Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen

Grappling with Part X (Phil Stutz)

Nov 30, 2023

Psychiatrist Phil Stutz discusses Part X, a part of the human soul that inhibits progress and causes self-hate. He shares tools to counteract it and emphasizes the importance of taking action in personal development. They explore manifestations, the limitations of the third eye, and the instinct cycle. The power of tools and gratitude for personal growth is also discussed.

43:11

Episode guests

Phil Stutz

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

The tools created by Phil Stutz help individuals actively address and overcome the self-sabotaging part of their soul known as Part X, enabling personal growth and success.

Phil Stutz's tools bridge the gap between understanding and action by providing practical practices that counteract the negative influence of Part X, empowering individuals to create positive change in their lives.

Deep dives

The Genesis of the Tools and the Need for Active Dealing

The creator of the tools, Phil Stutz, realized the need to actively address the part of the human soul that aims to hinder personal growth and success. Phil, a former psychiatrist, created these tools to help individuals overcome life's obstacles rather than simply discussing them. His approach goes beyond the passive nature of traditional psychotherapy and emphasizes the importance of taking action to have an impact on the world. The tools provide practices to counteract the negative influence of this self-sabotaging part, known as Part X, and empower individuals to achieve their full potential.

Introduction

2min

Lessons for Living: Tools for Overcoming Obstacles

11min

Understanding Part X and the Tools to Counteract It

2min

Manifestations and the Inability to Put Creative Work into the World

17min

Exploring the Worthlessness of the Third Eye and the Importance of the Instinct Cycle

3min

The Power of Tools and the Ternary System

6min

“If there is this part of you that you think is inferior, the weak spot, something you're ashamed of, etc., it's one of these things where if you believe it's true, there's a part of the human soul, we call it part X. It doesn't want you to have any kind of forward motion, doesn't like it, it wants to render your life failure. It wants you to never re change your potentials. And it wants you to hate yourself, which is the biggest thing. So, the genesis of the tools came from the idea, we have to be active about dealing with this.”

So says Phil Stutz, the creator of the Tools. You might know Phil from his bestselling book of the same name, or its sequel Coming Alive. Or you might know him from the Netflix documentary Stutz, which is a profile of him as a beloved psychotherapist who doesn’t practice in a particularly traditional way. What you might not know is that Phil is actually a psychiatrist—he received his MD from NYU and then abandoned the standard approach, feeling like he wasn’t helping patients at all. He created The Tools for exactly that: To provide practices for people to move through life’s obstacles, rather than just listening to them talk about them. Ad nauseum. One of the things that I love most about Phil’s approach is the way in which he uses the spiritual, or what he calls “Higher Forces.” Foundationally, he believes that a beneficent universe will move in as soon as you put yourself in motion, unlocking creativity and growth. His latest book, Lessons for Living: What Only Adversity Can Teach You, is a beautiful collection of essays about aging, hard times, and obstacles. It’s equal parts moving and practical, much like Phil himself.

MORE FROM PHIL STUTZ:

Lessons for Living: What Only Adversity Can Teach You

The Tools: Five Tools to Help You Find Courage, Creativity, and Willpower—and Inspire You To Live Life in Forward Motion

Coming Alive: Four Tools to Defeat Your Inner Enemy, Ignite Creative Expression & Unleash Your Soul’s Expression

“Stutz” on Netflix

The Tools Website

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