Why You’re Not Broken: Reframing Symptoms as Protective Parts || By Laura Hogzett MA, LPCC, EMDR, NCC, Rev
Understanding Anxiety, Depression, and Addiction through Internal Family Systems
I talk about Internal Family Systems (IFS) a lot because it works. It is more than a therapy model; it is a compassionate lens for understanding your inner world. Once you start to see your emotions, behaviors, and thoughts as different parts of you, each trying to help in its own way, everything begins to shift. It becomes less about fixing yourself and more about getting to know yourself.
Before IFS, I spent years trying to manage or silence the parts of me that felt anxious, overwhelmed, or insecure. I thought those feelings were signs of weakness or failure. Through IFS, I began to realize that those parts were not the problem. They were protectors, each one trying to keep me safe in the best way it knew how. They were creative, loyal, and persistent, even when their strategies were outdated. The moment I understood that, my relationship with myself changed completely.
Anxiety, depression, addiction, and self-sabotage are not proof that something is wrong with you. They are signals from parts of you that have been working overtime to protect something tender and sacred inside. When those parts finally feel acknowledged and appreciated, they begin to relax. Healing unfolds not because we force it to happen, but because the system starts to trust that it is safe enough to heal.
You Are Made of Parts, and That Is Normal
IFS begins with a simple but powerful truth: we are all made up of parts. These parts carry different emotions, memories, and strategies for surviving. Some are confident and capable, others are afraid, angry, or ashamed. They are not flaws; they are facets of your internal world, each one serving a purpose.
Symptoms that seem like problems are often protectors doing their jobs a little too well. Anxiety might come from vigilant parts that are scanning for danger, believing that constant alertness will keep you safe. Depression may come from exhausted parts that shut everything down to protect you from pain. Addiction often comes from firefighter parts that rush in to soothe unbearable feelings, using whatever escape they can find.
Even when parts seem to fight each other, like one pushing forward while another holds back, they are not enemies. They are simply working from different stories about what you need to stay safe. What looks like resistance or sabotage is often an inner disagreement about how to protect you.
Healing through Curiosity and Compassion
IFS invites us to become curious rather than critical. When we ask a part, “What are you trying to do for me?” the answer is rarely harmful. Even extreme parts are acting out of love and loyalty, trying to protect you in the only way they know.
The healing process is not about eliminating parts, but unburdening them. When we meet our protectors with compassion and curiosity, they begin to trust that they are not alone. Over time, they soften. They begin to hand back the heavy roles they have carried for so long. The anxious part can rest. The inner critic can take a breath. The protector who learned to numb can finally feel safe enough to stop running.
Real healing happens when we stop fighting our inner world and start listening to it. Every symptom, every reaction, every coping mechanism is a message from within. The more we listen, the more we remember that nothing inside us is truly against us.
You are not broken. You are brilliantly designed, layered, and adaptive. Every part of you has been working tirelessly to protect you, even when it looks messy from the outside. Healing is not about becoming someone new. It is about remembering who you already are beneath the protection.
So the next time you feel anxious, sad, or stuck, try asking yourself, “What part of me is speaking right now?” Then listen. You might be surprised at how wise your system already is. Every part belongs, and every part holds a piece of your wholeness.
About the Author: Laura Hogzett MA is a Licensed Professional Counselor who blends clinical expertise with soul-centered healing. Trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EMDR, Laura helps individuals navigate trauma, self-doubt, and disconnection by reconnecting them to the wisdom and love within. Inspired by shamanic traditions and rooted in the belief that healing happens when we bring compassion to every part of ourselves.
Drawing from both psychological insight and intuitive guidance, she supports others in returning to self-love, empowerment, and wholeness. Laura’s mission is to help others awaken to their innate worth and multidimensional nature—with grace, humor, and radical compassion.
