Rise and Grind 👑 🙌🏾
I’m having a squirrel 🐿️ moment and my mind is all over thinking of breaking toxic cycles. I keep going back to the week we discussed the unlocking our minds potential, and sometimes the will power of throwing positive thoughts at a stressful situation isn’t enough.
I came across an NPR article about Internal Family Systems (IFS). Its a psychotherapy model that helps people understand their minds and the systems that govern them. One of the processes that I found 🤔& a little 🤯 was “parts work”.
“Part’s Work” is the idea that none of us are one dimensional. We each have multiple parts that we need to get to know. Because treating each sub-personality with compassion may help us manage “life” better.
It’s a type of therapy designed to help us deal with stress by tuning into the different “voices” or “parts” in our minds. Imagine each part as a unique personality within us like an inner critic, a worried protector, or even a hidden dreamer. The idea is that these parts have good intentions, but they can get really loud and bossy during tough times, pushing us into cycles of stress or negative self-talk. This form of therapy (IFS) teaches us to get to know each part and bring them into balance, giving us a clearer head and a calmer heart. And one thing that is consistently a theme in each weeks discussions is…balance.
IFS was created by Dr. Richard Schwartz, who discovered that his clients often described feeling different “parts” pulling them in different directions, especially during stressful moments. Through this approach, we can separate from the chaos within, so instead of being our stress or anger, we start to see it as just one voice within. A big step in breaking cycles of taking things personally or spiraling into overreaction.
Here’s how it works in six main steps:
1. Quiet the Mind: Sit still and focus on any sensation or memory that stands out. This may be a part needing attention, and simply listening to it can bring awareness.
2. Start a Dialogue: Each part has something valuable to share, even if it sounds negative. Talking with these parts helps us understand what they want us to know.
3. Take Some Space: Ask a loud part for “space” to ease its influence. Instead of feeling like we are the anxiety, we start to feel like we’re with it—big difference!
4. Connect with Past Pain: Often, tough experiences from childhood hide deep within us. IFS teaches us to acknowledge these hurt parts with compassion, without getting overwhelmed.
5. Take a U-Turn: When negative self-talk kicks in, we can “U-Turn” inward to ask, “Who’s driving this feeling?” This gives control back to us rather than to our stress.
6. Find the Light Within: As we quiet the noisy parts, our “Self” naturally shines through. Think of it like the sun hidden by clouds—the clouds may be there, but the sun is always shining.
At times in our lives we’ve often identified with having an inner critic, worrier, or striver. And some parts tend to dominate our lives, while others are more hidden. This form of therapy teaches a process to embrace all your parts, bring them into balance and find a sense of wholeness. Practicing this, we can shift from reacting to life’s stresses to leading them, embracing all our parts without judgment. This lets us break toxic cycles and start living from a place of self-trust, clarity, and calm.
The NPR article:
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