Welcome to today's session.
Settle into a comfortable position.
Today we will be taking a journey inward to help you understand yourself,
Maybe in a new and different way.
So if it feels okay for you,
Go ahead and close your eyes and begin to take some deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Nice deep breaths,
Allowing the belly to become nice and soft.
And now I'd like to start our work today by introducing you to your internal system.
We all have it,
And it consists of our core self,
Along with different parts that have developed based on our life experiences.
And so first,
Let's get to know the innate qualities of your core.
We can describe our core with words from the list of eight C's,
Calmness,
Compassion,
Confidence,
Connectedness,
Clarity,
Curiosity,
Courage,
And creativity.
So go ahead and pick a few of those words that resonate with you.
And I'd like you just to breathe in those words right now.
For example,
I am calmness.
I am compassion.
And what are some things that you like to do or used to like to do that help you feel connected to your core?
It might be something as simple as going for a walk or doing a hobby or going to a certain place.
And now I'd like for you to start to notice any parts of you that you might be struggling with lately.
Maybe a part came up and made it difficult for you to find a C word to describe yourself.
Or maybe it's something that's come up for you day to day as an inner critic,
A people pleaser,
A caretaker,
Or maybe it's full of guilt or anger.
Try to pick a part you've noticed and would like to do some work with today.
And by work,
This just means to bring some compassion and healing to your internal system.
So see if you can just notice this part that you've chosen,
How you sense it,
If you feel it inside or outside of your body,
How you might picture it or what you might call it.
And I'd like you during this process to try to approach this part with the C words of your core that you chose earlier.
If you find that reaching out to this part brings up too much emotion,
You might just gently move back to your core.
And maybe you can find another part that you can try this exercise with today.
So when you've been able to adopt a neutral and curious stance toward this part,
You can start to get to know it.
Start thinking about its qualities.
What does it say and do?
You can start by asking it,
What does it want you to know?
Try to wait for a response rather than thinking of an answer.
Next,
You could ask it,
What is it afraid would happen if it didn't do its job?
And now if you can try and think this part of you for trying to protect you in this way,
Show it some appreciation.
This doesn't mean that you condone or accept its behavior,
But just that you have an understanding now.
You could also ask this part,
If you could heal or change what it protects,
What might it like to do instead?
What would it do if it didn't have to work so hard?
And last,
I'd like you to ask this part,
What does it need from you?
It might not know right now,
And that's okay.
Let it know that you'll be waiting for a response.
And if you do get a response,
Let it know how you'd like to start providing it with what it needs.
Now if you could,
Maybe close with offering a hug to this part,
A warm and comforting embrace.
And if you're not able to feel compassion for this part in this way right now,
That's okay.
Maybe save the hug for another day.
And perhaps visualize letting go of negative energy toward this part.
Because just as we notice with other people,
Those that act in the most difficult and hurtful ways are those that need the most attention and healing.
So let's start by observing gently and listening intently to start the process of healing and change.
Thank you for taking the time to listen to yourself today.
And if you could,
Maybe set an intention to do one of those activities that help you feel more connected to your core.
Peace.
