Being Self-Led

Topic: Self-Cultivation & Health

For me, Self is not a brain state. Instead it is a spiritual essence within us and around us, like a field, that can quiet that thinking part of the brain… And, from my perspective then, these are… glimpses of the pure Self that is always there. It’s just that it’s usually obscured by our parts and their burdens. We are indeed communing with God, if you consider Self to be God within us.

Richard C. Schwartz

Richard C. Schwartz, PhD, was born on February 21, 1950. He is the developer of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, a therapeutic approach that has significantly influenced the field of psychotherapy. Richard C. Schwartz earned his doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy from Purdue University and has spent his career dedicated to advancing and disseminating the principles of IFS. His work has led to a deeper understanding of the complex inner lives of individuals, emphasizing the harmonious coexistence of various internal parts within a person.

Richard C. Schwartz's contributions to psychotherapy are widely recognized and respected. He is on the adjunct faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, where he continues to influence the next generation of mental health professionals. In 2000, he founded the Center for Self Leadership in Oak Park, Illinois, which coordinates IFS training programs both in the United States and internationally. These programs have helped therapists around the world incorporate IFS into their practice, promoting healing and personal growth in countless individuals.

Throughout his career, Richard C. Schwartz has been a prolific author and speaker. He has published more than 50 articles and books on IFS and other topics related to psychotherapy. His work is characterized by a deep commitment to understanding and healing the human psyche, integrating elements of spirituality and psychological theory. Richard C. Schwartz's enduring legacy lies in his innovative approach to therapy, which empowers individuals to achieve greater self-awareness and harmony within themselves.

Psychology
No Bad Parts

Schwartz, Richard C. No Bad Parts : How the Internal Family Systems Model Changes Everything. [Boulder, Colorado, Sounds True, 2021.] P. 145.

Richard C. Schwartz

Theme: Being in Self

About This Richard C. Schwartz Quotation [Commentary]

Richard C. Schwartz’s quotation, “We are indeed communing with God, if you consider Self to be God within us,” emphasizes the profound spiritual essence inherent in each individual. Schwartz views the Self not as a mere state of the brain but as a divine presence, a spiritual field that envelops and permeates our being. This perspective offers a transformative understanding of our inner nature, suggesting that the divine is not distant or separate but intimately connected to our true Self. By recognizing the Self as a manifestation of God within, Schwartz invites us to explore a deeper, more sacred dimension of our existence.

In the context passage, Schwartz elaborates on the nature of the Self, describing it as a spiritual essence that can transcend the usual cognitive activities of the brain. He refers to moments when individuals can quiet their minds and experience glimpses of the pure Self, unobscured by the burdens and distractions of daily life. These “peek experiences” provide a window into a state of being that is always present, yet often hidden by the various parts of our psyche. This understanding aligns with the theme of “Being in Self,” where true connection with our inner essence allows us to experience a sense of unity with the divine.

Schwartz’s approach resonates with various spiritual traditions that emphasize the inner divine spark within each person. By viewing the Self as an embodiment of God, Schwartz encourages a shift in perception—seeing our inner experiences as sacred and recognizing our inherent worth and divinity. This perspective not only fosters a sense of peace and connectedness but also promotes a compassionate and courageous way of living, where one’s actions are guided by the qualities of the pure Self. Embracing this view can lead to a more harmonious and spiritually enriched life, grounded in the understanding that to commune with our Self is to commune with the divine.

No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the IFS Model

Dr. Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a paradigm-changing model because it gives us a powerful approach for healing ourselves, our culture, and our planet:

“Our parts can sometimes be disruptive or harmful, but once they’re unburdened, they return to their essential goodness. When we learn to love all our parts, we can learn to love all people—and that will contribute to healing the world.”

—Richard C. Schwartz, PhD, No Bad Parts : How the Internal Family Systems Model Changes Everything. Boulder, Colorado, Sounds True, 2021.

The Self is in Everybody

Client after client, the same mindfully curious, calm, confident, and often even compassionate part would pop up out of the blue and that part seemed to know how to relate internally in a healing way. And when they were in that state, I’d ask clients, “Now, what part of you is that?” and they’d say, “That’s not a part like these others, that’s more myself” or “That’s more my core” or “That’s who I really am.”

That’s the part I call the Self. And after thousands of hours doing this work, I can say with certainty that the Self is in everybody. Furthermore, the Self cannot be damaged, the Self doesn’t have to develop, and the Self possesses its own wisdom about how to heal internal as well as external relationships.

For me, this is the most significant discovery that I stumbled onto. This is what changes everything. The Self is just beneath the surface of our protective parts, such that when they open space for it, it comes forward spontaneously, often quite suddenly, and universally.

Immanence and Transcendence

Being Self-led means honoring both of these truths equally: immanence—fully engaging our humanness—and transcendence or liberation—knowing that there’s so much more. When we try to deny our vulnerability, we lose touch with our heart. When we fail to realize our divinity, we lose access to our wisdom and perspective. Self-leadership means standing willingly and consciously in both dimensions—feeling the intense emotions of your parts while remaining connected to your transcendent, wave-state awakened mind. If you can hold both in yourself, you can be with both in others…

There’s more need than ever for Self-led people not to withdraw, but engage in the world. However, to be Self-led, people have to spend time inside themselves. Many leaders I know, including myself, find an inner/outer rhythm that works well for them. When you can balance immanence and transcendence, you can bring healing to the inner and outer worlds simultaneously… What I’m trying to say is, never lose sight of either the internal world or the external world, the peace within and the peace based on justice on the outside.

Exploration of the Literature of Spirituality and Religion

I began my own novice’s exploration into the literature of spirituality and religion and discovered a mother lode of esoteric writings by sages, holy seekers, wise men and women, who emphasized meditative and contemplative techniques as a means of coming to know their Self. (“Esoteric here means not exotic or far out, but derives from the Greek esotero, which means “further in.”) Though they used different words, all the esoteric traditions within the major religions—Buddhism. Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam—emphasized their same core belief: we are sparks of the eternal flame, manifestations of the absolute ground of being. It turns out that the divine within—what the Christians call the soul or Christ Consciousness, Buddhists call Buddha Nature, the Hindus Atman, the Taoists Tao, the Sufis the Beloved, the Quakers the Inner Light—often doesn’t take years of meditative practice to access because it exists in all of us, just below the surface of our extreme parts. Once they agree to separate from us, we suddenly have access to who we really are.

I have also found, however, that the most important variable in how quickly clients can access their Self is the degree to which I am fully present and Self-led. It’s this presence that constitutes the healing element in psychotherapy regardless of the method or philosophy of the practitioner.

—Richard Schwartz, The Larger Self [https://ifs-institute.com/resources/articles/larger-self].

Being Self-Led

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