Introduction To Parts Work: Getting To Know One Part

This gentle practice offers an introduction to parts work, inspired by Internal Family Systems (IFS). You’ll be guided to slow down and turn inward, noticing thoughts, feelings, and sensations as different parts of your inner world. Through curiosity and gentle awareness, you’ll begin to get to know one part in more depth.

Whether you’re new to parts work or already familiar with IFS, this practice offers a space to pause, build self-awareness, and deepen your understanding of your inner world.

Transcript

Let's begin by coming into the body simply noticing your breath the ground beneath you the way your body is held by the chair or the floor just simply taking a moment to settle to breathe to begin to connect to yourself and you can send a gentle message inwards to any parts that might be present I'm here, I'm listening and see if you can just notice without needing to change anything you may already have a part in mind that you'd like to connect to or perhaps you're open to seeing what arises today and as you turn your attention inside, Just notice who or what shows up there might be thoughts feelings, Sensations you might see or sense a part very clearly, Or it might be less clear right now and it's all okay if you sense there are lots of different parts that's really normal, You can just gently let them know, You know they're there you can thank them for showing up and just invite them to slow down to take it in turns to get your attention so you can see and hear them more clearly let them know you'll be better able to help them this way take your time and check and see if one part feels a bit clearer or more present and if you feel open to getting to know them and you can check inside and ask is it okay if I spend some time with this part and notice what you sense, A yes, A no, Or a not yet all of that's welcome if it feels like a yes and you do have permission to stay with this one for a while, You can thank the others for allowing that and for creating some space so you can be with that one part and if not turning your attention towards the no or the not yet and focus on that part so whichever part you're with just see if you can sense where it is in or around your body is it in a particular place perhaps it's more of a general presence just taking your time to notice where it's showing up and as you focus on it you might begin to get a sense of how this part appears to you does it have a shape or a size a colour or a texture can you hear its voice you might notice an image or perhaps just have a feeling or a sense of it and there's no right or wrong way for it to be just stay open and curious about how it's showing up today and you might begin to notice feelings this part is carrying and there's no need to figure anything out it's ok if you're not sure or it's not clear it can take time for parts to reveal themselves so just stay here just being with this part exactly as it is and see if you can also sense that you are here that you're the one observing it seeing if you can get a sense of that space between you and this part even if it's a small space noticing that this part is here and you are not this part then take a moment to see how you feel towards them sometimes there's a sense of curiosity or openness or care but not always and you might feel something else you might notice that there's frustration or impatience or fear maybe a sense of wanting to change it fix it somehow and if that's the case just take a moment to acknowledge those feelings are there welcoming all of those feelings too those feelings are other parts of you trying to get your attention so rather than trying to push anything aside just gently acknowledge it and from here you have a choice you might choose to gently shift your attention to this new part and their feelings, Getting to know them in the same way with curiosity at your own pace following my guidance or if it feels right you can try asking this part if they would be willing to give you a little bit of space to soften back just for now not to let the first part take over but just to get to know it a bit better see if they can trust you to be with that part and if there's a no or a sense of a no then that's okay just stay with them remembering there is no right or wrong way to do this, Just noticing what feels most supportive in this moment whichever part you're staying with when you feel that sense of openness, Care or curiosity towards them you can offer them some gentle words or send them energy in a way that lets them know, I see you I'm here I'd like to get to know you notice how they respond to being seen being treated with kindness stay open to however they may communicate it might share through sensation images, Memories, Voice however they're communicating is okay just see if you can stay in that open, Receptive space and you can begin to get curious about what it's like for this part what might it be concerned about what's it focused on how is it feeling and it's okay if there aren't any clear answers and just see what this part wants or is able to share with you remembering you can pause this meditation at any time if you need to slow things down if you'd like and the part seems open to sharing you can ask them some questions and if not and that doesn't feel right you can just stay with them quietly so you might ask how are you trying to help me when did you start doing this for me what are you afraid would happen if you didn't do this for me and try not to think of the answer, There's no need to analyse to figure things out or fix just listen to see what arises as you ask those questions as the part shares you can let it know that you understand that you're listening that it makes sense you can see if there's more that it wants you to know show you or tell you and if it feels right you can let this part know that they don't have to carry all of this alone anymore if they don't want to that you're there with them and if they'd like support or help you can be there for them now and if they're open to it this can be the start the continuation of an inner relationship that can be nurtured over time as you get to know them even better whenever that feels complete you can thank this part for showing up for sharing whatever they shared with you or for simply being with you and acknowledging and thanking the parts that made space for you to do this today too letting all parts know that you're grateful that they made themselves known to you reassuring them that you'll come back and spend more time with them and if you have time at the end of this meditation you might want to take a moment to write down what you've learned but if not, Know that being here, Listening is enough so just closing this down in whatever way makes sense to you slowly beginning to bring your awareness back to your breath to your body to the space around you maybe wiggling your fingers or toes having a stretch taking your time and gently returning to the room