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Parts Work: An Illustrated Guide to Your Inner Life
The book, Parts Work, describes our inner psychological world with drawings which are moving, thought-provoking, sometimes humorous and often poignant. The book shows how we can disentangle ourselves from the problematic habitual patterns in which we get stuck, and offers ways of positively using our particular talents and style for a fuller life. Through practical examples as well as clinical illustrations, the book helps us to understand ourselves and others better.
127 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
945 people are currently reading
1325 people want to read
About the author
Tom Holmes
61 books5 followersLibrarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
December 12, 2014
This is a useful book about a very interesting therapeutic model. I was already familiar with "parts work", i.e. Internal Family Systems Model, and I think that helped me follow the text. Familiarity is not a prerequisite, however, as the language was pretty easy to understand and they repeated the information in different ways to help you absorb it. I thought it was definitely written for the layperson who might want to use this therapy for their own health, as opposed to professionals or someone researching the therapy. (The book Introduction to the Internal Family Systems Model was more technical, although still accessible to the layperson.) The author(s) did a good job of keeping the text simple and clear, and the questions and guides at the end of each section seemed helpful and relevant.
This book's strength is also in many ways its weakness, and that is the illustrations of parts which were drawn to help the reader see part interactions and get a better feel for how the work might develop. It was a strength because parts work is not necessarily intuitive and so having a visual reference can help you understand what's going on. It was a weakness, though, because the illustrations tied you down to one interpretation of how it might be visualized, and was limiting if you don't see parts that way or don't feel represented by the illustrations. For starters, the parts were almost all illustrated as human beings, which is fine if you visualize parts as people, but if you visualize them as colors or sounds or even different animals it would be hard to relate. Also, almost all the illustrations were Caucasion, which at first I assumed to be because the parts belonged to a Caucasian person, but then that person also had Caucasian parts with different genders and a Black male part who was a judge. I really couldn't figure out if it was an attempt at diversity or stereotyping. It seemed a bit strange and showed the limitations of this approach. The one exception was the section with examples from other clients with pictures of how they saw the parts; this section truly showed the variety available, although it was unfortunately limited to three examples.
I've spent most of this review on the illustrations, but that was the main differentiation from other books written about this work. The other differentiation seemed to be the chapters on spirituality at the end. Here again, it was a strength and a weakness. A strength because it is often hard to incorporate spirituality with intellectual models of therapy. The author(s) have done a good job of showing how spirituality could be incorporated in this work. I thought some of what they said was a little misguided, though, as if having spiritual parts was some sort of miracle separate from the rest of the parts model. At times it seemed like they were trying to duct tape spirituality onto the model, instead of seeing how the parts model itself is a spiritual process and that a part that looks like Jesus is no better or worse than a part that shows up as a wolf, they just have different roles.
All in all, I thought it was a very meaningful book, and I felt that it did justice to the therapy it was describing. I cried many times when they described different epiphanies and talked about the emotional journeys involved, and for those of you who know me, making me cry always gets you a higher rating.
This book's strength is also in many ways its weakness, and that is the illustrations of parts which were drawn to help the reader see part interactions and get a better feel for how the work might develop. It was a strength because parts work is not necessarily intuitive and so having a visual reference can help you understand what's going on. It was a weakness, though, because the illustrations tied you down to one interpretation of how it might be visualized, and was limiting if you don't see parts that way or don't feel represented by the illustrations. For starters, the parts were almost all illustrated as human beings, which is fine if you visualize parts as people, but if you visualize them as colors or sounds or even different animals it would be hard to relate. Also, almost all the illustrations were Caucasion, which at first I assumed to be because the parts belonged to a Caucasian person, but then that person also had Caucasian parts with different genders and a Black male part who was a judge. I really couldn't figure out if it was an attempt at diversity or stereotyping. It seemed a bit strange and showed the limitations of this approach. The one exception was the section with examples from other clients with pictures of how they saw the parts; this section truly showed the variety available, although it was unfortunately limited to three examples.
