You Are Not Your Emotions: Inner Parts Healing Practice

Transformative inner parts healing meditation that teaches you to relate to emotions as experiences rather than identity. Learn that you are not your anxiety, sadness, or anger—you're the loving awareness that can hold all feelings with compassion.
This practice combines gentle parts work with self-compassion techniques to help you create space from overwhelming emotions. Perfect for anyone struggling with emotional overwhelm, anxiety, depression, or feeling "controlled" by their feelings.

Transcript

So hi everyone and thank you for joining me.

So for today's exploration,

If you've ever felt completely overwhelmed by an emotion,

Maybe anxiety that feels like it's taken over,

Or sadness that seems to define who you are in that moment,

Then this practice could give you a different perspective.

So today we'll explore a gentle truth that you are not your emotions.

You are not your anxiety,

Your sadness,

Your anger or your fears.

These are experiences moving through you,

But they are not the totality of who you are.

Think of yourself as having different parts,

Like members of an inner family.

There is a part of you that feels anxious sometimes,

A part that gets sad,

A part that feels joyful,

A part that worries,

And a part that feels peaceful.

But none of these parts is you,

And they are all aspects of your rich and complex human experience.

So today we are going to learn how to meet these parts of yourself with curiosity and compassion rather than being overwhelmed by them.

Now we all know how in a family there are different personalities.

The person that worries a lot,

The responsible one,

The sensitive one,

The troublemaker,

The protector,

And other roles.

Your inner world is similar.

You have different parts of yourself that each have their own personality,

Their own concerns,

And their own ways of expressing and trying to help you.

So when we say,

I am anxious,

What's happening is that an anxious part of me is activated and is speaking loudly.

But there are other parts of you too,

Perhaps a calm part,

A wise part,

A playful part.

But they are just quieter in that moment.

Now this isn't about pushing away or getting rid of any parts of yourself.

Every part of you is developed for a reason and has something very valuable to offer.

This practice is simply about learning to relate to your parts differently so they don't overwhelm you.

Let's start with a simple but powerful shift in language.

So instead of saying,

I am anxious,

I can say a part of me is feeling anxious.

I am sad.

There is a sad part of me right now.

I am angry.

An angry part of me is activated.

I am scared.

A scared part of me needs attention.

Feel the difference.

When you say,

I am anxious,

It feels like anxiety is your entire identity.

And when you say,

A part of me is feeling anxious,

There is a little bit more space.

There is a you maybe in the background that can observe the anxious part.

The anxiety doesn't slow down or go away.

It just gives me space to watch.

Now this isn't just wordplay.

This reflects a deeper truth about how you are designed.

You have many parts and you also have what you can call the self.

The part of you that can witness,

The part of you that can feel,

And the part of you that remains steady even when other parts are activated.

So let's practice this right now gently.

Think of an emotion that you have been experiencing lately.

Anxiety,

Sadness,

Frustration,

Overwhelm,

Fear,

Or anything else.

And instead of trying to fix or change this emotion,

Let's get curious about it now.

If you are comfortable for this part,

You can close your eyes and also simply start,

Take a few gentle breaths.

Now whatever emotion has come up for you today or you have been experiencing,

Instead of thinking,

I am anxious,

Sad,

Angry,

Or whatever it is that has shown up for you,

Try saying this to yourself.

There is a part of me that's feeling sad,

Anxious,

Angry,

Or whatever it is for you right now.

There is a part of me that's feeling this emotion right now.

And just feel how this creates a little bit of space between you and the emotion.

There is a part of me that's feeling anxiety right now.

And with gentle curiosity,

I can ask this part of me now.

What are you trying to tell me?

What do you need right now?

What are you worried about?

And how are you trying to help me?

And just listen now.

Don't try to argue with this part or convince it to feel differently.

Just listen with the same care that you'd offer to a friend.

Feeling what I'm feeling,

Experiencing what I'm experiencing,

Not forcing,

Not forcing,

Allowing.

There is a part of me that's anxious right now,

And I am listening to that part in my body.

I am the one that's listening.

I am not anxiety.

I am not that part.

Now,

Here is something to reflect on.

Every part of you,

Even the ones that feel difficult,

It's trying to help you in some way.

Your anxious part might be trying to keep you safe by scanning for potential problems.

Your sad part might be honoring a loss or helping you process something that you haven't processed.

Your angry part might be protecting your boundaries or letting you know something isn't right.

And your worried part might just be trying to prepare you for challenges.

When I understand that these parts have positive intentions,

It becomes easier to feel compassionate towards them,

Even when their methods feel overwhelming.

Any changes that you experience listening to this in your body,

In your breath,

That's simply your body responding to this.

Now,

Let's do a gentle check-in of your inner world right now.

If you haven't done so already for this part,

You can close your eyes,

Settle into a comfortable position,

Sitting up or lying down.

Take a few natural breaths and allow yourself to arrive here and now.

Take a natural breath and allow yourself to arrive here right now.

Now,

Let's check in with different parts of yourself.

Anything that shows up right now for you is exactly what you need to see.

There's no judgment.

Everything is welcome in this space.

Is there an anxious part here today?

And if so,

What is it concerned about?

And now just notice,

Without trying to fix or change anything,

Is there a sad part present right now?

And what might it be feeling sad about?

Just offer it some gentle acknowledgement.

Is there an angry or a frustrated part?

What might it be upset about?

Just listen with curiosity.

Is there a tired part?

What does it need?

Maybe rest,

Maybe support,

Maybe recognition.

Is there a worried part?

What is it trying to figure out or control?

Is there a peaceful part?

