Hearing The Inner Parts

We all aren’t just one “Self”.  We have Inner Critics, Inner Allies, and all the little sub-bits of ourselves running around inside us.  And sometimes these little parts can cause a lot of issues by hijacking our lives for their own purposes.  I use a very specific method to help you identify these different self-“bits” and to give them some substance so that we can find out what they need in order to calm them down and allow you to move forward in life.  It’s not about getting rid of them, as that is not going to happen, but we can change our relationship with them in productive and transformative ways.

Ever had someone say to you or said to someone else, “Oh wow, I had this really weird dream last night!!” and wondered what it meant?  Our dreams (yes, the nighttime ones) are considered portals into the unconscious by various schools of thought.  I am primarily Jungian trained in this regard but also employ other dreamwork analysis methods.  We will explore and examine your dreams, seeking through their symbolism the underlying message they are often trying to get through to us.  Once we uncover those messages, we can proceed with looking at how they apply to your life right now.

A cigar is just a cigar until it isn’t.  Our lives are full of “symbols”, some associative with ideas, like a nation’s flag; some full of more indiscernible meaning, such as fire – is it passion or anger?  We build intense stories around all the symbols in our lives and we can explore symbolism to help us open deeper understanding into our Inner Parts.  Looking at the stories around different symbols and uncovering whether or not fire is passion, anger or both or other, will help you clarify and unravel the unneeded associations or use the deeper meanings to enhance your connection to your Internal Selves.

Whether you draw or sing or take photographs or write or meditate or dance or stand on your head to find clarity, there’s a way In.  By engaging various methods of artistic and/or spiritual expression that you already engage in, we can find and open pathways to the worlds of your Inner Parts.  “But I don’t have a method of creative expression, what would I be able to do?!”  That’s perfectly fine, not to worry.  We can explore more to find your own that are waiting for you or try out some different methods I have in my toolbox to see if anything resonates.  You might even be able to start a toolbox of your own.

Whew, lots of stories!  We LOVE our personal stories, don’t we!  However, we can get quite caught up in those stories in ways that tend to not serve us very well in the long run.  “I’m always ___ (fill in blank).”  Yes, these stories are often created from the voices of those Self-Bits running around in us and a lot of that work that goes into identifying those bits will help us identify these deeply held stories that we use to organize our lives.  As we work on changing those relationships, we must also look at these stories.  And let go of them.  Not replace them, but become “unstoried”, if you will.

Of course, we can’t do all the above without some good old-fashioned talking and exploring with facilitated help.  I need to learn about you in order to help you better.  So, I might ask you some hard questions (hence my insistence on being a good match).  Again, this isn’t therapy but sometimes (okay, lots of times) we’ll encounter Resistance.  Ahh, our good friend, usually shadowing us until needed and then shows its face.  We’ll need to talk about and examine those patterns (stories!) in order to get a better understanding of them.  So, yes, there will be good old-fashioned talking!