetics.
Somatic Parts Work for Depression
While anxiety gets a lot of attention in parts work, this approach is equally powerful for depression.
Depression often shows up when:
Parts are in extreme conflict (exhausting your system)
You've exiled painful parts so deeply that you can't access any feeling
Protective parts are working so hard that they've shut down your vitality
You've disconnected from Self — the calm, compassionate center of who you are
In somatic parts work for depression, we gently:
Help protective parts relax enough to allow feeling back in
Reconnect you with exiled parts that carry grief, shame, or longing
Work with the body to restore a sense of aliveness
Find the "you" underneath all the heaviness
Virtual Somatic Therapy Across New York State
Somatic parts work translates beautifully to virtual sessions. In fact, many clients find it easier to connect with their bodies when they're in the comfort and safety of their own space.
Whether you're in Brooklyn, New York City, or anywhere in New York State, we can do this work together online.
During virtual sessions, I'll guide you in:
Noticing body sensations from where you are
Using your own environment for grounding
Creating safe spaces in your home for this work
Integrating somatic practices into your daily life
When to Consider Somatic Parts Work
You might benefit from this approach if:
You feel like you're constantly at war with yourself
Talk therapy hasn't helped you feel different in your body
You're a highly sensitive person struggling to manage big emotions
You've experienced trauma and need a gentle, body-based approach
You're interested in deeper, transformational work (not just symptom management)
You resonate with the idea of "parts" and want to understand your inner world better
You're creative, spiritual, or drawn to depth psychology
You Don't Have to Exile Your Parts to Find Peace
For so long, you might have believed that healing meant getting rid of the anxious part, silencing the critic, or eliminating the scared part.
But here's the radical truth of parts work: all your parts are welcome.
Even the ones that seem destructive or overwhelming are trying to help you. They just need updating, unburdening, and integration.
You don't have to be at war with yourself anymore.
Ready to Meet Your Parts?
I offer somatic Internal Family Systems therapy combined with art therapy for anxious, creative, and highly sensitive people in Brooklyn and throughout New York State.
Book a free 15-minute consultation to explore whether somatic parts work is right for you, or learn more about my integrative approach.
Let's help your parts find their way home to you.
Irene Maropakis is a licensed therapist in New York specializing in somatic IFS, art therapy, and EMDR for highly sensitive and creative individuals. Services available in Brooklyn and virtually across New York State.
