The psychotherapy school Internal Family Systems (IFS) is popular among effective altruists and rationalists. Many view IFS as the only therapy school that recognizes that our psyche has multiple ‘parts’.
As an alternative perspective, we describe comparatively evidence-based therapy approaches that work with such ‘inner multiplicity’ in skillful ways:
- Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), which incorporates insights from many disciplines, including neuroscience and evolutionary psychology.
- Schema Therapy (ST), which integrates concepts from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic approaches, among others.
- Chairwork, the oldest psychotherapy technique used for working with the minds’ multiple parts and which inspired IFS.
This post may be especially relevant for people interested in ‘internal multiplicity’ and those seeking therapy but who have had disappointing experiences with CBT and/or IFS or are otherwise put off by these approaches.

Epistemic status:...