The Synchronicity Between Internal Family Systems Therapy and The Key Spiritual Path of Pathlessness (Part II of III)
There are two principles in IFS that are inherently grounded in the Pathlessness path. First, we operate from a dynamic mind. This means that there are multiple independent parts of our thoughts and feelings that have birthed, operate in, and influence our thoughts and feelings based on their individual experiences at each part’s birth. Like a family, each part has a personality and an orientation to life based on its thoughts an feelings that are vested in their perception of themselves and their life as it participates in this internal and external world.
There is one part which is different. This is the part that IFS and many spiritual teachers call Self. We are created in, birthed in, live in, and die in this one, constant part, Self. Self is infinite, whole, complete and constantly grounded in a sense of peace and happiness. Self experiences but is not attached to experience. In this way Self is really the quiet, ever-present parent within the internal family. Self, being at peace and naturally happy, is quiet and non-intrusive to the other parts as they are birthed and develop through the body and mind experience, which we call growth. Self relishes in the experience of life without judgement because it knows there is no separation. There is no good or bad, just experience.
The other parts of the internal family do not share Self’s infinite awareness. These parts are attached to their experiences, and they influence what they believe and how they feel about what is happening day by day. Like a family each part will naturally have its own focus of interest, its own set of feelings, thoughts and desires to relieve their personal suffering. And like a family, they do not agree, will argue, and will compete to control the family and the world they live in. We add parts as we grow and develop but each part is ‘stuck’ in it’s own time based on its origin. Therefore, the internal family has the feelings and thought sophistication of its origin, some very juvenile and some more mature.
Self, however, is just present in the present moment, not thinking or reacting, but experiencing. This is why the family initially ignores Self and does not recognize its presence. Self is not diluted by thoughts and the feelings beyond love, peace and happiness in knowing it is whole and a part of everything. To bring this back around, Self is the Pathless Path, our identity and personality is our parts.
Why are we not aware of Self if this is our beginning and end. Its due to the fact that Self is just pure awareness experiencing in the present moment. Parts are thought and feeling based and therefore can only navigate in the past and future. Simply, they don’t communicate in the same way. Parts make the most noise due to being thought based and therefore ignore the Self. The longer this goes on the more the parts sense their impermanent nature, are then fearful and attempt to control the external world to feel secure. Doomed to failure, parts suffer. To make it worse, parts hold different views and are often in conflict with each other.
What then is the path forward to peace and happiness as our constant. IFS therapy can play a major role in the way to resolution. I will cover this in Part III to this blog string, next week. Stay tuned.
