Summary of Compassion in Therapy 2024 - Richard C. Schwartz, PhD
Key Wellness Strategies and Self-Care Techniques
- Understanding Trauma:
- Trauma creates different parts within individuals, categorized as managers, firefighters, and exiles.
- Managers attempt to control and please, while firefighters react impulsively to protect against overwhelming emotions.
- Exiles are vulnerable parts that hold pain from past traumas.
- The Eight C's of Self:
- Accessing the core qualities of self, which include:
- Compassion
- Curiosity
- Calm
- Confidence
- Courage
- Clarity
- Creativity
- Connectedness
- These qualities are inherent in everyone and can be accessed through the IFS process.
- Accessing the core qualities of self, which include:
- Compassion for Parts:
- There are no bad parts; all parts have good intentions and histories that need to be understood.
- Cultivating Compassion for one's own parts and those of others is essential for healing.
- Curiosity as a Tool:
- Curiosity helps to quiet anxiety and opens pathways to Compassion.
- Encouraging clients to be curious about their parts fosters a deeper understanding and connection.
- Self-Check Practices:
- Regularly check in with oneself to assess emotional states and ensure alignment with self qualities.
- Use markers such as heart openness and calmness to gauge when to engage with clients.
- Permission and Consent:
- Always seek permission from parts before exploring deeper issues to avoid retraumatization.
- Respect the pace of protectors and exiles during therapy.
Productivity Tips
- Earning Trust:
- Building trust with clients, especially those with trauma histories, requires consistent self-awareness and presence.
- Acknowledge when distractions occur and apologize to reinforce trust.
- Handling Backlash:
- Anticipate and address potential backlash from protectors after healing work is done.
- Use understanding and Compassion to navigate these reactions.
- Setting Boundaries:
- Set boundaries from a place of self, ensuring that they are communicated with clarity and Compassion.
- Tailor boundaries based on the specific needs of different clients.
- Self-Compassion:
- Practice self-Compassion by recognizing and validating one’s own parts, including those that may be critical or harsh.
- Engage in compassionate dialogue with parts that are struggling.
Presenters/Sources
Notable Quotes
— 11:06 — « IFS takes a pretty radical position on this because, as I said, there are no bad parts. »
— 13:14 — « There are no bad parts. And that you can have compassion because they each have a secret history that involves a lot of pain. »
— 15:02 — « You have to just be purely curious about this part and let it know that. »
— 16:41 — « It's all there. And it's being covered over. »
— 20:02 — « You have to check where you're coming from when you set a boundary. »
Category
Wellness and Self-Improvement