Bibliotherapy: No Bad Parts by Richard C. Schwartz, PhD
You know, I love bibliotherapy and that I’m committed to ongoing growth and learning! In the Brainspotting work I do, I incorporate parts work. It’s pretty easy to understand that we all have parts of self, some are protectors, exiles, or managers, some are childlike, adultlike, or wise ones, others are wild ones, destructive ones, you get the point. We’ve all got lots of parts and they are all self-created to serve certain purposes. In the healing world, Richard C. Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems Model (IFS) is becoming increasingly popular. I picked up his book, No Bad Parts to learn about his IFS Model.
I must disclose that reading this book completely changed my mind on what I thought I knew and understood about IFS. The healing work that I do is about integration and I struggled to see the value in identifying and encouraging the separation of parts, but I had the model all wrong. Whew!
The Four Basic Goals of IFS are to:
Liberate parts form the roles they’ve been forced into, so they can be who they’re designed to be.
Restore trust in the Self and Self-Leadership. (The SELF is “an essence of calm, clarity, compassion, and connectedness.”)
Reharmonize the inner system.
Become more Self-led in your interactions with the world.
His model leads with curiosity, the belief that love heals inside ourselves and in our outside world, parts carry extreme emotions and beliefs, everything is connected, symptoms (pain, headaches, anxiety, aggression, depression, etc.) are activities of parts, and all parts are welcome. All philosophies, I can get behind!
Just like you’d want to stop a child in a family from acting out by changing the family system, to treat an acting out part, you need to change the internal system. IFS is a systematic approach of how to map out parts, engage with different parts of self, and liberate burdened parts so that the internal system has more space, flow, and harmony, led by divine wisdom.
After reading, No Bad Parts, I’m more curious about the healing power of parts work and mapping my own internal system. I’m working with an IFS therapist now which I find fascinating! I might just be signing up for an IFS training in the future too! To loving all our parts. ❤️
Coriander Living Collective is here to support you on your healing journey. We have interventions and tools that assist in integration. Reach out if you’re interested in a free consultation.
