On this page
IFS, PTSD and Substance Use Disorder — 2025
Brief summary
In this study, participants living with both PTSD and substance use disorder showed improvement in symptoms across both conditions after a course of IFS treatment combining group sessions and individual sessions.
The treatment format included twelve group sessions and six individual sessions, and 92% of participants reported that they would recommend IFS to a friend.
Online IFS and PTSD — 2024
Brief summary
A 16-week online IFS intervention was reported to be well received by participants and was associated with significant reductions in PTSD symptoms.
This is especially relevant for people considering remote therapy, because it suggests that IFS can translate effectively into online clinical work rather than depending on in-person delivery.
See the full study.
Read a plain-English article about the study.
IFS and PTSD — 2021
Brief summary
In a study focused on PTSD, participants showed statistically significant reductions in symptoms following sixteen sessions of IFS therapy. By the end of treatment, some no longer met diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
This study remains one of the most cited pieces of empirical support for IFS in trauma treatment.
See the full study.
Read a plain-English article about the study.
IFS and Complex PTSD / Childhood Trauma — 2020
Brief summary
Research on adults with PTSD and histories of repeated childhood trauma found significant positive effects from IFS treatment. Depressive symptoms were also reduced, and at one-month follow-up 92% of participants no longer met criteria for PTSD.
This is particularly relevant for people interested in IFS for developmental trauma, attachment wounds, or longstanding emotional burdens linked to earlier life experiences.
See the full study.
Read a plain-English article about the study.
Research is only one part of the picture, but it matters. For many people, knowing that IFS has been studied can make it easier to approach the work with confidence.
Further research
If you want to keep exploring, the best next step is to browse broader research collections from organisations that track empirical work on IFS.
Want the practical overview too?
If you want to understand not just whether IFS is researched, but how it actually works in practice, the FAQs page is the best companion read.