Inner Critic Guided Parts Exploration

A Guided Parts work exploration based on the principles of Internal Family Systems therapy. With this guided parts exploration, we explore the part of our inner critic.

We begin getting to know your inner critic, a protector part. We explore why it may be protecting us, and the younger self part of us it is protecting. We then have the opportunity to heal the younger self from a burden it has been carrying and heal that part of ourselves.

Transcript

This is a guided parts exploration that we'll be using as a tool for exploring and healing our inner critic using internal family systems therapy principles.

Throughout the process,

Access within you what I like to call your gentle curiosity.

Before you begin,

Make sure you're in a quiet and comfortable space where you won't be disturbed.

Take a few moments to settle in for this exploration and finding a comfortable sitting position,

I invite you now to close down your eyes.

As we begin,

Let's do a body scan to become fully present in the moment.

Start by bringing your attention to your toes.

Imagine a warm,

Soothing light traveling up from your toes to your ankles,

Bringing relaxation and ease.

Now let that light continue through your calves and into your knees,

Releasing any tension along the way.

Feel your muscles relaxing and your body becoming more at ease.

Allow this warm,

Healing light to continue up through your thighs,

Hips and into your lower back.

Feel any tension or discomfort melting away.

Now bring your awareness to your heart center,

The place where your true self resides.

Imagine a small glowing light at the center of your chest.

This is your core self,

The part of you that is always loving,

Compassionate and wise.

Take a moment to connect with this inner self,

Feel its warmth and love.

This part of you is always there,

No matter what challenges you face.

From this inner self with your gentle curiosity,

Bring your awareness to your inner critic part.

Where do you feel this inner critic part in your body?

You may feel it in your throat or your chest,

Your shoulders,

Your heart space,

Your belly,

Your head,

Maybe in other parts of your body.

Maybe in more than just one part.

Just notice where you feel that inner critic part in your body and how does it feel?

Is it a tightness,

A constriction,

A feeling of heaviness,

Does it feel hot or cold?

Does this part feel any emotion?

Can you identify any emotion that comes with the feeling of the inner critic?

Now we're going to invite our inner critic to unblend from us.

So can you ask them in a compassionate and non-judgmental tone,

Are you willing to separate from me so I can get to know you better?

Once the part has agreed to unblending from you,

You may like to move this part to sit beside you or across the other side of the room.

You may want to shrink this part down to the size of a Lego or place it into a glass ball.

Now can you ask this inner critic part,

What is your role?

Now can you ask this part,

What emotion do you feel?

Now ask your inner critic,

What makes you feel this feeling,

This emotion?

Now can you ask this part,

What are you afraid would happen if you didn't do your role?

Now just acknowledge your inner critic and say to this part,

I can see why you do your role and I want to say thank you for how hard you've worked and how you've tried to help me.

Now can you ask your inner critic,

How long have you been doing your role?

Now ask the part,

Can you show me a memory of what happened that caused you to take on this important role on my behalf?

Now once I've shown you that memory,

The time in your past,

Maybe your child self or just a younger self,

Now as yourself today,

Can you go back into that memory and that time when that event happened and just sit with your younger self and then once they become aware of your presence,

Can you ask your younger self,

What is it that you need from me right now?

They may tell you what they need or it may just be an intuitive knowing,

They may need a hug or for you to hold their hand,

They may need you to protect them or they may just need to be listened to and heard,

Their feelings validated or they may just need to be soothed.

Just give them whatever it is that they need and take your time with it and just approaching them from a place of compassion like you would if it was your own child and now I want you to take your younger self by the hand and tell them that they can come and live in the present with you and that they can be safe in the present day with you and that they never have to come back to this place again and they never have to feel this feeling again and that they never have to have this experience or come back here ever again and taking them by the hand,

You can bring them into the present day with you,

Tell them they're safe now and now if you can ask them that event that happened,

That memory that you went back to,

What did your younger self believe about themselves after that event happened?

Often this is a burden,

Burdens can be things such as I'm not good enough,

I'm not lovable,

They're just a belief that this younger self has carried as a burden ever since and this is where we get to unburden our younger selves and the way we unburden is through the elements of either earth,

Air,

Fire or water,

You can ask your younger self how they would like to unburden,

So if it's water that they would like to unburden with they may want to throw in an ocean or a river,

If it's fire they may want to burn it,

If it's earth they may want to bury it into the earth,

If it's air they may want to throw it into the wind,

Just ask your younger self which element they would like to use to unburden,

Take this burden they've been carrying for so long and release it and then once they've let you know,

You can take them to one of your favourite places that you like to go in nature,

Where they're able to unburden and give them whatever it is they need to unburden,

Whether you need to build a fire for them,

Whether you need to dig a hole to bury that burden in the earth,

If it's water they may want to place their burden gently on a leaf and put it into a stream or it might be a bit heavier so they may want to put it onto a rock and throw it into the ocean or throw it into a body of water,

Just give them whatever it is they need and allow them to unburden whichever way they need to and then once they've done that just notice what it is that they're doing now and how are they feeling,

Now they've let go of that burden just reassure them again that they can live here in the present with you and they're safe and they don't have to carry that burden anymore and now what would they like to do,

How would they like to spend their time and however they answer you,

You can allow them to go and do that thing that they'd like to do,

Some kind of play or something that brings them joy,

You can take them to wherever they need to go in order to do whatever it is they would like to do,

Where they're happy and free,

Now I want you to return back to your inner critic part and thank them for all the hard work that they've done for you and thank them for trying to protect your younger self for all of these years,

Just let them know that you really appreciate them for everything they've done for you,

Let them know that your younger self doesn't have to be in that place anymore,

They're in the present with you,

They're safe,

They've let go of that burden and that your inner critic doesn't need to protect that younger self from that experience anymore,

The inner critic has a really important job in your life so maybe you could ask them what would they like their new role to be and once they've expressed that to you again thank them for everything they do for you,

If you can just ask your inner critic part is there anything else that they need from you right now,

Just ask them is there anything else they would like you to know and once your inner critic feels complete you can just return back to your younger self where they're playing and they're happy and free and just ask them is there anything else you need from me right now and is there anything else that you would like me to know,

Once that part your younger self feels complete just come back into the room and you can open your eyes,

Now for the next seven days just spend a few minutes each day checking in with those parts,

Journaling is a really good way to do that but just check in with each of those parts both your inner critic and your younger self and every day just ask them is there anything that you need for me today and is there anything else that you would like me to know.

Reviews

Wonderful questions. IFS is such heart opening work for me.

I'll have to do this multiple times, because my inner critic struggled to isolate the *first* incident. To be honest, the very first time might have been before I was born... Still, I did go ahead and talk to one of the younger me's in here, and it at least went through the motions of letting a burden go. So that's something.

Just brilliant! I've struggled to find the root cause of my inner critic but this helped inmensely.

PS: Sound could be a bit higher