Hi u/cocotab, great question.

I know how frustrating it can be trying to find an IFS therapist. Hopefully as more and more get trained this situation will change.

To answer your question, it depends.

Occasionally a part will be so ready to unburden that it will happen almost spontaneously, without any guidance needed. All that you'd have to do is set the conditions to consciously connect with the part, and then the spontaneous unburdening would naturally occur.

Some people are able to do unburdenings with solo IFS. That said, to do IFS on yourself in a deeply authentic way, it's important not to try to manage the process to try to make it resemble a traditional unburdening done in classic IFS. But that's okay. If we're really attuned and our system feels safe to unburden, we'll be centering the Exile, and the Exile will tell us what it needs to heal / unburden. In short, unburdenings in solo IFS might not look like traditional unburdenings.

However, for the most part: My answer is usually No. Unburdenings typically require such presence of Self that it's usually necessary to have a therapist facilitate.

If I am working on a big issue and know I need to unburden, I would book a session with an IFS therapist to do so. I've also heard that Dick Schwartz, founder of IFS, says the same for himself.

The good news is if self-led IFS feels like a fit for you, you can do everything else on your own, then seek an IFS therapist just for that final portion.

Sidenote: Are you aware that many IFS therapists work online? The official IFS directory can be a useful place to find them https://ifs-institute.com/practitioners