FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Everything people ask about IFS, parts mapping, how we use astrology, and what a reading involves. Want the longer versions? Visit the learning library.

The Method

What is The Parts Method?

The Parts Method is an IFS-informed self-understanding tool. It turns your birth details into a personalized, plain-language map of the protective, wounded, and hidden parts — managers, firefighters, and exiles — driving your emotions, relationships, decisions, and recurring patterns.

Is this therapy?

No. The Parts Method is an educational tool for self-reflection, not therapy, diagnosis, or medical advice. Many people use it alongside therapy — the map gives you and a practitioner shared language — but it does not replace professional care.

Is this a personality test?

No. Personality tests assign you a fixed type from your answers. The Parts Method assumes you are a system of parts, not a type, and maps the specific protectors, wounds, and inner conflicts operating in your system — including how they interact and what they're protecting.

Who is The Parts Method for?

People who keep noticing the same patterns — in relationships, work, conflict, or self-worth — and want language for what's actually driving them. No prior knowledge of IFS or astrology is needed.

IFS & Parts Mapping

What is IFS?

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a model of psychotherapy developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz. Its core idea: the mind is a system of parts — sub-personalities with their own feelings, beliefs, and protective intent — organized around a calm, compassionate core Self.

What are managers, firefighters, and exiles?

Managers are proactive protectors that keep life controlled before pain can surface (perfectionism, people-pleasing, over-preparation). Firefighters are reactive protectors that act after pain breaks through (numbing, withdrawing, lashing out). Exiles are the vulnerable parts carrying old pain, fear, or shame that the protectors work to keep buried.

What is parts mapping?

Parts mapping is the practice of identifying your parts and laying them out where you can see them: what each does, what triggers it, what it fears, what it protects, and how the parts interact. A map turns vague, repeating patterns into a structure you can work with.

What do I do after I can name my parts?

Naming is the first move — unblending from 'I am anxious' to 'a part of me is anxious.' From there the work is building a relationship with each part, and regulating the nervous system so protectors can actually relax. Our guide on working with your parts covers the full arc.

Astrology & Your Chart

What is astrology, as you use it?

We use astrology as a symbolic language, not a predictive system. Your natal chart — the geometric positions of the planets at your exact birth moment and place — serves as a unique, repeatable pattern signature that our engine translates into psychological themes.

What is a natal chart?

A natal chart is a map of where the Sun, Moon, and planets were relative to the zodiac and your birthplace at the moment you were born, divided into twelve signs and twelve houses, with angular relationships (aspects) between the points.

Do you predict the future?

No. Your reading contains no forecasts. The chart is used as a structured starting point for psychological reflection — a mirror, not a crystal ball.

Do I need to believe in astrology?

No. The reading stands or falls on whether its psychological portrait resonates and gives you useful language. Skeptics are welcome — treat the chart as a structured randomization with a rich vocabulary, and judge the output by its usefulness.

Why does my exact birth time matter?

Your birth time and place determine the houses of your chart and the angles between points — a large share of what makes your signature yours. Without a time, we can still compute a reading from your date and place, but the more precise the inputs, the more differentiated the map.

Readings, Accounts & Pricing

How is my reading calculated?

In five steps: (1) we compute your chart's geometry from your birth details; (2) each geometric relationship is translated through an IFS-informed ontology into psychological themes; (3) themes are scored by strength across independent signals; (4) related themes are clustered into named parts; (5) the clusters are written up in plain, emotionally resonant language.

What does it cost?

You can meet one of your strongest parts free, with no account needed. Your complete inner map — all of your parts, conflicts, triggers, and guidance for working with each part — is a one-time $67 unlock, yours to return to anytime.

Can I run a map for someone else?

Yes. With an account you can generate full maps for friends and family from their birth details, and relationship maps that look at how two systems interact.

Will my reading change over time?

The same birth data always produces the same underlying signature, so your map is stable. What changes is you — most people find different parts of the map come into focus as their circumstances change, which is why it's built to be returned to.

Privacy & Data

What happens to my birth data?

Your birth details are used to compute your reading and are treated as sensitive personal information. They are never sold or shared for advertising. See our Privacy Policy for the full picture.

Do I need an account for the free preview?

No. The free preview asks only for your birth details and shows you one of your parts immediately. An account is only needed if you want to save your map or unlock the complete reading.

Still curious? The fastest answer is your own map.

Meet one of your parts — free