The path meditation

TRANSCRIPT

I'm going to invite you to try an exercise we call the path exercise.

The goal of it is to give you more of a felt sense of what I'm talking about terms of Self and Self energy.

Get comfortable. Take deep breaths if that helps.

And in your mind's eye put yourself at the base of a path. It could be one you've already been on or it could be a path that's totally new to you.

Then there at the base meet with your parts ask them just for a little while, if they'd be willing to wait there at the base for you and let you go on this brief journey by yourself.

Just notice how they react to that idea.  You could try to see if those who are afraid could be comforted by those who are not. And let them all know that you won't be gone long and this would be good for them, and for you, but they don't have to let you do it if they're not ready to.

And sometimes it just depends on the day. Some days they're okay with it and some days they're not up for it and that's natural.

If they're not up for it and don't do it, you can spend the time just getting to know them better and their fears about letting you try this.

But if they are up for it then go ahead and head out on the path reminding them that you will be back soon.

At different points I'll pause and ask you to notice certain things as you go.

But for now just head out on the path. PAUSE

So now I'm going to invite you to just notice what's happening as you continue on the path.

In particular if you're thinking anything at all, if you are thinking means that there's still some parts with you, and you can see if they also would be willing to separate and go back with the others.

And if not, what's their fear?

You can also scan your body for anything that doesn't feel quite like you, your pure Self.

If you find anything that also is likely to be a part, you can ask it also to return to the base.

And if they're willing to, then you'll gradually notice these shifts toward more and more self energy.

If they're not willing to, that's fine.

You can just spend the time getting to know their fears. PAUSE

And also if at any point you find yourself watching yourself taking this journey,  then it means there's a part trying to do it for you, because who is it that's watching?

So if that’s true, you can ask that part to go to the base too. So that you're on the path, you don't see yourself.

You see your surroundings, but you are just on the path.  PAUSE

If they're really trusting and they're letting you do this, by now you should be experiencing some of those qualities we’ve been talking about, in the absence of thought - spaciousness, present centeredness, sense of well-being, being in your body, confidence, clarity, connectedness.

So if you're not feeling some of those things it means there are parts still with you.

And you can scan your body and your mind. See if you can find those parts and see if they also would go back to the base.

One of the things I like about this exercise is it often it helps you find the parts of you you're most identified with and you don't really notice because they feel like you.

I also notice this vibrating energy running through your body that we've been talking about and we call Self energy.

If that's true you can kind of invite it. Really fill your body, and run through your body.

If there are places in your body where you sense that it seems not to be able to move through, that's another tip-off that it's likely there's a part there blocking. You can see if that part also is willing to go back. PAUSE

At some point you might want to pause and take in this experience. Just notice what it's like to be in this much Self.

Notice how you can tell that's where you are.  PAUSE

It's important to remember these markers so that as you go through your day you can tell how much you are here or that your parts are running things.

For me I'm often checking how open my heart is, if I have some kind of big agenda, if I'm thinking a lot, if there's pressure in my shoulders and in my forehead which is where my managers hang out.

If I touch any of those parts then I just ask them to relax and in a sense go back to the base and wait for me to handle whatever I'm facing, to trust me.

And some of them need to give me some advice before they do step back, which is fine.

By now you are feeling a lot of this Self energy, a lot of embodiment.

You have the option of inviting any messages from the universe.

Maybe nothing comes, which is fine. Sometimes people get some clear guidance at a point like this. LONG PAUSE

So now I'm going to invite you to head back toward the base, whatever pace feels right.

When you get back to your parts just see how they react to your return and, thank him for whatever degree they took this risk and let you do this. PAUSE

And ask what it's been like for them to let you do this, and whether or not they'd be up for letting you try it again sometime. PAUSE

I just remind them once again that the you who is with them now, can help them, and that your goal is to earn their trust.

And if any of them haven't trusted you for reasons, you're open to knowing about that and making repair.

And if you're still holding any of this tingling self energy, you can extend it to them.

You'll find that you can actually direct it to parts and to people, and it's a very healing energy. I extend it to my clients when I'm working with them.

If you're able to do that, just notice how your parts react to that.

When all that feels complete, the time feels right, thank them once again for whatever parts allowed and begin shifting your focus back outside.

Once again see how possible it is to hold some of this Self state even as you open your eyes and come back.

[Bell]

So we call that the path exercise. And some people don't get very far in terms of the parts allowing them to go on the path. It's very productive to just learn about why, why they don't trust that that's safe, and work with their fears.

 If parts are willing to wait, pretty universally people have some of these experiences that I was describing as we went including that energy I've hinted at throughout the course.

 Which again, other systems have other names for whether it's prana or chi. We just call it self energy, and it does seem to come spontaneously once your parts let you be fully present.

And I do find that just by little intention it can be directed in different directions.

That is as I said a healing energy I don't extend it to people unless I know that it's welcome, that my self energy is welcome to them.

But I do encourage people to extend it to their parts whether or not the part has agreed to it because they just seem to love it.

And then there was that point where I invited you to ask for any messages and it's not uncommon that nothing happens but sometimes people get very clear guidance about their lives or about how to work with their parts more or their relationships, or sometimes they just get a kind of warmth, comforting sense they're not alone. That's also useful to bring back to the parts.

Whatever information that you got to share with them one of the things I love about this exercise is as you go it kind of forces you to notice parts that you wouldn't notice otherwise.

That’s really important because they we all have parts that we used to call pseudo Self parts because they would think they were us they would pretend to be us. And so because they believe that they're you, and you're so used to them being in lead with other people, it's really hard to spot them.

They usually come to the surface in this exercise. We don't call them pseudo Self parts anymore because I don't like that name. They much prefer self-like parts so that's what we call them now. But most of us have those parts. They try their best but usually they have some kind of an agenda that self wouldn't have that's protective.

And that was that point while you're on the path that I asked you if you wanted to pause and invite any messages or guidance and if something did come and you might want to share that with your parts, and just see how they react.

and some of them might be afraid of the message and you can let them know that you get that and you're not going to  act on it immediately.

And you work with their fears and some of them might be excited about it.

I have a technique we call the conference table where you sit down with all the parts who invested in some issue and then how about kind of a board meeting and you're the chair and you hold up whatever vision it is and you get their feedback and then you can negotiate as they share their concerns or until there can be a kind of shared vision among the parts and you about going forward and then as you go forward the ones who objected different points you just remind them that they bought into this and as if it was a scared child and then you'll continue to work with their fears but you're also gonna pursue this vision that everyone agreed on.

A shorter version of this IFS therapy meditation (with clearer audio) is available here