Experiencing an eating disorder can feel incredibly isolating, not only because of the behaviors and beliefs associated with them, but because they often hide parts of us that are hurting, scared, or confused. The patterns of disordered eating are rarely about food itself, but instead, a way for the system to cope with deeper emotions and unmet needs.

One of the most profound ways to heal from an eating disorder is through understanding the parts of yourself that are driving the behavior. Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy offers a compassionate and empowering framework for addressing these behaviors as the protective responses of different parts of your internal system.

In this post, we’ll explore how IFS can help you meet the parts behind your eating disorder and offer a path toward healing through understanding and connection.

*Please note, this blog is intended for educational purposes and is not a replacement for therapy.

TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARD HEALING

In IFS, we believe that our internal system is made up of many parts, each with its own perspective, thoughts, needs, and desires. These parts include:

Protector Parts: These parts are often driven by the desire to keep us safe, which can look like controlling food intake, restricting certain behaviors, or using food to soothe emotions. While they may seem controlling on the surface, they’re actually trying to protect us from further pain. One category of protectors that tends to be especially pertinent to eating disorders are firefighters. Firefighters spring into action when an exile’s pain (see below) comes bubbling up, despite the other protectors’ best efforts. Firefighters use distraction or numbing techniques to help us avoid feeling that pain. This might look like impulsive behavior, emotional eating, purging, or other activities that help us "escape" the overwhelming emotions.
Exiled Parts: These are the parts of us that hold pain, fear, trauma, and unresolved emotions. They are often ones that we’ve buried because they felt too overwhelming or unsafe to experience.

Eating disorders may develop when these parts are left to run the system alone, without the nurturing presence of our Self-Energy—the wise, compassionate, and grounded core of who we are. In IFS, we know that every parts, no matter how hurtful or harmful it may seem, is trying to protect us in some way.

Unpacking the Protectors: Why Eating Disorders Don’t Just “Go Away”

At a certain point in experiencing an eating disorder, many individuals struggle with an internal conflict: part of them wants to heal, but another part is terrified of what healing might mean. This is often the work of protector parts, and more specifically parts that may be experiencing polarization.

Protector parts create behaviors and patterns that may seem harmful or out of place, like:

Restricting food to maintain a sense of control over the body and emotions.
Bingeing or purging to numb out difficult feelings or to regain a sense of emotional regulation.
Excessive exercise to manage feelings of guilt or self-judgment.

These behaviors might seem destructive, but they typically come from a place of fear or protection. Perhaps the protector believes that controlling food is the only way to avoid feelings of vulnerability, unworthiness, or shame. Or maybe it’s trying to stop old emotions, like sadness, anger, or grief, from surfacing.

IFS helps you understand that these protectors are doing their best with the tools they have. The goal isn’t to “fight” the behaviors, but to listen to the deeper need they’re trying to meet, offer them compassion, and ask them to take a step back for you to practice something different in your Self-Energy.

Understanding the Exiled Parts: What Lies Beneath the Behaviors

Behind every protector is often a buried or exiled part—an emotional wound that is too painful to feel. This might be an experience of trauma, rejection, or abandonment that the system has learned to suppress. Eating disorders in particular often become a way to avoid facing these deep emotional wounds.

IFS helps us gently reconnect with these exiled parts and give them a voice. By understanding the story and pain of these parts, we can begin to offer them the love and compassion that was missing during the original experiences. By first processing and unburdening protective parts, IFS then allows space to end to exiled parts, in showing them that they’re not alone anymore.

Healing Through Self-Energy

The heart of IFS is the understanding that Self-Energy can lead your system. In the context of eating disorders, Self-Energy can hold the space for all parts. It can offer compassion, understanding, and guidance as these parts heal and integrate.

When we meet the protectors with compassion, rather than criticism, they begin to trust that they don’t have to work so hard to protect us. They can step back, allowing your Self-Energy to lead. This provides space to break the cycle of disordered eating and move toward a harmonized, more intuitive relationship with your body and emotions.

How Can IFS Help with Healing from an Eating Disorder?

By using IFS to explore the Parts behind your eating disorder, you can:

Identify the parts that are driving the behavior and understand their protective intentions.
Create a compassionate relationship with all your parts, helping you find balance, healing, and integration.
Restore trust in your own body and its natural wisdom, instead of relying on rigid control.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE - REACH OUT TODAY FOR SUPPORT

IFS Informed Therapy for Eating Disorders Denver: Get Started Today

Healing from an eating disorder is a courageous journey, and you don’t have to do it alone. In my Denver-based private practice, I work with individuals struggling with eating disorders using an IFS-informed approach, helping you meet the parts behind the patterns and offering a compassionate path toward healing. As a licensed therapist also trained in EMDR, I value using this modality alongside IFS-Informed therapy for deeper healing and recovery. Reach out today to book a free phone consultation and get started.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gigi Woodall, LMFT
Trauma & Eating Disorder Therapist in Denver

Hi, I’m Gigi—a Denver-based trauma and eating disorder therapist and clinical supervisor passionate about helping people heal and reconnect with themselves. My work focuses on exploring how early experiences, relationships, and protective parts of the self shape our inner narratives. Through a compassionate and individualized approach, I help clients challenge limiting beliefs and step into a more authentic, intuitive way of living.

Prior to private practice, I worked at nonprofit organizations and eating disorder treatment centers. I'm also a proud Denver chapter member of the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP), a clinical supervisor for pre-licensed therapists, and am on my way to becoming a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS).

With training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, and eating disorder treatment, I provide a safe, supportive space for those navigating recovery, trauma, and self-discovery.

Looking for support on your healing journey? Book a free consultation to see if we’re a good fit.

IFS and Eating Disorders in Denver: Meeting the Parts Behind the Patterns