I'd like to talk to you a little bit about parts work.
Parts work and there are many forms of this voice dialogue,
Internal family systems,
Big mind.
Parts work is based on an understanding that we contain multitudes.
That there's not just one self at the center that one moment feels this way and the other moment feels that way but that actually we have many different voices,
Parts.
We have different sides to ourselves and we know this.
We know we have different sides to ourselves but there aren't that many avenues in our life to really explore that.
There aren't that many avenues for example for parts of us that aren't so welcome or a little out of the ordinary or don't fit in at work or at home.
There aren't so many places for those parts to get expression.
So parts work opens up the span of who we are.
It opens up acceptance and knowledge of who we are.
It's fantastic work.
I want to talk a little bit about two simple things that you can do to begin opening a parts work awareness in yourself.
The first thing you can do is to begin to listen for the different voices or parts of yourself.
So pay attention to the thoughts that you have.
Pay attention to the moods that come and go and be curious.
Who is it that's having these thoughts,
These fantasies?
Who is it that's talking right now?
For example you may be at work hovering over your computer not super thrilled with what's going on and something in you says oh I really just want to get home and get in the bath.
I can't wait to have a hot bath when I can really just relax.
So that part of you is not the part of you that's gonna get all the stuff done at work.
That's not the part of you probably that's super on task.
That's the part of you that needs or wants or really enjoys unwinding.
And so recognize that oh there's the part of me that really needs values,
Wants relaxation.
You may notice that with particular people certain parts of yourself come forward and certain parts don't.
And that was someone else a different part comes forward and the part with the person that you were previously just talking to doesn't come forward.
So we can see in that way that we have different parts.
Oh when I hang out with John like my fun loving self comes out and I really like that.
It doesn't really I don't really get to explore that very often.
Or oh when I'm at the library the part of me that really loves philosophy and knowledge comes out and I get really into my deeper state of mind thinking about these issues of the universe.
Whatever it may be.
So begin to pay attention to different parts of yourself.
Begin to be curious which parts of yourself don't really get much attention or much airtime inside you or in how you communicate how you show up with others.
So as you begin to sort out and begin to get a sense of the diversity of your inner community and there are many different parts in each person that we discover.
A way to create more awareness of them and what we call invoice dialogue to get separation which means to not only think I'm that.
Whenever we think I'm only for example the part that likes relaxation if that's the dominant part becomes really hard to get stuff done and work hard.
So to get separation means we have more space and more choice.
In order to bring that about the simple thing I propose for you to take up is to start thinking and speaking like this part of me feels XYZ the other part of me thinks ABC.
So think like that and also when you're talking with other people speak like that.
Don't say I feel this way but sometimes I feel that way no say my inner critic thinks I'm doing a terrible crummy job on this assignment.
That's much more true than saying I'm doing a terrible crummy job on this assignment.
That's the inner critic talking that's not you just part of you.
So part of me feels part of me thinks.
See what happens when you bring that into your interactions.
It brings awareness into interpersonal dynamics.
Part of me really is hurt when you say that.
Why is that true?
Because part of you may not be so bothered by the thing that the person says or does and that's why you keep letting it slide.
So the two suggestions I made was to listen for the various voices the various parts of yourself.
Listen for them and others.
Begin to get a nose for all the different characters who live through you.
And then the second suggestion is to begin to deepen that insight by speaking and thinking in language like part of me thinks this part of me thinks that.
See what happens as you practice these things and open up this awareness.
