My Therapy Reflections #9 - Befriending My Inner Critic (Internal Family Systems)

In the next chapter of My Therapy Reflections, I share a very significant IFS (Internal Family Systems) breakthrough that has reframed how I view some of my darkest moments. When life feels too loud and too bright (which is most of the time), I tend to mentally retreat, like hiding in a tunnel—a cold, dark place that where I sometimes I can sleep for days. But this session revealed something surprising: my internal parts weren’t trying to trap me there like I had thought. They were waiting at the top, encouraging me to come back.Even my inner critic—the voice I’ve long seen as cruel and as my enemy—was there trying to help. Not to tear me down, but to shield me from a world I’m not built for. This unexpected shift helped me see that every part of me, even the ones I’ve battled with, have been trying to protect me in their own, unique way.I also uncovered a younger part of myself, frozen at age 15, holding trauma I hadn’t accessed in years. That story continues in Part B. But in this episode, it’s all about beginning to see your inner system not as broken, but as misunderstood. Maybe, like me, you’ll start to feel compassion for the parts of yourself you once feared.--Follow The Dysregulated Podcast: Instagram – @elliot.t.waters Facebook – The Dysregulated Podcast YouTube – The Dysregulated Podcast (Official Channel)Created by Elliot Waters — Inspired by lived experience. Mental health insights, real stories, real conversations.