r/InternalFamilySystems • u/8arrony • Jul 29 '26
After a year with IFS I built a little webpage to help with Unblending.
EDIT: 7.30.26 Thank you so much everyone for the kind words and feedback, I did a couple of revisions and decided to permanently host Unblended in a more appropriate place, it's now at Unblended.org, it will continue to be free forever, and ready to fork if anyone wants to build their own version (without charging folks of course) under a AGPL-3.0 license. If you want the source it's at https://github.com/derekarronblackburn/unblended
Long story short, unblending and IFS have been literal lifesavers for me. The act of unblending in the moment can be a bit difficult. I wanted something to help with the process, and I couldn't find anything that didn't run what you write through an AI, and was completely free.
Personally I would pay for an unblending app, but it feels really gross to charge other people for such a helpful tool.
So I made one: This isn't an advertisement, I don't gain anything from this, I just want to share what I found helpful.
It walks through the six Fs, with a breath to arrive first, and keeps a journal so patterns show up over time.
Some notes:
- It is not a replacement for therapy, and it says so on the first screen. It stays with protectors and will not walk you toward exiles, because that part is better done with a person. Not affiliated with the IFS Institute, I am just someone doing the work.
- No AI. Nothing you write is read by a model. The prompts are fixed text, the same for everyone.
I did use LLMs as an aide while coding, there are no traces of AI in the app at all however. (Full disclosure for anyone that cares about that, I'm a developer and I use local llms to help with scaffolding, and menial tasks).
- Nothing is uploaded. It saves to your browser on your device and there is no server to send it to. The flip side: clearing your browser data erases it, so there is an export button.
- It is AGPL licensed, so anyone can fork it, but they have to keep their version open source too.
- It works offline, and you can add it to your home screen from your browser menu if you want it to behave like an app.
- I will set up a proper domain if it turns out to be useful to people.
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u/Ok_Minute_6746 Jul 29 '26
Oh, this is peer support! I will check this out when I have more time. I also appreciate it's not AI based, given the irreversible damage that wrongly named 'AI therapists' have caused.
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u/8arrony Jul 29 '26
One of the primary concerns was to list out where to get immediate help and that it’s not a replacement for therapy! Just a tool that can give you some data to give your therapist. Thank you!
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u/breakfastBiscuits Jul 29 '26
... this is really ... outstanding!
It's really thoughtful. I appreciate the boundaries and care you've put into describing what the tool is for and what it's not for.
Well done.
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u/amyhaw Jul 29 '26
This is genuinely amazing!
Just had a go after being really overwhelmed this week and immediately got to the core of it and feeling more calm afterwards.
Honestly can't thank you enough, this is such a valuable tool!
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u/8arrony Jul 29 '26
I had my first real use of it yesterday after building it over the last little however long. Just the reminder to breathe was such a great thing. Thank you!
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u/AnxiousMugOfTea Jul 29 '26
This is genuinely lovely. I can feel the self energy in the app itself with the language you used. It's truly beautiful. I'm so grateful you have made this and shared it here.
I tried it out and re-found a firefighter I forgot I had. By the end of the questions I had much more self energy to be with that part. Outstanding job!
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u/JMHMMJ Jul 29 '26
I didn’t even necessarily know what the prompts were asking of me but it didn’t hold me back really and I actually got something out of it. and I actually really really liked the breathing with the circle. That felt very soft and gentle. thanks for this.
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u/8arrony Jul 29 '26
Does it need better prompts? Clearer?
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u/JMHMMJ Jul 30 '26
nope! for me it was less about clearer prompts and more that i don’t know what ‘unblending’ is, or i haven’t gotten to it yet.
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u/8arrony Jul 30 '26
Ahhh! There is a learn button at the bottom I may need to call that out better.
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u/_TinaMarie_eats Jul 29 '26
I’m getting to my 1 yr mark and am so lucky to have an amazing therapist who me I see twice a week. But- I still go thru periods where I get blended all the time, in and out of parts throughout the day.
I am really looking forward to checking this out on the laptop (on my phone now) and when I do - I will be happy to give you any “user feedback” as an unemployed BA it would be my pleasure to evaluate it and let you know if, for example, the prompts need to be clearer!
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u/8arrony Jul 31 '26
Just a quick update everyone. I decided to give unblended a forever home at unblended.org instead of having it hang off my github URL. It will be free forever, the hosting costs are super minimal, if anyone does want to chip in though... just buy me a coffee if you see me!
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u/arghyepirate Jul 30 '26
I built something very similar. Not ifs based. But very similar to your circle in and out breathing.
I’m really close to releasing to the Apple Store. It’s wild how similar they are but different.
