All the behaviors that combine to define an eating disorder are just maladaptive coping strategies, writes Brittney Williams of Fairhaven Treatment Center. According to Internal Family Systems (IFS) theory, the inner “exiles” who perform those behaviors do not need to be banished, only freed of their painful burdens:
The goal of coming to see eating disorders as a “part” similar to the rest of an individual’s various “parts” gives a chance for them to be seen, heard, understood, and transformed.
In other words, the concept here is to own the eating disorder and the ghostly entities that inhabit you, because to admit in the first place that they exist is the only way to tame them.
“Parts work,” as pioneered by Dr. Richard Schwartz, is claimed to be effective not only with eating issues but with “many mental disorders.” According to this worldview, for a person to contain several beings is not a pathology but the natural order of things. Rather than suffer banishment, the multiple entities within should all be consulted and regarded, because if given the chance, they can and will prove helpful. In other words,
The foundation of this model offers a beneficial framework for clinicians to approach clients’ eating disorder behavior from an internal relational perspective rather than as maladaptive behaviors.
To shun the “parts” only nudges them into extreme “look at me” behavior, so it is much more helpful to grant them respectful attention. Trying to ignore them will not accomplish anything anyway, so you might as well give them a chance to be heard. The “parts” all want to help, and they are not going anywhere, so the smart thing to do is get to know them and understand what they bring to the table.
The downside
This all sounds very inspiring, but apparently it can go plenty wrong. Often, good intentions are not enough. IFS is sometimes paired with intuitive eating, “a non-diet approach to food intake that involves listening to your body’s hunger and satiety cues and eating accordingly… [Y]ou can eat what you want and when you want, as long as you are tuning into your body’s signals.”
Success depends on interoception, “the ability to perceive physical sensations that arise from within your body. Intuitive eating relies on interoception since you must be attuned to your hunger and fullness in order to give your body the fuel it needs.” It is all too easy to imagine how readily this philosophy could jump the track.
In one way, the IFS worldview is very positive, in assuming that your healthy self is tucked away in there somewhere — you just have to locate and connect with it. But matters are not always quite so simple. In group therapy, listening to the wrong person can be a problem. Artificial Intelligence entities, no matter how cleverly created, can be wrong. The “parts” of a person, the “managers” and “firefighters” who are meant to fix things, can be mistaken. They can give bad and even dangerous advice.
One aspect of relatability is in the bag already. Thanks to technology, AI can be engineered to speak in a voice so convincing that perfectly sane people are swindled into sending their life savings to bail their grandchildren out of jail.
So, why shouldn’t an equally convincing fake entity succeed in helping a person feel worthy and capable of making enormous life changes and losing 100 pounds? Or, if the human in need of therapy is a child, wouldn’t it be theoretically possible to dispose of breath and heartbeat entirely, and let AI help the kids adopt, painlessly, a lifestyle through which they would never become overweight in the first place?
Caution is advised
With self-protective clarity, a young teen in therapy might recognize that he or she has an absolutely terrible parent. (If they didn’t already know it.) Still, the knowledge does not imply a recommendation to murder that parent. This is where professionals really must possess skill, in the realm of helping patients transform pain and anger into positive outcomes. Sadly, that result is not always achieved.
How bad can it be? Of course, a response that triggers binge eating is apt to have quite different results from a response that triggers homicidal tendencies. Does a therapist ever fear setting off a murder or a suicide? Even worse, intentional harm of this kind has been done on purpose.
According to investigators, government agencies in the Sixties were involved in influencing some very bad people to become even worse, and earn public disapproval that would have political consequences. Basically, there is good brainwashing and bad brainwashing, and caution is advisable.
IFS has run into some trouble in this area. As its popularity grew, some families were inevitably shattered when false memories convinced patients that their parents had abused or tried to kill them. Rachel Corbett wrote about this in detail, explaining that thorough and comprehensive training is vital, especially when dealing with vulnerable people who are at a life juncture when they really could use some family support.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “The IFS Model With Eating Disorders: ED is Just a Part of You,” EatingDisorderHope.com, 10/11/23
Source: “Eating Disorders and the Internal Family Systems Model,” EatingDisorderHope.com, 10/19/20
Source: “Using internal family systems with intuitive eating to enhance eating disorder recovery,” WithinHealth.com, undated
Source: “Grandparent Scams Take Advantage of Your Love for Your Family,” AARP.org, 02/13/25
Source: “The Therapy That Can Break You,” TheCut.com, 10/30/25
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