Working with Parts

In my work I sometimes bring in parts work. This kind of work comes from IFS (internal Family systems Therory) which says that each of us has a number of parts and some of these parts can benefit from work in therapy Some parts are wounded and need healing, and some parts can be over protecting, and some parts can cause problems via extreme behaviors. When I bring in parts work, I sometimes also bring in somatic work because parts are most easily located in your body. For example, a client talks about how they are unable to get to ged on time. I might ask them if there’s a part of them that keeps them up and if so, then where does if feel like this part is located in your body? Then if they can find this part, we can work with it, see what’s its intentions are, why it pushes to stay up late. Maybe it feels they don’t get enough of their own time and this is the only way to do that. If so, maybe other changes can be made and this part thanked for working to care of this need and asked if it’s willing to work with the person’s other parts to find more of a balance.

Another interesting facet of the IFS model is that it believes there is a Self that is at the cneter of one’s person and it is the spiritual heart and soul of you. And often this “Self” has been blocked out by protector parts if there has been trauma, neglect or extreme circumstances in the past. In these kind of situations, the parts do not trust the Self - and do not believe the Self can take care of all the parts of the person. So in the work, as the the trauma, neglect and wounds get worked with and healed, this Self is worked with more to come into the mix of all the parts and become the leader - sort of like how a good king-queen would govern their people - for the benefit of the people - the parts and the whole human-spiritual being that we are. But the nitty gritty work with parts is mostly about finding wounded parts called exiles (because they are usally hidden away) and working to heal them and bring them back into the mix to create more wholeness. Sometimes parts called firefighters (because the move in with extreme behaviors to put out emotional fires (real or perceived) when one is overwhelmed or exhausted, need to be worked with so they can bulld more and more trust with other parts and the Self so that they don’t do the extreme behaviors and learn to trust the whole system of the person, that the system that is being healed and made whole can handle the tough things that come along in life.

Somatic Work

Somatic therapy is a way of working with the body to get at issues and traumas that are wired into the body. With focus on the body and some guidance, many clients are able to go into deeper issues and traumas that they often will not be able to with regular talk therapy. And in this kind of work, the body and emotions come into play in the unraveling and healing of traumas that are stuck in the body.

Attachment Work

I tend to weave in attachment therapy with most of the psychotherapy work I do. Mostly this work is about what kind of attachment styles a person has and working towards a secure attachment style. Sometimes a client will have an insecure attachment style, a disorganized attachment style, or an avoidant attachment style. Once I can see and feel what style a client has, I can organize the way I am with the person to help them move towards healthier attachments. If you have an insecure style, it can help to know what this is about and in the actual therapy work, it can help a lot for the therapist to be a very secure and trusted attachment person for you, and doing some special exercises to help change the pattern.