I've spent most of this review on the illustrations, but that was the main differentiation from other books written about this work. The other differentiation seemed to be the chapters on spirituality at the end. Here again, it was a strength and a weakness. A strength because it is often hard to incorporate spirituality with intellectual models of therapy. The author(s) have done a good job of showing how spirituality could be incorporated in this work. I thought some of what they said was a little misguided, though, as if having spiritual parts was some sort of miracle separate from the rest of the parts model. At times it seemed like they were trying to duct tape spirituality onto the model, instead of seeing how the parts model itself is a spiritual process and that a part that looks like Jesus is no better or worse than a part that shows up as a wolf, they just have different roles.
All in all, I thought it was a very meaningful book, and I felt that it did justice to the therapy it was describing. I cried many times when they described different epiphanies and talked about the emotional journeys involved, and for those of you who know me, making me cry always gets you a higher rating.
June 28, 2019
Simply this book changed my life
July 31, 2023
i think it is a great intro book for those interested or practicing parts work / internal family systems. very easy to follow along and understand
April 14, 2021
I’ve never had IFS but it sounds like...
a lot of things I have learned in my life especially through therapy. IFS seems to combine meditation, emotions, thoughts, behavior, relationships and so much more together to find your self. Wise mind as I have learned. I have always felt like something is missing in terms of therapy, like it separated me into different pthings or parts instead of being whole. Maybe the spiritual part is what is missing too. This seems to integrate that in as well no matter what one believes. I will want to read this again and do the exercises but I think it’s a very visual instruction to begin to understand IFS. (Integrated Family Systems) - I think it’s hard to go back to book once here in typing review and not loose what I typed lol.
a lot of things I have learned in my life especially through therapy. IFS seems to combine meditation, emotions, thoughts, behavior, relationships and so much more together to find your self. Wise mind as I have learned. I have always felt like something is missing in terms of therapy, like it separated me into different pthings or parts instead of being whole. Maybe the spiritual part is what is missing too. This seems to integrate that in as well no matter what one believes. I will want to read this again and do the exercises but I think it’s a very visual instruction to begin to understand IFS. (Integrated Family Systems) - I think it’s hard to go back to book once here in typing review and not loose what I typed lol.
July 16, 2024
2.5, really. The concept of parts within your psyche is very interesting, but this reads a bit like a sales pitch of Things That Will Cure You. I get why the illustrations are included and the naming of parts, but it backfires a bit by feeling restrictive--if your parts aren't these parts, we can't really help you.
I got this book and learned parts theory from a guy who studied with Holmes, so it was interesting to have my teacher's fanboying alongside learning the systems work itself. Good to have within a library of various emotional and therapeutical approaches (and very interesting when paired with the Inside Out films) but not really a stand-alone panacea.
I got this book and learned parts theory from a guy who studied with Holmes, so it was interesting to have my teacher's fanboying alongside learning the systems work itself. Good to have within a library of various emotional and therapeutical approaches (and very interesting when paired with the Inside Out films) but not really a stand-alone panacea.
December 2, 2019
I found some sections useful and took a few pages of notes on things that were useful for me to reflect on. Others relied very heavily on visualization, which isn't something I can do (aphantasia), so they weren't at all useful to me.
It was also a little too heavily anecdote driven, especially the spiritual guides section near the end, which struck me as ridiculous.
It was also a little too heavily anecdote driven, especially the spiritual guides section near the end, which struck me as ridiculous.
January 18, 2023
Enjoyed this book from a big picture social worker perspective. That said, it was also specific in that it gave practical ways to incorporate parts work in a session. It was a good book for introspection and intellectually understand my own parts before diving into them emotionally. I would recommend it to micro and macro social workers.
I found it interesting how spirituality could be a big part of parts work. It could either be a tough or easier journey back to self pending religious or spiritual experiences. Definitely a good primer to internal family systems
I found it interesting how spirituality could be a big part of parts work. It could either be a tough or easier journey back to self pending religious or spiritual experiences. Definitely a good primer to internal family systems
January 29, 2023
I would reccomend this book for anyone willing to take an unorthodox approach (with a therapist) to learning how their mind operates consciously and subconsciously. If you're like me and spiritual but not religious, you'd get a lot out of this book, especially if you do the exercises at the end of each chapter.
