What Is the Concept of Self?

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Self became a kind of active inner leader that could not only interview the parts, but also often see them and go and hold them and comfort them. And actually sort of would take over the session and do what the part needed in a healing way. Which just amazed me, cause i was working with clients who had terrible, terrible childhoods. But here i was, and they were actually seeling themselves, basically, with me coming along for the ride.

Richard Schwartz began his career as a systemic family therapist and an academic and has developed Internal Family Systems (IFS) in response to clients’ descriptions of various parts within themselves. He focused on the relationships among these parts and noticed that there were systemic patterns to the way they were organized across clients. Dr. Schwartz found that when the clients’ parts felt safe and were allowed to relax, they would spontaneously experience the qualities of confidence, openness, and compassion that he came to call the Self. He also found that when in that state of Self, clients would know how to heal their parts. Richard is a featured speaker for national professional organizations and has published many books and over fifty articles about IFS.

In this episode, Eric and Richard discuss his book, No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model

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Richard Schwartz and I Discuss Internal Family Systems and…

His book, No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model
Defining Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Understanding that we all have multiple “parts” within us
The parallels of family therapy work to internal family systems
Identifying the “Self” among our different parts
IFS work is trying to understand what burdens each of our parts is carrying
How the Self can take an active leadership role over our parts
The roles that our parts take on: exiles, managers, firefighters
How our parts can transform into powerful allies to bring healing
Four goals of IFS: Transforming, Restoring Trust, Bringing Harmony, Becoming more Self
The 8 C’s – Creativity, Compassion, Confidence, Clarity, Connectedness, Curiosity, Calm, Courageous
Trailheads refers to thought patterns or impulses that lead to the part from where it’s emanating
How IFS is a type of spiritual practice in learning to access more of your Self
The problems with positive thinking in working with your parts