The Stunning Links Between Disney Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” and IFS therapy

(or, how to delight an IFS Therapist at the cinema!)

An IFS Therapist’s Review of the latest movie from Pixar and Disney: Inside Out 2

Why don’t they teach us this in school?

Something I often say to my clients, when starting therapy or perhaps during the process, and often in response to them reaching a breakthrough or gaining deep insight, is this:

“This stuff can be so simple, but they don’t teach us it in school, do they?!”

I live in hope that the situation is changing. Most of my clients are in their late 20s-50s and beyond, but as younger clients come through to work with me, I really hope that the increasing and improved conversations/teachings in school about mental health will mean that my statement above becomes outdated and redundant and I will have to stop saying it. 

This phrase comes to mind in a week in which my husband, a deputy head of a school for students aged 7-13, took a group of 200 kids to see the hotly awaited “Inside Out 2” at the cinema. As a huge fan of the first film and someone who has podcasted on this film in the past and recommended watching it, as an incredibly valuable and valid resource with hundreds clients, workshop and coaching participants in the past 9 years since it was released, I was delighted that 200 young minds got to experience such a beautiful and genuinely informative film.

As the original film highlights its key concept of children making ‘core memories’, I think many collective core memories will have been made for this group. Not only did they experience up-to-date and compassionate thinking on mental wellbeing, they were watching and exploring mental health and emotions with peers in a supportive context (the trip was followed by activities and discussions back in school to explore key themes). My husband’s favourite part was how the children welcomed the parts for their own roles, with big cheers for Anxiety and Embarrassment; what a lesson in loving all your parts.

Which brings me to this post. I really couldn’t wait to blog about Inside Out 2, and truly feel I could write many varied pieces on this rich film (and its predecessor). In time maybe I will. But for now, here is an exploration of how this fabulous sequel wonderfully blends with the Internal Family Systems Model, and why I will be continuing to recommend this Pixar franchise to clients, colleagues and friends alike. 

What makes this movie different from the first Inside out film?

Have you ever wondered what’s really going on inside your head, especially during those tumultuous teenage years? Or perhaps, like me, you have the pleasure of currently parenting a teen or tween or two and would love an insight into all the complexities you know are at play during this period of time.

Pixar’s "Inside Out 2" gives us a whimsical, funny and yet profound look into this concept by bringing emotions to life as characters. While the first film dealt with Riley as a younger child, with fewer parts and more simplicity in terms of the plot and structure of this internal world, the sequel is more complex precisely because teenagers ARE more complex as they develop and grow. The accurate scenes (from a developmental and neurological perspective) of the demolition that happens in the adolescent mind were so well done and the introduction of the ‘sar-chasm’ that divides us from those we love was also inspired.

The parallels with the ‘parts’ of IFS were clear in the first movie, and in the second, we can see even more clearly how much congruence lies between the two, a fact that fills me with delight as a generation of Disney-viewing kids will be gifted a vocabulary and understanding of their own system that would simply never have been taught in MY school in the 1980s.

Let’s dive into the ways in which Riley’s emotional journey in "Inside Out 2" mirrors the principles of IFS.

Emotions as Parts that live and breathe inside us

IFS Therapy, developed by Richard Schwartz, is built on the idea that our mind is composed of multiple parts, each with its own distinct role and personality. These parts can include managers (protective parts), exiles (parts that hold pain), and firefighters (parts that react quickly to emotional distress).

All parts are welcome in Inside Out 2

In "Inside Out 2," Riley’s emotions—Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Disgust, and new additions like Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment (as well as a few cameos from Nostalgia, which was a lovely touch) —are personified in a way that directly aligns with the IFS way of looking at how we feel.

Each emotion operates as a distinct entity within Riley’s mind, and, because this is Pixar, a distinct colour palette, hairstyle and much more. These parts spend their time managing Riley’s reactions and interactions, with different parts leading at different times, and Anxiety being at the steering wheel for much of the story. While not all IFS clients see their parts visually (Dick Schwartz being one such person!), this Disneyfication may be an interesting parallel to their therapy for those who do.