May 25, 2022
4.5 stars
This book is helpful in understanding how we interact with ourselves, which comes out as things like annoyance with others, caring for others, getting in the same fights with our partners, etc. Highly recommend it.
This book is helpful in understanding how we interact with ourselves, which comes out as things like annoyance with others, caring for others, getting in the same fights with our partners, etc. Highly recommend it.
August 29, 2024
Nice illustration and intro to parts work. I loved the introduction to (spiritual) guide parts at the end of the book as I found them emerge in my own inner work. This is inspiring me to work more closely with my guides and see what I find.
March 1, 2021
This has some good visuals if you are interested in doing Internal Family Systems work.
October 5, 2023
This is something I’m going to need to say about any IFS book:
IFS is a really powerful therapeutic modality, but it needs to be done in a very safe and trauma-informed manner with a trained therapist/guide. I, unfortunately, have had a negative experience that did more damage at the end than help..and, in hindsight, I am realizing how important it is to work with a therapist that is highly trained AND is able to be adaptable beyond just IFS. It is not the one-all, be-all framework for trauma survivors & clients, but is most useful when it is used as ONE of the tools versus the singular framework. This is just my two cents.
I will also add that, in my perspective, I recommend only reading these books if you are a trained therapist or you think your client will benefit from understanding the theory. Otherwise, I am under the impression (from my own experience) that IFS should be experiential for the client and less of them studying the theory like a student.
IFS is a really powerful therapeutic modality, but it needs to be done in a very safe and trauma-informed manner with a trained therapist/guide. I, unfortunately, have had a negative experience that did more damage at the end than help..and, in hindsight, I am realizing how important it is to work with a therapist that is highly trained AND is able to be adaptable beyond just IFS. It is not the one-all, be-all framework for trauma survivors & clients, but is most useful when it is used as ONE of the tools versus the singular framework. This is just my two cents.
I will also add that, in my perspective, I recommend only reading these books if you are a trained therapist or you think your client will benefit from understanding the theory. Otherwise, I am under the impression (from my own experience) that IFS should be experiential for the client and less of them studying the theory like a student.
June 22, 2018
My therapist recommended this book because we are going to begin doing parts work. It was really helpful to read going into this approach. Some of the illustrations were unappealing, but they did help me to understand what they represent.
February 27, 2020
Forgettable. I agree with others who’ve mentioned this book needs editing. It took a strangely religious turn at the end. I did appreciate the “Z” diagram of an interaction between two people and their parts. That was a helpful takeaway.
June 12, 2020
Some annoying sexism, and too many typos, but the overall content was fantastic. Incredible, outside the box, strengths based, whole person approach to therapy. I will definitely use many of these concepts.
October 2, 2023
2.5 stars. Not as helpful as I had hoped as a work book. It gave me some things to think about but I think I will have to seek out more resources to more fully use any of the information it offered. It was essentially too basic and I think it needs more of an in-depth foundation to be of use to me.
March 13, 2013
Very accessible and understandable, even for people with zero knowledge of psychology. Good examples and interesting tasks for work on your own.
March 4, 2018
Very good introduction to Internal Family Systems therapy, accessible to a lay audience. References are a little dated.
November 16, 2025
A LOT of stuff to unpack here. Read this because this is the first new psychological technique I have heard of since my freshman year of college. I wanted a good introduction, and this book does an excellent job, and it contains a number of thoughtful exercises.
Now we have the heavy handed task of figuring out what this all means. Now, I will preface that I am not convinced by this, but I also must forewarn you that I am a freudian, and so I will certainly be lenient on the rigorous research arguments against this.
Generally, I find that positive psychology's usefulness, from discipline to discipline, is a negative correlation between accessibility and general usefulness. The more accessible the psychology, the less useful the corresponding material is. My junior year I took a course in positive psychology, and at the end of the day the most useful advice was that I should be meditating more, and generally that is the path that much of positive psychology falls into, and I do not blame it because of this. Its a relatively new study, we have not had the time to make advancements, do research, and get to the bottom of things. Internal Family Systems (IFS) work does not ever tout the terminology of positive psychology, but based on my previous knowledge this is fundamentally a positive psychology book.
