2022-10-27 Thu 09:14 AM ![[moses_the_center_of_consciousness_the_inner_light_e8b383b1-468d-4955-b636-3b85b18451ae.png]] In [[Internal Family Systems (IFS)]] the Self is what's there after all of the [[Part_IFS|parts]] have un[[Blended]] and stepped back. It's "an inner presence that observes and interacts with parts but is not itself a part."^[[[Ref. Richard Schwartz and Martha Sweezy 2019 - Internal Family Systems therapy, 2nd edition]] (p. 44)] Richard Schwartz says that for many therapists the Self is the most challenging concept in the model.^[[[Ref. Richard Schwartz and Martha Sweezy 2019 - Internal Family Systems therapy, 2nd edition]] (p. 44)] The Self is a weird thing. It sounds [[IFS sounds kooky|kooky]].^[[[Ref. Kaj Sotala 2019 - Multiagent models of mind (sequence)]] initially found it very kooky, but eventually came to see it as a sensible part of a mechanistic system. "I now think that “being in Self” represents a state where there no particular subagent is getting a disproportionate share of voting power, and everything is processed by the system as a whole. Remember that in the robot story, catastrophic states were situations in which the organism should _never_ end up. A subagent kicking in to prevent that from happening is a kind of a priority override to normal thinking. It blocks you from being open and calm and curious _because_ some subagent thinks that doing so would be dangerous. If you then turn off or suspend all those priority overrides, then the mind’s default state absent any override seems to be one with the qualities of the Self."] I think the best way to be introduced is to read about it in the [[IFS origin story]]. In short, IFS got its start when Dick Schwartz, then a young systemic family therapist, noticed his clients talking about "parts" of themselves, and had the intuition that these parts indicated the presence of systemic conflicts not between members of the client's family, but within the individual client's psyche. He began to experiment by speaking directly to the parts of an individual in just the same way that he would speak to members of a family. It worked surprisingly well. Schwartz tried having his clients communicate with just one part at a time, but inevitably, while working with a target part the client would become angry, disgusted, or afraid, and the open, noncoercive dialog would break down. This was a familiar pattern in family therapy. In that context Schwartz had found success by asking family members to relax or even physically move so they would be out of the field of vision of the family member receiving the attention. It dawned on Schwartz that when these angry, disgusted, fearful reactions would come up, he was actually hearing from another part. So he practiced guiding his clients to ask that part to step back. Sometimes it would work, and the client's attitude would shift immediately. ![[moses_the_soul_is_a_compassionate_collaborative_leader_that_can_feae0fcd-3c38-4193-9416-86ea08eb7ca0.png]] > When I asked how she felt toward the pessimist now, a completely different person answered. In a calm, caring voice she said that she was grateful to it for trying to protect her, and sorry that it had felt so alone while working so hard. Her face and posture reflected her compassion. From this point negotiations with the pessimist were easy. > .... > I asked my clients who was being so calm and compassionate inside. Their replies were something like the following: “That’s not a part like those other voices, that’s who I really am, that’s my self.” Although I was not aware of this for some years, I had stumbled on what I came to call their Self, with a capital S. In other words, like most IFS concepts, the "Self" entered the picture as a result of attuned empirical practice, rather than armchair theoretical deduction. Schwartz calls the Self the "centerpiece of the model".^[[[Ref. Richard Schwartz and Martha Sweezy 2019 - Internal Family Systems therapy, 2nd edition]] (p. 54)] In IFS, it is the Self that does the healing. The goal of therapy is to "help clients become Self-led, which means that their parts feel loved by the Self and trust the Self’s leadership." (p. 23) Accessing this seat of consciousness is the key to mental balance and harmony. (p. 43) Facts about the Self, in IFS terms. All quotes are from [[Ref. Richard Schwartz and Martha Sweezy 2019 - Internal Family Systems therapy, 2nd edition]]. - "We are all born with a Self. It does not develop through stages or borrow strength and wisdom from the therapist, and it cannot be damaged." (p. 43) - It cannot be damaged, but it can be "occluded or overwhelmed by parts." (p. 43) - When parts are occluding the self, we call this [[Blended|blending]]. - "When [[Polarized]] parts blend, we live in the midst of an ongoing debate and have no peace of mind." (p. 43) - "But when parts unblend, the Self is immediately present and available." (p. 43) - "Clients whose parts are willing to differentiate describe feeling centered, calm, and light, with a pervasive sense of well-being. They demonstrate confidence and openheartedness. They have a greater sense of choice. Many also gain access to an exhilarating sense of connection to others and the universe, similar to the state described by experienced practitioners of meditation and spiritual seekers who use psychedelics." (p. 44). - Schwartz says that researchers working on "flow" and "mindfulness" are circling the same phenomenon. (p. 45) - Self has a dual nature "as either an active inner leader or an expansive, boundaryless state of mind." (p. 45) - "As IFS therapists, our primary job is to help clients access this prized state of mind in both forms" (p. 45) - How do we get there? If we're blended with parts, we may not have access to the compassion and other faculties that Self has, which helps parts to relax and make space. - "In IFS we have the client focus first on what we call a *trailhead*. This is an emotion, image, inner voice, thought, physical sensation, or impulse that, when brought into focus and followed, will lead to a part."" (p. 46) - "The more we trust the Self to be there, just beneath our parts, the better we are able to access it." (p. 46) - The Self is not passive. "the Self is a compassionate, collaborative leader that can be active or still as needed." (p. 44) - "when needed, the Self can also be forceful and protective." (p. 52) - "I (RS) used to believe that the Self had no agenda, but over time I’ve realized I was wrong. The Self is not attached to any agenda, but it does have the intention and ability to bring healing, harmony, balance, and connectedness to any system it encounters." (p. 54) - Qualities of the Self that are most relevant for healing (the 8 c's) - Curiosity - Calm - Confidence - Connectedness - Clarity - Creativity - Courage - Compassion cf: - [[State_IFS]] - [[Self-like part]]