Can IFS Help with PTSD? What a Recent Study Tells Us
If you’ve been looking into IFS therapy in Missouri, you may already know that Internal Family Systems (IFS) is gaining traction as a gentle, powerful way to explore your inner world. But what you may not know is that researchers are beginning to back that up with data—and that’s great news for anyone seeking real healing.
We know many of our clients want to understand what’s actually proven to help. That’s why we often get asked whether IFS is “evidence-based.” And recently, a pilot study took a closer look at that question, specifically for people living with PTSD.
In this post, we’ll walk you through what the research found, what it means, and how to take the next step if you’re wondering how to find an IFS therapist in Missouri—especially if you’re recovering from trauma and ready for a new kind of therapy relationship.
The Study: What Was Researched?
In 2021, a randomized controlled trial—the gold standard in psychological research—was published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma. The study was titled:
Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Pilot Study.
Led by researchers Deborah Gonsalves and Leslie Greenberg, along with IFS founder Dr. Richard Schwartz, the study aimed to answer a key question:
Can IFS reduce symptoms of PTSD in a clinically meaningful way?
To explore this, the team recruited individuals with diagnosed PTSD and assigned them to two groups: one that received 16 sessions of IFS therapy, and a control group that was placed on a waitlist.
🔍 What Were the Results?
The outcomes were encouraging:
Participants who received IFS therapy showed statistically significant reductions in PTSD symptoms compared to those on the waitlist.
Improvements were also noted in areas like emotion regulation and self-compassion.
Many participants in the IFS group no longer met diagnostic criteria for PTSD by the end of treatment.
In plain language?
IFS helped. It reduced suffering in measurable, lasting ways—without requiring clients to relive trauma or push through rigid protocols.
For those of us offering IFS therapy in Missouri, this study reflects what we often witness in real time: when Parts feel seen and safe, healing can begin.
💬 Why Does This Matter?
If you’ve been living with trauma—whether from childhood, relationships, medical issues, or anything else—you may already know how complex it is. Trauma doesn’t live only in memory. It affects how we relate to ourselves, how we respond under stress, and even how we make decisions.
Many people who come to Aspire Counseling say they’ve tried therapy before. Sometimes it helped. Sometimes it felt like talking in circles. Other times, they just weren’t ready—or the approach didn’t feel safe.
That’s why our therapists focus SO heavily on providing evidence based therapy. We believe that if you find the courage to come to counseling, you deserve to work with a therapist who takes the time to get the training and consultation to use treatment methods that give you the absolute best chance of getting better. And research is showing more and more how IFS is one of those methods. That’s why we decided to add it to the treatments we offer at Aspire Counseling.
In short, IFS is effective and it meets you where you are. It’s not about forcing change. It’s about creating a new relationship with the Parts of you that had to survive in really tough conditions. And this study shows that what feels deeply personal and emotional in session is also clinically effective.
🧠 IFS as an Evidence-Based Therapy
While IFS is still growing in recognition compared to more mainstream models like CBT, it is steadily being embraced as an evidence-based therapy—especially for trauma and emotional dysregulation.
In fact, it’s now being used by trauma therapists, grief counselors, and even addiction treatment specialists. More researchers are studying its effectiveness with anxiety, depression, and relational wounds.
At Aspire Counseling, we’re proud to now offer IFS therapy as part of our commitment to providing compassionate, effective care. While IFS is a newer service in our practice, all of our IFS-trained therapists are also trained in at least one other evidence-supported PTSD treatment—most often Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and sometimes EMDR or TF-CBT. This means you’ll work with someone who can integrate the best of both worlds: the depth and relational focus of IFS with the structure and proven effectiveness of other trauma therapies.
Want to learn more about what it means for a therapy to be evidence-based? Check out this post where we explain how we choose treatment methods that are both compassionate and backed by research.
💡 What Makes IFS Different for Trauma?
Traditional trauma therapy often focuses on reprocessing traumatic memories, sometimes through direct exposure or narrative work. And while those methods help many people, they can also feel overwhelming—especially if you’ve spent years trying to avoid those memories just to function.
IFS offers something different.
IFS gently connects with the Parts of you that carry the pain. These Parts might be protective, angry, avoidant, or exhausted. IFS helps them feel heard, respected, and supported by your Self—the calm, curious inner leader that’s still there, no matter what happened.
That’s why so many people say IFS helps them feel empowered, not retraumatized.
🔗 Additional Trusted Resources
If you want to dig deeper into the research and practical applications of IFS therapy, here are two additional sources worth exploring:
IFS Institute Research Page
A hub for published studies, ongoing trials, and clinical reports related to IFS therapy
→ https://ifs-institute.com/resources/researchNIH National Library of Medicine: IFS for Depression
An exploratory study reviewing how IFS improves emotional functioning in individuals with depression
→ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26179468/
🌱 Are You Ready to Start IFS Therapy in Missouri?
At Aspire Counseling, our IFS-trained therapists offer in-person sessions in Lee’s Summit and Blue Springs, as well as online across the state of Missouri.
If you’re navigating trauma, anxiety, or simply want to understand yourself more deeply, you don’t have to go it alone. We’ll help you build trust with your Parts, reconnect with your Self, and begin to move forward from a place of compassion.
Reach out today to schedule a free consultation with our Client Care Coordinator, or visit our How to Find an IFS Therapist in Missouri post to learn more about what to look for in an IFS therapist.
