Is Self-Led IFS Safe?
By Conor McMillen — IFS Institute–trained practitioner (2014).
Last reviewed: May 21, 2026.
In October 2025, The Cut published “The Therapy That Can Break You” — a one-sided look at the risks of Internal Family Systems therapy, focused on stories of harm and implicit warnings to stay away. As an IFS Institute–trained practitioner who has spent over a decade doing this work — first on myself, then with clients, and eventually building a self-led program for people who can’t access one-on-one care — I want to address those concerns directly. What’s true in them. What’s misleading. And, most importantly, how to practice self-led IFS in a way that’s actually safe.
If you’re reading this because you came across the article and want a second perspective from someone deeply inside this work — welcome. This page is the honest version of that conversation.
My Response
As someone who’s spent over a decade in the Internal Family Systems (IFS) world, I often get questions about its risks and rewards. I’m Conor McMillen, and I’ve helped countless people explore self-led therapy through the IFS model. I also train coaches in blending IFS with practical coaching techniques. My Complete Self-Led IFS Program has guided many on their personal journeys, and it all started for me when I discovered IFS, applied it to myself, and saw real changes.
I trained at the IFS Institute in 2014 and have since made it my mission to make this work accessible. In what follows, I’ll respond to The Cut’s article highlighting the dangers of IFS, share my balanced take on the real risks, and explain why self-led therapy can be a safe, effective option for many.
What Sparked This Response
I came across “The Truth About IFS: The Therapy That Can Break You” by Rachel Corbett in The Cut, published October 30, 2025. It’s a compelling, one-sided look at the potential downsides of IFS, focused on stories of harm and implicitly warning people away. I have no grudge against the author or the piece — it’s fair to raise these concerns. But as someone deeply involved in this work, I want to offer another perspective. There’s real value (what I call “gold”) in IFS, alongside some shadows worth discussing openly.
If you’re searching for information on the dangers of IFS or self-led therapy risks, I’d encourage you to read the full article first — it’s dramatic and thought-provoking. Then let’s break it down here.
Key Points from the Article on the Dangers of IFS
The piece raises serious questions about IFS as a trauma-healing approach. Here’s a neutral overview of its main arguments:
- • Personal stories of harm. The article opens with a case from Castlewood Treatment Center, where a teen accused her father of abuse after IFS sessions. A judge dismissed the claims, but the family rift persists. Other accounts describe group sessions involving extreme behaviors like age regression or false memories of ritual abuse.
- • Rapid popularity and accessibility risks. IFS exploded after 2015, fueled by movies like Inside Out, celebrities (Gwyneth Paltrow, Alanis Morissette), and social media. With 15,000+ trained therapists and millions of TikTok videos, it’s everywhere — but the article warns that self-led resources (books, apps, YouTube) make it risky for those with psychosis, severe trauma, or fragile self-concepts.
- • Lack of strong evidence. There’s minimal high-quality research (RCTs) for psychiatric uses. The best study (2013) links IFS to reduced arthritis pain via self-compassion, but a 2023 review flags destabilization risks for complex PTSD and eating disorders.
- • Castlewood scandals and connections. Lawsuits in the 2010s alleged implanted memories at the center, which used IFS heavily. Founder Mark Schwartz (unrelated to IFS creator Richard Schwartz) faced license issues. Richard consulted there early on but now blames misuse from poor training.
- • Spiritual shifts and broader critiques. Richard Schwartz now discusses “spirits” and external energies, blending IFS with retreats and psychedelics. Experts like the APA note that while some elements resemble standard therapy, the model’s packaging lacks scientific backing.
- • Overall warning. The author sees IFS as a profitable wellness trend with a scandal history, urging caution — especially for self-led or unqualified practice.
These points highlight real risks: potential for false memories, harm in vulnerable populations, and the danger of unstructured self-led practice for people who need clinical support.
My Experience with IFS: Balancing Risks and Benefits
In my 10+ years working with IFS — one-on-one sessions, training others, and creating self-led programs — I’ve seen it help people build self-awareness, connect with their emotions, and grow into self-leadership. I got hooked because self-led IFS changed my life, helping me feel feelings more deeply from both past and present without digging for “repressed” memories. My approach stays metaphorical: parts as tools to explore inner experience, not literal entities or spirits. No psychedelics, no woo — just practical steps to integrate emotions gently.
