10:29

Heart: Internal Family Systems (IFS)

by Dr Richard Schwartz

Rated
4.8
Type
guided
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Everyone
Plays
45.2k

In this meditation, Dr. Richard Schwartz discusses the expansiveness of the heart and the parts that protect it. He encourages the listener to pay attention to, and show appreciation for, the many parts and the roles they play.

HeartInternal Family SystemsIfsVulnerabilityLoveGratitudeHeart ProtectionHeart OpeningHeart PainHeart SpaceHeart EnergyVulnerability ProtectionLove And GratitudeHeart HealingHeart Exploration

Transcript

So once again we're taking some deep breaths.

With this one we're going to start by just having you focus on your heart.

However you experience it in your chest.

Doesn't have to be your exact physical heart on the left side,

It can just be however you experience your heart.

So as you focus on it I'm just going to invite you to get to know it in a physical way.

We're going to explore different qualities of your heart.

See what kind of condition it's in.

The first thing you're invited to notice is how open it is versus closed.

You could also check to see how tender it is versus encrusted or calloused.

How congested it is versus fluid and flowing.

It's also interesting to notice how much space it has in there.

Is it really contracted and tightly packed or spacious?

You might find in your exploration that different places in your heart are different in those qualities.

Maybe the front is closed and the back is open.

Or the top is tender and the bottom is tough.

Maybe energy can flow through part of it but not other parts of it.

Maybe in some places it feels pinched and contracted and other places are more spacious.

So where it feels closed or contracted or congested,

Calloused,

Just means that there are some protective parts of you manifesting.

If you'd like,

You can take a second just to get to know those protectors a little bit.

Just getting a little bit curious about what they're afraid would happen if they allowed you to open your heart fully,

To allow it to be tender.

They didn't try to contract it,

Compact it.

In answering that question,

It's likely that they'll teach you about vulnerable parts that they protect that live in your heart or around your heart.

Right now you don't have to go to those parts.

We can just kind of get to know a little bit about them from the protectors.

And if also it's possible,

As you get to know about how vigilantly they've been trying to guard your vulnerability,

To whatever degree it feels sincere,

Just extend a kind of loving appreciation to these protective parts for how hard they've worked and needed to work to protect your heart.

And just see how they react to that appreciation.

And right now we're not asking them to change anything about that,

Nor do we expect them to.

We're just getting to know their fears and showing them appreciation.

And maybe also proposing at some point,

Some day,

That they let you go to those vulnerable parts so you can heal them,

So that the protectors can relax and allow you to open your heart.

It's often they don't believe that that healing is possible.

They feel condemned to do this with your heart the rest of your life.

So just be sure that they know that it is possible,

But there's no pressure to do it.

When this visit with your protectors of your heart feels complete,

Then you can begin to shift your focus back outside.

But be sure before you leave to thank them for letting you know all this,

And again for how hard they've worked to keep your heart safe.

Thank you.

Meet your Teacher

Dr Richard SchwartzBoston, MA, USA

4.8 (2 920)

Recent Reviews

Stacey

August 20, 2025

Thank you Doc, this was an insightful practice. For me, I wasn’t really ready to fully embrace the protectors, but the seed has been planted and I will definitely be coming back to this meditation. Thank you for creating it.

Kevin

July 9, 2025

This one led to some important-feeling insights. I needed a little more time between prompts, so I paused and I’m going to journal afterwards.

Lydia

June 27, 2025

Wow! I am a therapist, and I really appreciate this meditation and the appreciation you are utilizing towards the protectors of the heart. I think this can really help a lot of the clients I have. Thank you for sharing this!

Tracy

May 16, 2025

I was not expecting for this to be so powerful. Beautiful.

Kim

April 22, 2025

Looking at my heart health, protector parts doing their hard job for vulnerable parts, trusting. I’m at the beginning of this journey and will need time to heal.

Nia

March 6, 2025

A wonderful warm up to spending time with our parts

Shannon

January 6, 2025

I incorporated a lot of luminous warm light giving, and gratitude to all parts that I encountered, really focusing on grounding to earth and bringing the luminous helped support the facilitated work.

Christine

October 3, 2024

This made my heart smile with relief. My gratitude for the experience, I will gladly revisit. πŸ’–

Melissa

June 8, 2024

How wonderful to have the opportunity to do parts work with the founder of the system. I will be working with these meditations again and again. Thank you!

Belinda

May 21, 2024

Melting moments and wonderful connections with heart and parts. Thank you

Christian

March 13, 2024

Dick, and his IFS program and therapy, has given me an entirely new way to look at life.

Nate

February 12, 2024

IFS has been an incredible part of my healing journey- grateful to Dick for his brilliant work and this powerful guided meditation

Jackie

December 17, 2023

Each of these different meditations on a IFS presents a gift. Enabling awareness, in a new way that is safe.

Sarah

December 3, 2023

Helpful and a good pace . Easy to remember and practice again .

Heidi

November 1, 2023

Always a beautiful one to revisit. Thanks Dick πŸ’–πŸ™πŸΌ

Anne

October 6, 2023

So beautiful, and also very complete, thanking the protective parts. Really good. Thank you ❀️

Michael

September 24, 2023

This Newheart loved it. I will do it again right now.

Jane

June 29, 2023

Moving and thoughtful. I’m hoping for a sequel to thisπŸŽ‡

Laura

June 20, 2023

I discovered some protectors I thought weren't there. Thank you!

Cindy

June 10, 2023

My heart was heavy this morning so this meditation found me. I love the concept of the protected vs. diving into the vulnerability beneath. I loved the time he allowed ume to go beyond conceptualization and make the shift to direct sensation - where healing happens. πŸ™

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Β© 2025 Dr Richard Schwartz. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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