Self-Therapy : A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Wholeness Using IFS, A Cutting-Edge Psychotherapy, 3rd Edition

It can be useful to have names for your parts. Since your goal is to develop a relationship with each part, giving it a name enables you to keep track of it over time.

The most potent question is: “What are you afraid would happen if you didn’t perform your role?” This is powerful because the protector believes it must protect you from a dire event or the eruption of some kind of pain.

The most potent question to ask here is: “What are you afraid I would do if you didn’t (perform your role)?”

If you have completed the work, let it know you will check in with it later to see how it is doing.

As you get to know a protector through this process, it is crucial to find out its positive intent. What is trying to do for you? How is it trying to protect you?

The key question is: What is it afraid would happen? Suppose you ask the enraged part what it is afraid would happen if it didn’t become enraged when you are given orders.

Sometimes the name of a part will change over time as you get to know it better, just like the image.

The practice of Focusing[4] is an excellent method for allowing parts to gradually come into view.

The most potent question to ask here is the same as the previous one: “What are you afraid you would feel if you didn’t (perform your role)?”