Bridging Therapy and Spirituality: My Unexpected Journey with IFS
When I started therapy as a practitioner & as a client, I viewed it through a very practical lens. I was focused on the science, the measurable outcomes, the tools and frameworks that could help me understand and improve myself. But as I’ve delved deeper into my journey, I’ve realized that something unexpected has emerged: a deep spiritual connection.
Before my introduction to IFS, I kept spirituality and therapy in two separate worlds. I thought of therapy as a grounded, logical process, while spirituality felt more intangible and abstract. The idea of merging the two never really occurred to me. I had always assumed that therapy was about getting down to the facts, digging into my past, and making sense of it all in a concrete, measurable way. Spirituality, on the other hand, seemed like something to explore outside of therapy—if at all.
I was introduced to spirituality as a young girl by my mother who brought me along to the temple for our usual Buddhist practices. I love Buddhism and all that it has to offer, even now after I’ve explored learning about many different types of religious practices. I have never been one to be pro-religion. I believe organized religion has its place in the world but I myself have always seen myself as spiritual rather than religious- even with Buddhism in mind.
In my adult life, I discovered more “witchy” things and explored this aspect of spirituality as well. (Might I add, the witchy things looked and felt extremely similar to my own experience in witnessing Buddhism practices as well as certain religious practices from other countries.) I learned to read tarot cards, learned to tap into my spiritual gifts, cleansing my space and my spiritual body, getting certified in Reiki, and connecting myself to ancestors, angels, etc., to dive deeper into the “knowing.” All of this new information made me feel closer and closer to spirituality and it lead me to a spiritual practice one of my mentors called “digging in the basement.”
Work that was touted as “much deeper than shadow work.” (Shadow work: The word Shadow popularized by Carl Jung, Shadow work is the process of exploring and embracing the hidden or suppressed parts of ourselves—like fears, insecurities, and negative traits—that we usually avoid or deny. By bringing these aspects into awareness and accepting them, we can heal, grow, and become more whole, leading to a more authentic and balanced life.)
When I began working on this much deeper work, I discovered the difficult shameful and darker aspects of myself which I’ve shunned away for decades. Ripping off this Bandaid lead me to a meltdown of meltdowns more than I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I discovered - holy **** I have NOT dealt with ANYTHING I’ve just been shoving it deeper in the recesses of my mind!
At this point my spiritual mentor advised that I look into therapy again to process what I’ve found. I then stumbled upon a therapist that happened to be trained in IFS and it turns out this spiritual work I had been doing for the past year was extremely similar to IFS. It’s almost as if it was meant to be!
My work with that therapist has lead me to where I am now. More on that at another time :) Obviously this lead me to train in IFS because gosh this is the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced.
As I’ve worked through my IFS practice, I’m starting to see that this separation was artificial. The more I’ve embraced IFS in my life and in my practice, the more I realize that to truly live deeply and authentically, spirituality needs to flow freely through my life in all aspects.
IFS has shown me that our parts—the vulnerable, wounded, and even the protective ones—are not just psychological elements. They are part of a larger, interconnected whole. By learning to love and accept these parts, I’m finding a deeper connection to myself, to others, and to something greater than myself. There’s a spiritual quality to the way we can heal, to the way we can find peace by embracing all the different aspects of who we are. It’s not just about working through past trauma or making sense of emotions; it’s about reconnecting with something sacred within, a sense of wholeness that transcends the logical mind.
This shift in perspective has surprised me. I thought therapy would remain a mental exercise, a way to fix things that felt broken. But instead, I’ve come to realize that healing is also a spiritual experience. It’s a practice of cultivating unconditional love for every part of myself, even the parts I’ve rejected or ignored for years. The unconditional love which religion tells us to experience from God and to give to God is the same unconditional love which we need to give ourselves and to others in order to heal us all in the world. In this process, I’ve discovered a deeper sense of inner peace and connection—something that feels both deeply personal and universal.
What I’m learning now is that true healing doesn’t have to be compartmentalized. It isn’t just science or spirituality. It’s both. And in allowing spirituality to flow into my therapy work, I’m discovering a richness that I never expected. Obviously spirituality will never penetrate sessions in such a way that a client will be forced to hear about it unless that is their belief. But in many ways my inner connectedness informs me intuitively on how best to move forward in session with situations that logically- I feel stuck.
What might you want to learn or ask about? Feel free to suggest a topic on my form :)