The Self in Action

Closing Thoughts

Closing Thoughts Your inner world is real. Parts are not imaginary products or symbols of your psyche; nor are they simply metaphors of deeper meaning. They are inner beings who exist in inner families or societies, and what happens in those inner realms makes a big difference in how you feel and live your life.

Life Lessons and Tor-Mentors

CHAPTER NINE Life Lessons and Tor-Mentors We are here to learn a particular set of life lessons, and the lesson plan is already within us. Each of us carries legacy burdens inherited from our families and cultures, and each of us also accrues plenty of personal burdens along the way. So our lesson plan begins with unloading those burdens, and that sets the stage for the most important lesson of all—finding out who we really are.

Vision and Purpose

CHAPTER EIGHT Vision and Purpose Generally speaking, as you get more access to Self and become more Self-led, you also attain more clarity about the vision you have for your life, which means that your priorities may be quite different than they were when your protectors were in charge. When we have lots of exiles, our protectors have no choice but to be egotistic, hedonistic, or dissociative.

The Self in Action

CHAPTER SEVEN The Self in Action By now you hopefully have a clear idea what the Self is and what it means to be Self-led. In this chapter, I want to take a closer look at how achieving Self- leadership affects your life both inside and outside. Developmental psychology and attachment theory have helped us understand what children need from their caretakers as they develop.

Healing and Transformation

CHAPTER SIX Healing and Transformation What do we mean by healing and transformation in IFS? As I stated earlier, our culture (in general) and psychotherapy (specifically) have made the terrible mistake of assuming that parts are the way they seem.