181 Roundtable Discussion: Catholic Philosophers and Therapists Take On the Tough Questions about IFS and Catholicism
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A panel of Catholic philosophers and therapists confronts the moral and spiritual tensions between Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy and Catholic doctrine, arguing that IFS can be fully harmonized with Catholic anthropology when properly adapted. The discussion centers on the core question: Can a therapy that speaks of 'parts' and 'self' be Catholic? The panelists affirm that IFS, when grounded in Thomistic metaphysics, reveals not fragmentation but a deeper unity—where the 'inmost self' is the image of God, not a collection of competing selves. They reject the idea that 'no bad parts' implies moral relativism, instead showing that all parts have a good intention, even when distorted by trauma. The real danger, they warn, is not demonic influence from opening up to parts, but spiritual complacency from avoiding the hard work of self-love and integration. The episode culminates in a powerful call to action: authentic human formation is not optional—it's essential for living out the two great commandments. The key takeaway? You don't need to be perfect to begin; you just need to be willing to meet your parts with compassion, knowing that in doing so, you are meeting Christ.
The 'inmost self' in IFS is not a separate entity but the image of God within each person—this is the foundation of Catholic anthropology.
All parts have a good intention, even when they cause harm; their 'badness' is a distortion, not an ontological flaw.
The fear of demonic influence from parts work is misplaced—true healing reduces vulnerability to spiritual attack.
Self-love is not selfishness; it is the first act of the will and the root of loving God and neighbor.
The infinite regress of parts is a philosophical red herring—parts are accidental forms, not substantial beings, and always point back to the unified self.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Moral Crisis in Human Formation
The episode opens with a deep reflection on the Catechism’s teaching on conscience and moral discernment, framing the central tension: how can Catholics navigate psychological models like IFS without compromising their faith? The host introduces the panel’s mission: to harmonize IFS with Catholic metaphysics and ethics.
Is IFS Catholic? The Church’s Silence and Our Responsibility
“The church doesn't have any opinion on a particular modality of therapy or counseling or psychology. And so it's like, well, what kind of certainty is the client after when they're confronted with IFS?”
The Two Big Heresies: Capitalized Self and Autonomous Parts
“We're not divine. We are in the image of God and so in a sense hopefully yeah we will experience theosis hopefully in some way but we aren't in essence divine.”
Demonic Influence or Inner Parts? The Church’s Natural Order
“It's exactly the opposite actually, because this work gets to that deeper level. It gets to the vulnerabilities that have been there for a long time so that we can hear them, we can love them. and we can heal them.”
No Bad Parts? The Thomistic Reinterpretation
“I don't think parts have their own will, for example, but they can create a movement toward or an impulse toward something. So I think what concerns like manager parts... is that when those impulses are towards sinful things, how do we understand the part?”
“The greatest sins are sins of omission, where we don't make the attempt to love, you know, we don't. try to carry out the two great commandments. It's that omission.”
“If I don't affirm my existence as good, then I am not going to affirm the existence of anybody else is good either.”
“It's exactly the opposite actually, because this work gets to that deeper level. It gets to the vulnerabilities that have been there for a long time so that we can hear them, we can love them. and we can heal them.”
Host
Guests
St. Thomas Aquinas
person
Dr. Peter Malinowski
person
Dr. Jerry Creed
person
Elizabeth Galanti
person
Dr. Anthony T. Flood
person
Dr. Andrea Messineo
person
Father Thomas Berg
person
Catechism of the Catholic Church
book
Dr. Monty De La Torre
person
Richard Schwartz
person
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