🕯️ IFS and Grief

Grief is love with nowhere to go. In IFS, it’s the tender ache of exiles finally allowed to feel what was once too much.

A stoic part may hold tears back to stay strong.

A dissociating part may numb the ache entirely.

A judging part may call grief weakness, fearing collapse.

IFS slows everything down. It asks:

• “Who’s afraid to feel this loss?”

• “Can we just sit with what still hurts?”

  
  

When Self is present, grief becomes bearable—not because it’s smaller, but because it’s shared. The system begins to learn that sorrow doesn’t destroy connection; it deepens it.

Grief through IFS isn’t about moving on—it’s about moving with. Every tear honors what mattered, every breath invites life to return through the cracks love left behind.