One of the ways I love working with clients is through Parts work.
Parts Therapy simply works with what many of us intuitively suspect, that we have different internal parts or aspects of ourselves that sometimes take over how we think and feel is different situations in our lives.
These parts can be what help us feel confident, calm and in control in some situations and perhaps unfathomably make us feel anxious and full of fear in others.
Sometimes we might feel like “we’re working against ourselves” or that "we're being pulled in two directions” or that we're “sabotaging our own efforts”. And when we feel like this it might be worth exploring which of our internal parts is involved in this struggle and why they appear to have opposing goals?
It isn’t a case of us having “good” and “bad” parts. All parts of us have what’s known as positive intention. They are striving to do their best for us, it’s just that sometimes what that part believes is a good strategy may have unintended consequences.
Multiple aspects
And of course when we’re open to the possibility that internally we’re made up of multiple aspects of ourselves, we’ve already taken the first step in understanding how we might sometimes feel conflicted. The next step is harnessing the differing capabilities and capacities of these parts to find a resolution to our internal disagreements.
Teamwork
Anyone who has ever brought a team successfully together, I mean really together, working as one on a common goal, will have a sense of just what can be achieved when the whole team is pulling in the same direction. Each team member acknowledging the different team members’ strengths and differing viewpoints. Each member supporting the others. When this happens the sum of the parts really is greater than the whole.
Equally most of us know how it feels when we’re in a team with little harmony. Dis-harmony rules, different members’ agendas, both obvious and not so obvious, abound. It can be exhausting both running the team and being a member of it. Everyone on the team may have good intentions, but the team hasn’t yet agreed on a strategy that works for them all. They need some mediation, some guidance.
The same thing
Just like the team that could do with some guidance, sometimes different parts of ourselves are in conflict – wanting different things. They actually all want to help “you” to succeed, they’re just trying to do it in different ways. Sometimes we can be very aware of these parts, we might even say something like “Part of me wants to….”, which might imply another part doesn’t, perhaps?
Parts Therapy involves getting to know these parts better, uncover their common purpose and agree an agenda that suits them both. I’m merely a facilitator in that process. Your parts have everything they need to succeed, it’s a case of allowing each of them to be heard and contribute.
Interested in Finding Out More?
If you're curious to find out how Parts Therapy can help you make the changes you want, please do get in touch.
You cane also my website to find out more about some of the other methods I use to help clients make the changes they want, such as Regression Therapy, CBT Hypnotherapy or Imaginary Rehearsal.