Dr. Frank Anderson

Trauma Psychiatrist & IFS Expert

Dr. Frank Anderson is a trauma psychiatrist and leading expert in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. He has spent decades working with people whose bodies carry the weight of unresolved trauma, and his work has helped thousands of people find genuine healing.

IFS is a model of psychotherapy that understands the mind as made up of distinct parts — some of which carry pain, fear, or shame from past experiences, and some of which have developed to protect those wounded parts from further harm. Dr. Anderson's clinical work involves helping people develop a compassionate relationship with all of those parts, rather than fighting against them or trying to eliminate them.

His approach is grounded in neuroscience and decades of clinical practice, but it is also deeply human — built on the conviction that every person, no matter what they have been through, has the capacity for genuine healing.

Why They Were on Pair-A-Docs

Dr. Anderson joined Dr. Sherry Ross and Dr. Tammy Nelson to discuss how trauma is stored in the body, why traditional talk therapy often isn't enough, and what the IFS model offers people who feel stuck in their healing. The conversation covers the neuroscience of trauma, the limits of cognitive approaches, and what genuine recovery looks like.

For Pair-A-Docs, Dr. Anderson's work is directly relevant to the patients and listeners who have tried to think their way out of pain that lives in the body. Dr. Ross sees the physical consequences of unresolved trauma in her OB-GYN practice every day. Dr. Nelson works with couples whose relationships are shaped by the trauma histories each partner brings to the table.

The episode gives listeners a clear, compassionate framework for understanding why healing can feel so hard — and what it actually looks like when it works.

Topics Covered

In this episode, Dr. Anderson and the doctors covered:

How trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind
The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model explained
Why talk therapy alone often isn't enough
The neuroscience of trauma and recovery
What genuine healing looks like — and how long it takes

Their Episode

Episode 2

Frank Anderson: Trauma, the Body, and Healing

Trauma psychiatrist and IFS (Internal Family Systems) expert Frank Anderson brought a powerful perspective on how trauma lives in the body — and how healing is possible at any age, for anyone.

Listen to this episode →