Parts Work
.jpeg)
We contain many parts, each striving to help and protect us
Parts Work
Socrates gives a great thought experiment that perhaps you would be willing to try with me right now? Think of a time when you have wanted something strongly, and at the same time didn't want that same thing or experience? Take a moment and find an example from your life. It can be as simple as wanting to go for a walk and yet feeling compelled to finish a piece of work. Or maybe you're out to dinner with friends and you want to have a dessert, and you also feel you shouldn't have that dessert. You can feel both of those stances, both of those pulls to do something which appears to be in opposition. You are not crazy; you are just more complex than we've been taught to understand!
What I now know and experience is that we all have parts of us that were created at a point in our lives to help us, to protect us. And these parts may go about their business in ways that have not fully integrated with who we are and who we want to be today. That's okay. It's just a nurturing and education process that needs to happen, this isn't psychosis!
Just having a "Parts Work" perspective can really help when working through a challenge for yourself or when interacting with someone else going through a tough spot (or maybe you are finding them a challenge?). Instead of saying "I feel angry" for instance, try on: "A part of me feels angry." This small shift can open up a world of possibility - in this example: - You are no longer your anger - There is space around this challenge, this feeling - You can diaglogue with that part to see what she's up to, what she needs - There is the opportunity for movement, for change - You can also recognize in another that they too are not their anger, or what ever emotion or context they are presenting to you.
A Parts Work perspective makes my life and the lives of my client-partners just make more sense! Mysteries unfold. Behaviors you've witnessed but couldn't fathom their origin or purpose now become clear. They transform. Real healing happens so that these same stuggles don't keep happening. An aspect that once gave you grief can often times become a guide and support to you once you've worked with it. And the best part is that this is a skill you can learn to do yourself that you'll have for life. A gift that keeps on giving.
What I now know and experience is that we all have parts of us that were created at a point in our lives to help us, to protect us. And these parts may go about their business in ways that have not fully integrated with who we are and who we want to be today. That's okay. It's just a nurturing and education process that needs to happen, this isn't psychosis!
Just having a "Parts Work" perspective can really help when working through a challenge for yourself or when interacting with someone else going through a tough spot (or maybe you are finding them a challenge?). Instead of saying "I feel angry" for instance, try on: "A part of me feels angry." This small shift can open up a world of possibility - in this example: - You are no longer your anger - There is space around this challenge, this feeling - You can diaglogue with that part to see what she's up to, what she needs - There is the opportunity for movement, for change - You can also recognize in another that they too are not their anger, or what ever emotion or context they are presenting to you.
A Parts Work perspective makes my life and the lives of my client-partners just make more sense! Mysteries unfold. Behaviors you've witnessed but couldn't fathom their origin or purpose now become clear. They transform. Real healing happens so that these same stuggles don't keep happening. An aspect that once gave you grief can often times become a guide and support to you once you've worked with it. And the best part is that this is a skill you can learn to do yourself that you'll have for life. A gift that keeps on giving.