Even if it's quiet,

See if you can sense the calm or stillness within you.

Is there a wise part?

The part of me that has perspective and understanding.

And listen for its quiet wisdom.

You're not trying to change or fix any of these parts.

You're simply acknowledging them.

Like a gentle parent checking in with each child in the family.

Now choose one part for yourself that feels particularly strong or activated today.

Maybe it's the scared part,

The anxious part or the overwhelmed part.

Whatever it is for you,

Trust,

Support.

And now,

Imagine speaking to this part like you would speak to a child who was upset or a friend who was struggling.

You can receive my words,

You can repeat them after me,

Out loud or silently.

I see you.

I see that you're anxious.

That must be hard.

Thank you for trying to help me.

I can see you working so hard to protect me.

You don't have to carry this all by yourself.

I am here for you.

I am here with you now.

What do you need from me right now?

I see you.

I see that you're anxious.

That must be really hard.

Thank you for trying to help me.

I can see you working so hard to protect me.

You don't have to carry this all by yourself.

I am here with you.

What do you need from me right now?

Whichever way your body is responding to these words,

Allow that processing to happen.

All this part needs is your presence and your compassion.

You don't need to have all the answers.

You don't need to fix everything.

Sometimes our parts just need to be seen and heard.

And you're doing that now.

Now in this practice,

As you've become aware of your different parts or the part that came up for you,

You might also be aware of something else.

The observer.

The part of you that was observing all this.

Now this is what we call your core self.

The you that exists beyond any particular emotion or experience.

And the self is naturally calm,

Curious,

Wise and compassionate.

It's the part of you that can hold space for all your parts without being overwhelmed by them.

Let's find and feel into this steady center for a moment.

Wherever I feel my steady center is the observer in my body,

I'm going to go there now with my attention.

Maybe my belly button,

Maybe my heart,

Maybe somewhere else.

And even if it's small or quiet today,

It's there.

It's the part of you that is saying,

I notice I'm feeling anxious.

I notice I'm having this emotion.

I notice I'm experiencing pain.

I notice I'm having old memories.

I notice I'm lost in my thoughts.

I notice I observe.

And from this steady center,

Your core self,

You can care for your parts with wisdom,

Love and non-judgment.

Now receiving my words,

Sometimes you're settling a little bit more into your steady self.

So the observer is a little bit more active now than the other parts or the part.

Now here is how we can take this awareness and build upon it into our daily lives.

When strong emotions arise in you,

You can pause either in that moment and sometimes you can't stop in those moments.

So whenever you reflect,

Ask yourself,

Which part of me is activated right now?

What is this part trying to tell me?

What does this part need from me?

Also remember the language shift.

I am overwhelmed.

We now change it to part of me feels overwhelmed.

I am stressed.

There is a stressed part of me active right now.

I am fine.

Most of my parts are feeling okay right now.

Receiving my words,

Breathing my words.

Now sometimes you might have parts which feel really really intense or difficult.

Parts that are angry,

Overwhelmed,

Ashamed,

Even desperate.

These parts especially need your compassion even though they might feel scary or uncomfortable.

When I say I get triggered,

There is something in you that gets activated that's overwhelming,

Intense.

And it's not easy for me to manage in that moment.

But I'll now remember that these parts have developed for important reasons.

They are not my enemies.

They are still only trying to protect me in the only way they know how.

So this will get easier with awareness and practice when a difficult part is activated.

Don't try and push it away.

And this will usually make it louder.

Get curious instead of judgmental.

I wonder why this part is so upset.

Acknowledge its intention to help.

So rather than saying I don't want to feel like this,

My inner talk,

No matter how small it can be,

I can see you're trying to protect me from something.

And then I offer reassurance from my steady self which we met today.

I'm here.

You don't have to handle this alone.

And then I'll also ask what it needs.

Sometimes parts just need to be heard and understood.

What do you need from me right now?

Now the goal is not to eliminate parts of yourself and only feel positive emotions.

The goal is integration.

Learning to live from your whole self while caring for all your parts with wisdom and compassion.

And I'm integrated.

I can feel anxious without being consumed by anxiety.

I can feel sad without losing hope.

I can feel angry without projecting or being destructive.

And I can also be joyful without fearing when it'll disappear.

And this is me becoming a non-judgmental,

Loving host to my inner family.

Making decisions only from my core,

From my wisdom while caring and allowing all different aspects of myself to be.

As we close this practice take a moment now to appreciate the complexity and richness of your inner world.

You are not just one thing.

You are a being with many parts each with its own gifts and wisdom.

Some parts of you are gentle and peaceful.

Some parts of you are strong and protective.

Some parts are wise.

Some parts are playful.

Some parts are creative.

And all these parts make up the totality of who I am.

Now you can place your hands on your heart and say this to yourself.

I am not my emotions.

I am the loving awareness that can meet all my experiences with compassion.

I am not my emotions.

I am the loving awareness that can meet all of my experiences with compassion.

Now you can gently relax your hands down and with this new awareness you are very welcome now to open your eyes.

You are not your emotions.

You are not your anxiety,

Not your sadness,

Not your anger,

Not your fear,

Not your happiness.

You are the spacious loving awareness that can hold all these experiences with compassion.

Your emotions are like weather passing through the sky of consciousness.

Some weather is calm,

Some weather is stormy but you are always the sky that can hold all of it.

When you remember this truth you become free.

Free to feel whatever you feel without being overwhelmed.

Free to care for your parts without being controlled by them.

And free to live as the wise,

Compassionate centre that you are.

So thank you,

Thank you,

Thank you,

Thank you very much for joining me today in this inquiry.

And Namaste.