Parts as “treadmills” in Internal Family Systems

Towards making IFS more wonderful, one of its weaknesses is “parts” is not an image. The good aspect is with no image, a “part” is not tied down to any one image; and, it can evolve with the restrictions an image would impose.

The downside is “parts” gives clients nothing to work with as an image. “Parts” is workable — yet lacks a therapeutic direction, which an image could give it.

Today with another therapist exploring IFS, I came up with the image of a” treadmill.” I used “treadmill” to describe her obsessing on what was making her unhappy, perseverating on where her needs were NOT being met; instead of, how many of her needs were being met.

Why a treadmill? Because “parts” are highly connected with habits, conditioned energy inside us, conditioned to repeat. We go round and round in our little ready-made routine habits — -much like a treadmill cycles its moving tread around and around.

She liked the image of “little treadmills” and picked up on it right away. She caught the idea of little “worry treadmills” inside her, each one inviting her to run on them.

Treadmills are not limited to “worry” as parts are not.

She got the idea of Self as the only aspect inside which is NOT a treadmill, not a part, not conditioned, the only part…