INside out 2: A Journey to Self-Leadership

One of the core principles of IFS is the concept of Self Leadership. 

The Self is considered the compassionate, calm core of a person, capable of harmonising the various parts. Self did not play a role in the first film, and myself and many IFS colleagues noted this over the years, whilst still loving the depiction of parts and the beautiful simplicity of the first film’s approach. 

In contrast, and much to my geeky joy as a therapist, throughout "Inside Out 2," we see Riley evolving towards a state of Self-leadership.

As she is still young, with lots more development to happen, this is of course, a work in progress, but by the film’s touching and involving finale, Riley is starting to integrate her emotions more effectively, allowing her to better know and connect with her true sense of Self. This reflects the central IFS goal of nurturing internal harmony through the leadership of the Self and the embracing of ‘self-energy’ which I have talked about in more detail in this blog. 

The new emotions initially cause havoc in Riley’s system but end up providing a beautiful example of integration, balance and self-compassion.

Internal battles vs internal Harmony

The IFS model emphasises that healing occurs when the Self can listen to and integrate the needs of various parts, leading to internal balance. Like all good kids movies “Inside Out 2” has many moments of tension and uncertainty - and where balance and calm seem to be nowhere to be seen; much like the experience of the average teen - or indeed the average human!

In the film, through stressful and challenging situations, Riley’s emotions learn to overcome adversity and work together to manage her anxiety and help her build a balanced sense of self. The ultimate collaboration between her emotions is a fantastic representation of achieving internal harmony, that central aim in IFS therapy. One of my favourite ever client comments is “I no longer feel at war with myself’ and this is represented clearly by the end of “Inside Out 2”. 

Embracing All Emotions

IFS teaches that all parts of ourselves are welcome and all have a strong need to be seen, acknowledged, loved and accepted, even those that can feel negative or that can cause us trouble in day-to-day life.

"Inside Out 2" could not showcase this more beautifully.

Riley learns to accept and work alongside new emotions like Anxiety and Envy and bring them into her system to exist alongside other parts of her, guided by her Sense of Self.

Anyone who has done IFS therapy with me, will have found the part where Anxiety is cared for, with her own chair and self care station, and able to both be accepted and rest, very familiar! Often in sessions we will invite parts to be heard and, when they are open to it, we often offer them the chance to take a moment of pause, to relax, to feel safe enough not to act or to shift their role somewhat so they can feel more peace - and a surprising amount of times this is exactly what happens. 

Anxiety feels heard and loved - and is finally able to relax.

A key learning of the second film, even more so than the first film, is the way it demonstrates that even uncomfortable emotions have important roles and should be understood and integrated, cared for, heard and loved, echoing again the IFS principle that all parts of us deserve compassion and acceptance and that, as Dick Schwartz would say, we have ‘No Bad Parts.’

Unburdening Painful Emotions

Perhaps the most meaningful and transformational aspect of IFS therapy is unburdening of the exiled parts that carry and cause us pain. These parts need to be relieved of their distress and reintegrated into the person's internal system. In "Inside Out 2," we see Riley dealing with a metaphorical avalanche of bad memories, which threatens to overwhelm her Sense of Self. The moving resolution comes as she acknowledges and integrates these painful memories, symbolising a very helpful and visual approximation of the unburdening process in IFS.

"Inside Out 2" is not just a delightful animated film; it’s a rich narrative that aligns remarkably well with the principles of Internal Family Systems Therapy - and one that has set the practitioner and therapist community alight with the beauty and the hope held within this kids movie. By personifying emotions and exploring the journey of self-discovery and emotional integration, the film offers a compelling pathway of how we can achieve internal harmony and self-leadership in real life.

So when you get chance to watch, or re-watch, "Inside Out 2," I’d love to hear your thoughts on this story, which is so much more than just a tale of a girl and her emotions—it’s a lesson in understanding and integrating the various parts of ourselves, a journey we all are on.

I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts so do feel free to message me lucy@lucyorton.com. And if the film has caused you to seek out IFS therapy or IFS therapy Intensives, then please get in touch here, and we can schedule a free 15 minute call.