I am just not sold on this. I think it has its benefits, and the testimony is certainly believable, but I do not know how much this admittance of "parts" is truly useful compared to just basic behaviorist theories. There is a fog of "new age-ness" that I cannot get past, I think it is more me than the book though. Just this level of imagination in therapeutic work does not seem like it begats the issue, more the issue rises up to create the imagery. Especially with the final part on spiritual revelation, I am not shocked to see the levels of Christian imagery appear more vivid to more Christian clientele. And none of this is even bad! I mean, if you use IFS to reach revelations about yourself and your habits that change your life, that is good. It is good when Freud teaches me to handle shame and dreams. It is good if astrology genuinely changed your life. It is good if CBT fundamentally changed your mental illness. I think this shows that it is more about taste than research to me, which is fine. This is not my taste, but I will try the exercises sometime over the next month and amend this review with my results. HOLD ME TO IT !!!!
Now we have the heavy handed task of figuring out what this all means. Now, I will preface that I am not convinced by this, but I also must forewarn you that I am a freudian, and so I will certainly be lenient on the rigorous research arguments against this.
Generally, I find that positive psychology's usefulness, from discipline to discipline, is a negative correlation between accessibility and general usefulness. The more accessible the psychology, the less useful the corresponding material is. My junior year I took a course in positive psychology, and at the end of the day the most useful advice was that I should be meditating more, and generally that is the path that much of positive psychology falls into, and I do not blame it because of this. Its a relatively new study, we have not had the time to make advancements, do research, and get to the bottom of things. Internal Family Systems (IFS) work does not ever tout the terminology of positive psychology, but based on my previous knowledge this is fundamentally a positive psychology book.
I am just not sold on this. I think it has its benefits, and the testimony is certainly believable, but I do not know how much this admittance of "parts" is truly useful compared to just basic behaviorist theories. There is a fog of "new age-ness" that I cannot get past, I think it is more me than the book though. Just this level of imagination in therapeutic work does not seem like it begats the issue, more the issue rises up to create the imagery. Especially with the final part on spiritual revelation, I am not shocked to see the levels of Christian imagery appear more vivid to more Christian clientele. And none of this is even bad! I mean, if you use IFS to reach revelations about yourself and your habits that change your life, that is good. It is good when Freud teaches me to handle shame and dreams. It is good if astrology genuinely changed your life. It is good if CBT fundamentally changed your mental illness. I think this shows that it is more about taste than research to me, which is fine. This is not my taste, but I will try the exercises sometime over the next month and amend this review with my results. HOLD ME TO IT !!!!
March 15, 2022
Clearly explains the Internal Family Systems dynamic with simple text and great illustrations.
Your brain is described as an empty living room. You have "parts" that come into the living room as needed to help you. For example, if you are very busy, your multitasking part might come into the living room and help. Or, if someone cuts you off in traffic, you feel threatened, so your anger part might rush in. On top of the living room is the self, you, who decides if these parts need to be there and what action to take. So, just because the anger part rushes in, if you are centered and grounded, you can stop your anger part from speeding up the car and cutting off the person who "threatened" you. You might call up your understanding part who will help you calm down a bit and decide the person probably didn't do it on purpose, or perhaps the person is having a medical emergency and is trying to get to the hospital.
I found the internal family systems dynamic to be fascinating. I, the self, is always in control, but sometimes I might be tired or distracted and the parts might run the show--to good or bad effect. It is up to me to pay attention to which parts I let run into the living room and to make sure they are helpful in that situation.
Highly recommended.
Your brain is described as an empty living room. You have "parts" that come into the living room as needed to help you. For example, if you are very busy, your multitasking part might come into the living room and help. Or, if someone cuts you off in traffic, you feel threatened, so your anger part might rush in. On top of the living room is the self, you, who decides if these parts need to be there and what action to take. So, just because the anger part rushes in, if you are centered and grounded, you can stop your anger part from speeding up the car and cutting off the person who "threatened" you. You might call up your understanding part who will help you calm down a bit and decide the person probably didn't do it on purpose, or perhaps the person is having a medical emergency and is trying to get to the hospital.
I found the internal family systems dynamic to be fascinating. I, the self, is always in control, but sometimes I might be tired or distracted and the parts might run the show--to good or bad effect. It is up to me to pay attention to which parts I let run into the living room and to make sure they are helpful in that situation.
