Eyes Open or Closed? The Optimal Way to Process using Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

One of the most common things I invite clients to do during an Internal Family Systems (IFS) session is to gently close their eyes.

No, I'm not trying to create a relaxation exercise, or because this is the "right" way to "do IFS". I invite closing the eyes, because the inward focus of attention that comes from temporarily depriving one's system of external stimuli often makes it easier to and connect with the parts of ourselves that are asking for our attention, or need help.

It's pretty true of most of us that we spend our lives primarily oriented toward the outside world. We're tracking conversations, reading facial expressions, considering what to say next in a conversation, or worrying about what other people think of us. It's a necessity of living in the world that our attention is constantly pulled outward.

From an IFS perspective, we are asked to do something quite different. We are asked us to notice the anxious part, the critical part, the angry part, the numb part, or the lonely part. To do that well, we often need to reduce some of the stimulation coming from the outside world. When clients close their eyes, many report that they gain clarity about their inner experience. One can more easily notice emotions, body sensations, images, memories, and the subtle presence of parts that might otherwise remain hidden beneath the noise of everyday awareness.

Imagine trying to hear a relatively quiet voice in a crowded room. Closed rather than open eyes in IFS doesn't make the voice louder, but it often reduces the distractions competing for your attention in finding that voice. This is what happens in IFS. With eyes closed, clients frequently find it easier to locate something subtle inside them which has been quietly waiting to be noticed. They can also separate from their thoughts, emotions, and body sensations rather than becoming overwhelmed by them. They can begin to speak for a part instead of from it. Rather than saying, "I am terrified," they may discover, "A scared part of me is terrified." And, that shift creates space.

However, there is an important caveat. For some trauma survivors, particularly those with histories of abuse, neglect, coercion, captivity, or chronic powerlessness, closing the eyes can feel profoundly unsafe. The invitation to close their eyes may activate parts that fear being trapped, vulnerable, controlled, or unable to escape. Other parts may worry that choice is being taken away from them.

In these situations, pushing for eyes-closed work would be the opposite of trauma-informed practice. Instead, we honour the wisdom of those protective parts. So, some clients may prefer to keep their eyes open throughout the session. Others may alternate between eyes open and eyes closed. They might glance around the room when they need grounding and safety, then return their attention inward when they feel ready.

The goal is connection and flexibility that comes with choice, rather than rigidity and compliance. Because the most effective IFS work happens when protectors know they have options. When parts feel respected and when clients remain in the driver's seat of their own therapeutic process.

Closing the eyes can be a powerful doorway into the inner world. But the deeper principle is not whether the eyes are open or closed. The deeper principle is helping every part know that it has agency, choice, and permission to move at the pace that feels safe. When that happens, the inner system often becomes willing to reveal exactly what needs to be revealed, and care and support can be provided.

About the Author

Sean Cuthbert is a Clinical Psychologist, Psychology Board of Australia (PBA) Approved Supervisor, Certified IFS Therapist, and IFS-I Approved Clinical Consultant in private practice in Melbourne, online throughout Australia, and internationally. He provides 1:1 therapy for clients, and supports professionals through individual and group supervision/consultation.