Reconnecting with Lost Parts
Richard Schwartz helped us understand that who we are is made of many “parts.” Parts emerge in our lives to protect us and help us navigate our experiences. They are created out of our wounds, our wins, our wishes, and our aversion to risk. Sometimes, these parts step into positions of leadership. Unfortunately, when this happens, these parts can struggle to collaborate— exiling other parts to remain in total control. Not only does this result in decisions that neglect many of our needs, but it also makes us loose touch with important aspects of who we are. When parts are exiled or rejected, we feel lost and disconnected from ourselves.
But, here’s the good news: there are all kinds of ways to get in touch with these lost parts! Sometimes we meet them when we’re trying to change a pattern of behavior, or we bump into them when we’re healing from trauma, or they surface during a chapter of significant change. In therapy, we can engage with these parts by relating to them visually through our imagination. It can seem so ridiculous, at first, but with some practice, these parts show up as characters that we can get to know. And often, when we listen deeply, they share important information about our needs, our values, and our desires. They can even show us the skills we need to develop or the changes that need to occur for them to trust us. Once trust with these parts is established— they stop exerting total control over every other part and instead become integrated with the entire system that makes you who you are.
Working with Parts in Therapy
At Emerge Rooted Counselling, we incorporate internal family systems theory to help clients reconnect with lost parts and experience a deeper sense of wholeness. By exploring parts with curiosity and compassion, we help individuals:
Discover the role and the value of different parts
Address the fears of parts that are unwilling to collaborate
Identify unmet needs and learn how to meet them
Process emotions that parts have been carrying and experience relief
Realize wounds and reparent these representations of the past
Access more wholeness
Make room for more parts to emerge
Integrate essential parts that have been lost, exiled, or rejected
Identify patterns of internal conflict which are often mirrored externally in relationships with others
Develop self-awareness, compassion, and deeper understanding
Make choices that are more aligned with their whole self
If you want to work with different parts therapeutically, please connect with a member of our team.