That said, the article’s concerns about the dangers of IFS aren’t baseless. False memories? Possible with bad practitioners who suggest instead of asking open questions. In my practice, revelations feel organic, tied to known memories we’ve sidelined. I’ve never seen a full fabrication. For self-led work, risks rise if you’re dealing with severe trauma or reality-testing issues — please get professional help first. IFS isn’t for everyone; it can worsen things for some. But for most people, when done right, it’s safe and empowering. Experiential evidence (from clients and organic growth) shows it boosts emotional depth and compassion, even if randomized trials are limited.
Addressing Self-Led Therapy Risks: Is It Safe?
Here’s my honest view: self-led IFS can be accessible and low-risk for stable individuals, but it’s important to be clear about what it is. Self-led IFS is educational, not clinical. The article is right that online tools amplify risks for high-vulnerability folks. In my program, we focus on feeling feelings safely and growing calm curiosity (what IFS calls Self-energy), without forcing unburdening as a goal. Accept yourself now, make space for emotions — that’s the core. If it doesn’t resonate, that’s fine. Not everyone benefits.
Castlewood? Tragic, but tied more to that center’s practices than to IFS itself. The extreme sessions described aren’t standard. Richard’s defense — that misuse from bad training causes most harm — makes sense, though I’d add that practitioner shadows play a role too. Any model is only as safe as the person delivering it.
How to Practice Self-Led IFS Safely
If you decide this work is for you, here’s how I would encourage you to enter it. These aren’t rules. They’re the practices I’ve come to trust after a decade of doing this work on myself and with others — and they’re what I’d want anyone I cared about to know before starting.
1. Start with Self — not the wound.
The biggest mistake I see people make in self-led IFS is going straight for the most painful part of their system on day one. That’s not how this work is built. The first thing to learn — and the thing that takes the longest — is what it feels like to be in Self: calm, curious, compassionate. From that place, everything else becomes possible. Without it, you’re just one part talking to another part, and that rarely heals anything.
2. Treat your parts as allies, not problems.
The protector you don’t like, the firefighter that’s been making decisions you wish it wouldn’t, the part that’s hard on you all day — none of them are your enemies. They’re members of your internal family. They took on the roles they have because, at some point in your life, those roles helped. The work isn’t getting rid of them. The work is meeting them.
3. Bring a wondering “why,” not an accusatory one.
There’s a difference between “why am I like this?” and “huh, I wonder why I feel this way.” The first comes from a critic. The second comes from Self. If you can’t yet ask the second kind, that’s worth noticing — it usually means a part is blended with you. Take a breath. See if you can separate just enough to be curious.
4. Know what this work is — and what it isn’t.
Self-led IFS is educational. It is not therapy, and it is not a replacement for therapy. If you’re navigating active trauma, severe depression, psychosis, an eating disorder, or any condition where your sense of reality feels fragile right now — please work with a licensed clinician, ideally one trained in IFS. Self-led work can run alongside professional care. It should not run instead of it.
5. Don’t force the work. Build in pauses.
There’s a temptation in self-led work to push for the dramatic moment — the catharsis, the unburdening, the breakthrough. That’s not how parts heal. Parts unburden when they’re ready, after they’ve felt seen, after Self has earned their trust. You can stop at any time. You can put the work down for a week, a month, a year. You can call a therapist. Practice means we are practicing — not performing, not finishing, not perfecting. The most important muscle in self-led work is the one that says “that’s enough for today.”
Where to Start
The full Self-Led IFS Program is available at no cost on my YouTube channel, organized as a 30-day series. It includes everything: the teaching videos, the guided meditations, the exercises. The trade-off is that it’s broken up across many videos with intentional pauses and safety disclaimers, and you’ll need to navigate YouTube to follow the flow. If you want the same material as a single, structured experience — with the workbook, audio versions, and a trial of the private IFS group included — that’s what the Complete Self-Led IFS Program is. The principles above are the same either way.
The Complete Self-Led IFS Program
A 30-day, self-paced program built around the principles above. Includes over 100 videos, guided meditations, somatic and journaling exercises, a 274-page workbook, and a 60-day trial of the private IFS group.
Learn More About the ProgramIf this isn’t the right time for you, that’s also okay. The work will be here when you’re ready.
If you’ve read this far, thank you. Questions about safety in this work are worth asking, and I’d rather you ask them out loud than carry them silently. If you have one I haven’t answered here, you can always reach out directly.
All the best,
Conor McMillen
InternalFamilySystems.org and Internal Family Systems, LLC is not affiliated with the IFS Institute. We offer independent self-therapy and coaching services inspired by the Internal Family Systems model.
This page is for educational purposes only and is not a replacement for therapy. If you are in crisis, please contact a licensed mental health professional or, in the United States, dial or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