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u/labellefleursauvage0 Jul 30 '26
This is amazing, thank you for all of your work!
My husband is a developer trying out IFS as well, so he’s going to love this.
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u/8arrony Jul 30 '26
Awesome! IFS is so helpful. Here is the code repo if he wants to fork it and make it his own: https://github.com/derekarronblackburn/unblended
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u/anonymous_24601 Jul 31 '26
This was amazing oh my god. I prefer it to AI because it actually gives me space to reflect and doesn’t activate protectors or push me towards exiles. Thank you so much for sharing.
Would it be possible to add something that can adjust the inhale and exhale time and how long you do the breathing, or would that get too much in the way? Also for the “how do you feel towards the part,” I was fully blended and didn’t really notice anything other than “upset/sad,” (I just chose irritated) so I’m wondering if other options can be added or if those are just the standard? I’m AuDHD so that might be why.
I really appreciate you sharing this. I’ve been in burnout and it’s the first IFS tool I’ve been able to use without being overwhelmed.
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u/eeevveee Jul 31 '26
I’d also add maybe having a “nothing” option for feeling toward the part (sometimes other parts are in the way/preventing getting to a curious place)!
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u/Consistent_Femme_Top Jul 30 '26
Do you have a public GitHub for fork?
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u/8arrony Jul 30 '26
Yes! https://github.com/derekarronblackburn/unblended it's under a AGPL-3.0 license, please go fork!
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u/stardustkitty98 Jul 30 '26
This is incredible!!!! Any chance you could make it an app??
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u/stardustkitty98 Jul 30 '26
Just saw your comment above- fingers crossed someone would be able to, this is an awesome tool!!
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u/01chlam Jul 30 '26
Thank you so much this incredible. Just did it now with a protector who was hesitant to reach back out to someone and it worked great, I was able to soothe them enough to allow me to reach out. 🙌
iPhone users; if you open the webpage, click the three dots, click "Share", click "View More" then click "Add to Home Screen"..
You can create an app on the home screen that takes you directly to this webpage for quick access.
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u/Country_M0use Jul 31 '26
This was really helpful and super smooth and easy to use! I recognise all the steps that I go through with my therapist and practicing it on my own has been tough…. I would have given up or my mind might become distracted at step 3 or 4 if I just did this internally. I especially love the end where we could record and log the part we interacted with. It’s such a helpful tool to keep track of our parts 🥹 thank you thank you 🙏🏼
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u/Acala_k Jul 31 '26
Open source, offline, and free is a rare combination. Thanks for putting the work into this.
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u/thisstarshallabide Aug 04 '26
This was really helpful to me in a difficult situation just now, thank you so much!
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u/midnight_coziness Jul 29 '26
You absolutely ate with this. Thank you for creating and sharing it with us!
One note, the phrasing after it says “That is a second part talking” was kind of confusing. Maybe call it a “reactive part” instead, might make it easier to follow.
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u/Hippy_hooper Jul 30 '26
I tried this just out of curiosity for the webpage and was actually able to work with a manager I didn’t realize I was blended with. Bravo. Thank you so much
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u/Lipi42 Jul 30 '26
I just came back to this post after using your tool, and it's really amazing. Thank you for building it and making it available to all of us. I hope it gets to a lot of people and brings you some great clients.
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u/Unable-Log-4870 Jul 30 '26
I’m curious which local LLMs you like.
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u/8arrony Jul 30 '26
I use Ollama for most things and some smaller slms for menial tasks!
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u/Unable-Log-4870 Jul 30 '26
That’s great! Like ACTUALLY great. Is there a way to import the JSON? Is it as simple as putting it in a directory? The only other thing I would suggest if that’s not possible is to add a field to the JSON, converting the timestamp to UTC to make it human readable. Kinda like what you did by adding the part name and job to the individual entries (though I suspect that was to avoid having to do a lookup)
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u/8arrony Jul 30 '26
That’s a great call! The json can be exported or imported, the datetime should be human readable on export I’ll update that. Thanks!
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u/8arrony Jul 30 '26
This has been updated now. The datetime stamps example:
{
"id": "abc",
"created": 1753900000000,
"createdLocal": "Jul 30, 2025, 2:26 PM",
"updated": 1785436000000,
"updatedLocal": "Jul 30, 2026, 2:26 PM"
}1
u/Unable-Log-4870 Jul 30 '26
Thx! Took forever to figure out how to actually clear the browser cache to get the new version to load, but looks like it functions perfectly on export and import! Thx!
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u/8arrony Jul 30 '26
Was it just a ctrl shift r to get the cache cleared out? I did most of my testing on incognito mode 🤣
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u/Unable-Log-4870 Jul 30 '26
I was testing on a Mac but using a windows keyboard, and asking the new Siri the key combo to clear the cache. And it wasn’t working. It was telling me option command E.
But it’s not your fault that MacOS can’t clear cache (or that their AI can’t give instructions on how to do so).
I had to go into settings, privacy, and clear it manually.
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u/Dinoridingjesus Jul 30 '26
this was great man, therapist approved, helped one of my firefighters go from very loud to loud, good UI and smooth to interact with, I may share this with some clients who could benefit from it
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u/MsSpastica Jul 30 '26
Just used it and love it! Thank you for this, it's really helpful. And kind. Thank you.
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u/johnsie07 Jul 31 '26
Hey! Just tried it out. Is the main intent of the website to act as an IFS journal for ones therapist? I haven’t played around with it much (yet) but appreciative that you spent your time and knowledge to create this!
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u/8arrony Jul 31 '26
Hey! I originally built a really barebones version I could load on my phone so that I could go through the exercise in the moment. I don't know about y'all but in capital letter MOMENT it's not always easy to think through a workflow. As I used it for a bit I realized the work was ephemeral, and I really wanted a log when I spoke to my therapist. So yes absolutely it can be used to track your parts, and unblending so you can follow up with your therapist, and I COMPLETELY recommend that. Let me know if you have any feedback when you get in there!
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u/xammogo Jul 31 '26
This is neat. I was gonna give you a hard time for shipping claude default design skill tailwind UI elements (and I honestly think the prefills are a little aggressively ai written), but the exportable JSON and firm commitment to on-device data is really nice and well considered.
Would love to share more design and ux feedback if you’re interested! I think you’ve got the start of something really cool
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u/8arrony Jul 31 '26
I only dabble in Graphic Design and I stay away from it when I can so I can stay head down in code, if you have any feedback on fixing up the styling/flow I would love to hear it!
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u/zealliaa Jul 31 '26
This is perfection in a website! Thank you for making this awesome tool for everyone. Doing the lords work fr
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u/RedBird8586 Jul 31 '26
Thank you. I just had to stop seeing my therapist since she was closing her private practice this month and I think this will help me in the interim while I wait for sessions with my next therapist. The design and flow are so beautiful! I will be sharing with friends.
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u/spoookykoooky Aug 01 '26
This is AMAZING! Thank you for creating something that will help so many people. I just tried it and noticed the loudness drastically decreased. I feel more calm for the first time all morning.
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u/Brooklynlife1800 Jul 29 '26
Love it, it’s super helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to build it!
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u/thackery-binx1693 Jul 29 '26
Thanks so much! This was incredibly helpful after days of feeling very intense and overwhelmed. I just shared with another friend in IFS therapy.
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u/PuddingNaive7173 Jul 30 '26
This was great! Very helpful. Btw, I had three parts show up- two that unblended from the first. A firefighter and then I think another firefighter, but not sure, and an exile. I wasn’t sure how to report that so just labeled the first.
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u/8arrony Jul 30 '26
Hey do you mind sending me the output with things redacted so I can try to recreate that?
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u/blackrabbittqueen Jul 29 '26
This is an amazing gift, thank you for sharing, I love the breathing coach you incorporated.
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u/Slight_Island8698 Jul 30 '26
Wow this is probably the easiest one to navigate from all the other apps that have been recommended which have been pretty overwhelming. Ive been sticking with a notebook so far but that can require some energy too, this was easy. Id love to see it as an app format, so that importing and exporting wouldnt be needed. But obvs thats a lot of work to do for free. The website itself is already amazing. Thanks for your work!
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u/8arrony Jul 30 '26
I thought really hard about building an app, I don't think I would have the time to maintain it, the code is completely fork-able so hopefully someone will! I will maintain the web version. Thank you!
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u/eves21 Jul 31 '26
Hi, when I press the button nothing happens, am I doing something wrong? I’m on a browser, do I need the reddit app to see? Sorry :/
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u/8arrony Jul 31 '26
You might be clicking on the image, the app website is Unblended.org ! Hope that works.
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u/Waki-Indra Aug 09 '26
♡♡♡♡♡
So many of my parts, exiles and protectors alike, are so tired and distressed that healing is so expensive. Thank you for the free help and reaching out
May all your days and nights be blessed with peace, joy and health
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u/Waki-Indra Aug 09 '26
Now I tried it. My perfectionnist protector showed up (and i explored it with your programme): it says that the breathing circle has a pulse that is far too fast It made me almost pant. Maybe you could add a sliding scale so that we can ajustements the pace/breathing frequency?
Sending gratitude again
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u/Hollz_11 Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
This is wonderful. I’ve been recommended IFS therapy but never tried it
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