Self-Therapy, Vol. 2: A Step-by-Step Guide to Advanced IFS Techniques for Working with Protectors (Self-Therapy Series)

You must find the Puppet-Master Part that is lurking behind the scenes and work with it directly. Find out what it is afraid of that causes it to orchestrate the distractions. You want to make a good connection with it and then reassure it about its fears so it will no longer feel compelled to throw these parts at you. You may have to find and heal

In the first situation I mentioned above—a group of protectors that are simply afraid to let you access a traumatized exile—you just work with them one at a time and reassure them that you can handle working with the exile. When you have gotten permission from each of them, you can proceed.

With the Puppet-Master Pattern, there is one part, behind the scenes, that is orchestrating the bombardment of parts.

There is one situation in which you can expect a bombardment of parts. When you are trying to access a traumatized exile, it is quite common for many protectors to block your access, and some of them will be pretty intense. This is not the Puppet-Master Pattern; it is just a group of frightened protectors.

In this case, to find out the positive intent behind the protective behavior, you have to go to the source—the part that is giving the orders.