Highly recommended.
April 23, 2021
The illustrations in this book (from 2007) were too distracting for me. Sharon Eckstein illustrated white people feeling joy, happiness and many other emotions. On page 80, 81 and 82 a white male child is illustrated with a halo above his head. A Black child is depicted twice, being reprimanded by a light-skinned adult. The illustration on page 35 of a Black boy is a picaninny caricature- a racist stereotype of black children. The child's hair is matted in short stalks that point in all directions, with a wide, gaping mouth. I would not recommend this book, due to the racist nature of the illustrations.
November 28, 2022
I read this cos my therapist recommended it to learn about IFS, parts work.
5 stars for 7/8 chapters of this book.
The last chapter was a bit “out there”.. 1 star.
Still doesn’t take away from the succinct introduction to Internal Family Systems framework and actionable exercises at the end of each chapter. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who wants to do some internal work to move past the younger parts that are holding them back and not serving the purpose they were created for since it is no longer relevant.
5 stars for 7/8 chapters of this book.
The last chapter was a bit “out there”.. 1 star.
Still doesn’t take away from the succinct introduction to Internal Family Systems framework and actionable exercises at the end of each chapter. I’d highly recommend it to anyone who wants to do some internal work to move past the younger parts that are holding them back and not serving the purpose they were created for since it is no longer relevant.
August 22, 2021
A fabulous joyride to discover and befriend the beings who make up your own interior life. If each of the disparate voices that advise, beguile and torment you were embodied, and amenable to family therapy, this book would help them live harmoniously. Using illustrations and the Internal Family Systems model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, the authors make IFS layman-friendly, accessible and thoroughly enjoyable. One of my favorite books I have ever read.
December 30, 2021
Do not judge this book by its cover. I do wish I had read this in tandem with Transcending Trauma by Frank Anderson. I think the illustrations and depiction of the self as having a living room was quite effective.
The addition of the spiritual element at the end of this book I found more helpful than I could have guessed at the onset. I am thankful for the revelations I had as I learned more about myself regarding Communion and some things I have had going on for decades regarding my faith.
The addition of the spiritual element at the end of this book I found more helpful than I could have guessed at the onset. I am thankful for the revelations I had as I learned more about myself regarding Communion and some things I have had going on for decades regarding my faith.
April 24, 2023
Loved this book! It has been so helpful for me as a clinician to understand parts work, and I have been able to use it with my clients so that they can understand the concept. I love the illustrations and have found them useful and insightful. Holmes includes a lot of transcripts and guided meditations in order to help identify parts. I plan to use this book often in the future. Super thankful for this resource!
July 25, 2023
More than any other healing modality, IFS resonates deeply with not only my intuitive view of my own make up, but larger external systems, as well: familial, societal, even metaphysical. Maybe it is the way that my brain has always loved narrative, the way I get to visualize and converse with different parts of who I am, but it is such a helpful tool. I am grateful for it. Great resource.
May 15, 2025
Love! Running to buy his next book on IFs and spirituality as well as Schwarz book "no bad parts". This has sparked a love of IFS for me and I am excited to continue learning. The authors wrote in lay person terms with lots of images and engaging activities occasionally making this an easy to read, understand, and heal with book. Definitely reccomend from the lay person to the psychologist.
June 22, 2025
A good intro to parts work. Easy to read. Illustrations are good, but should be taken just as examples. How parts show up varies from person to person.
The chapter on guide parts was something new and interesting. However, don't know if the use of guides is aligned with IFS where Self is the supreme healing power within.
The chapter on guide parts was something new and interesting. However, don't know if the use of guides is aligned with IFS where Self is the supreme healing power within.
January 9, 2023
I read this as an introduction to IFS, and I found it a bit simplistic but still interesting. If you are someone with little experience in therapeutic models, this may be a book you'll find rewarding as a way to clarify the goals and process of parts work.
January 28, 2023
A good introduction to IFS. I enjoyed the writing style and illustrations. It was a very fast read. I must say, this book is in need of a good editor as there were a lot of mistakes which were a bit distracting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews