diff --git a/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/record-data/record-data-errors-test.ts b/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/record-data/record-data-errors-test.ts
index f6f7fb261f6..99efd8256a7 100644
--- a/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/record-data/record-data-errors-test.ts
+++ b/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/record-data/record-data-errors-test.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ class Person extends Model {
 }
 
 class TestRecordData implements RecordData {
+  id = null;
+  modelName = 'tst';
+
   commitWasRejected(recordIdentifier: RecordIdentifier, errors?: JsonApiValidationError[]): void {}
 
   // Use correct interface once imports have been fix
diff --git a/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/record-data/record-data-state-test.ts b/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/record-data/record-data-state-test.ts
index a18e5c8c314..6d9ddfcf7e4 100644
--- a/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/record-data/record-data-state-test.ts
+++ b/packages/-ember-data/tests/integration/record-data/record-data-state-test.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ class Person extends Model {
 }
 
 class TestRecordData implements RecordData {
+  id = null;
+  modelName = 'tst';
+
   commitWasRejected(): void {}
 
   // Use correct interface once imports have been fix
diff --git a/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/belongs-to.js b/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/belongs-to.js
index 3c70fd4fd5d..93b1444c2a1 100644
--- a/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/belongs-to.js
+++ b/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/belongs-to.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { assertPolymorphicType } from '@ember-data/store/-debug';
 
 import recordDataFor from '../record-data-for';
 import { peekRecordIdentifier } from '../store/internal-model-factory';
-import Reference from './reference';
+import Reference, { INTERNAL_MODELS } from './reference';
 
 /**
   @module @ember-data/store
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ export default class BelongsToReference extends Reference {
       }
 
       assertPolymorphicType(
-        this.internalModel,
+        INTERNAL_MODELS.get(this.recordData),
         this.belongsToRelationship.relationshipMeta,
         record._internalModel,
         this.store
diff --git a/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/has-many.js b/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/has-many.js
index 018b33abe9d..648e7e0579f 100644
--- a/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/has-many.js
+++ b/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/has-many.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { resolve } from 'rsvp';
 import { assertPolymorphicType } from '@ember-data/store/-debug';
 
 import recordDataFor from '../record-data-for';
-import Reference from './reference';
+import Reference, { INTERNAL_MODELS } from './reference';
 
 /**
   @module @ember-data/store
@@ -179,19 +179,21 @@ export default class HasManyReference extends Reference {
         array = payload.data;
       }
 
+      let internalModel = INTERNAL_MODELS.get(this.recordData);
+
       let internalModels = array.map(obj => {
         let record = this.store.push(obj);
 
         if (DEBUG) {
           let relationshipMeta = this.hasManyRelationship.relationshipMeta;
-          assertPolymorphicType(this.internalModel, relationshipMeta, record._internalModel, this.store);
+          assertPolymorphicType(internalModel, relationshipMeta, record._internalModel, this.store);
         }
         return recordDataFor(record);
       });
 
       this.hasManyRelationship.computeChanges(internalModels);
 
-      return this.internalModel.getHasMany(this.hasManyRelationship.key);
+      return internalModel.getHasMany(this.hasManyRelationship.key);
       // TODO IGOR it seems wrong that we were returning the many array here
       //return this.hasManyRelationship.manyArray;
     });
@@ -253,8 +255,9 @@ export default class HasManyReference extends Reference {
    @return {ManyArray}
    */
   value() {
+    let internalModel = INTERNAL_MODELS.get(this.recordData);
     if (this._isLoaded()) {
-      return this.internalModel.getManyArray(this.key);
+      return internalModel.getManyArray(this.key);
     }
 
     return null;
@@ -323,7 +326,8 @@ export default class HasManyReference extends Reference {
    this has-many relationship.
    */
   load(options) {
-    return this.internalModel.getHasMany(this.key, options);
+    let internalModel = INTERNAL_MODELS.get(this.recordData);
+    return internalModel.getHasMany(this.key, options);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -375,6 +379,7 @@ export default class HasManyReference extends Reference {
    @return {Promise} a promise that resolves with the ManyArray in this has-many relationship.
    */
   reload(options) {
-    return this.internalModel.reloadHasMany(this.key, options);
+    let internalModel = INTERNAL_MODELS.get(this.recordData);
+    return internalModel.reloadHasMany(this.key, options);
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/record.ts b/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/record.ts
index 5b736b5a77b..6c6600ad456 100644
--- a/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/record.ts
+++ b/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/record.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import RSVP, { resolve } from 'rsvp';
 
-import Reference from './reference';
+import Reference, { INTERNAL_MODELS } from './reference';
 
 type SingleResourceDocument = import('../../ts-interfaces/ember-data-json-api').SingleResourceDocument;
 type RecordInstance = import('../../ts-interfaces/record-instance').RecordInstance;
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ type RecordInstance = import('../../ts-interfaces/record-instance').RecordInstan
    @extends Reference
 */
 export default class RecordReference extends Reference {
-  public type = this.internalModel.modelName;
+  public type = this.recordData.modelName;
   private get _id() {
-    return this.internalModel.id;
+    return this.recordData.id;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -124,8 +124,9 @@ export default class RecordReference extends Reference {
      @return {Model} the record for this RecordReference
   */
   value() {
-    if (this.internalModel.hasRecord) {
-      return this.internalModel.getRecord();
+    let internalModel = INTERNAL_MODELS.get(this.recordData);
+    if (internalModel && internalModel.hasRecord) {
+      return internalModel.getRecord();
     }
     return null;
   }
diff --git a/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/reference.ts b/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/reference.ts
index a0a80015e11..1761bb6b6b6 100644
--- a/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/reference.ts
+++ b/packages/store/addon/-private/system/references/reference.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import { deprecate } from '@ember/debug';
+
 import { FULL_LINKS_ON_RELATIONSHIPS } from '@ember-data/canary-features';
 
 import recordDataFor from '../record-data-for';
@@ -10,6 +12,7 @@ type CoreStore = import('../core-store').default;
 type JSONObject = import('json-typescript').Object;
 type JSONValue = import('json-typescript').Value;
 type InternalModel = import('../model/internal-model').default;
+type RecordData = InternalModel['_recordData'];
 
 /**
   @module @ember-data/store
@@ -28,6 +31,8 @@ function isResourceIdentiferWithRelatedLinks(
   return value && value.links && value.links.related;
 }
 
+export const INTERNAL_MODELS = new WeakMap<RecordData, InternalModel>();
+
 /**
   This is the baseClass for the different References
   like RecordReference/HasManyReference/BelongsToReference
@@ -39,12 +44,22 @@ interface Reference {
 }
 abstract class Reference {
   public recordData: InternalModel['_recordData'];
-  constructor(public store: CoreStore, public internalModel: InternalModel) {
-    this.recordData = recordDataFor(this);
+  constructor(public store: CoreStore, internalModel: InternalModel) {
+    this.recordData = recordDataFor(internalModel);
+    INTERNAL_MODELS.set(this.recordData, internalModel);
   }
 
   public _resource(): ResourceIdentifier | JsonApiRelationship | void {}
 
+  get internalModel() {
+    deprecate('Accessing the internalModel property of Reference is deprecated', false, {
+      id: 'ember-data:reference-internal-model',
+      until: '3.17',
+    });
+
+    return INTERNAL_MODELS.get(this.recordData);
+  }
+
   /**
    This returns a string that represents how the reference will be
    looked up when it is loaded. If the relationship has a link it will
diff --git a/packages/store/addon/-private/ts-interfaces/record-data.ts b/packages/store/addon/-private/ts-interfaces/record-data.ts
index 740041b0f1b..0607c98f71f 100644
--- a/packages/store/addon/-private/ts-interfaces/record-data.ts
+++ b/packages/store/addon/-private/ts-interfaces/record-data.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ export interface ChangedAttributesHash {
 }
 
 export interface RecordData {
+  id: string | null;
+  modelName: string;
+
   pushData(data: JsonApiResource, calculateChange?: boolean): void;
   clientDidCreate(): void;
   willCommit(): void;