🔼: [[🕯️ Part-Tending]], [[Medical Conditions and Diagnoses]] ##### 🦮 How to connect with Parts through Symptoms[^1][^2] > [!important] > Medical IFS is largely supplemental. > It's limited by what's physically possible. It's important to stay open to other supports, like [[⭐️ Nutrition]], [[🕯️ Movement Practices 👟]], [[🕯️ Meditation 🧘]], medication, physicians and their treatments. The more [[💡 Stress|stress]] our symptoms create, the more reactive our parts become. The parts that are suffering or want the symptoms to go away accidentally cause even more stress, and there's often at least one [[💡 Polarization|polarization]]. ###### Step 1 Focus on the symptom(s) and [[🕯️ Unblending|unblend]] from the [[💡 Parts|Parts]] who suffer from or react to them and then get to know those parts through [[💡 The 6 Fs of Internal Family Systems]]. - Some parts might use the [[⭐️ Body]] to attack the symptom. - Some might refuse to comply with medical treatment. - Some may believe you or another part is to blame for the issue. - Some may carry a lot of [[💡 Shame|shame]] or shame us or other parts because they're suffering and can't escape the symptom. - Some parts struggling to try to get out of or away from the symptom might say things like, "I don't want you to just relax and accept it," because they fear accepting it will cause the suffering to be endless and then the we'll just give up and will never get better. ###### Step 2 After unblending from parts reacting to the symptom, and after they've willingly stepped back, we can turn toward the symptom itself. You can also ask your parts openly, in your own words, "Does anyone know anything about who might be affecting or creating these symptoms?" We'll sometimes get an answer if the parts feel they'll be listened to. Some parts might be afraid to let the symptom go, or minimize its existence, or be fighting it. You can also ask "Is there anyone who knows how to work toward healing this problem?" Often parts who may not have had anything to do with it know how to martial move the body toward healing it, together with conventional treatment. It's possible the symptom is being caused by one or more parts, and we can find them by focusing on the symptom and treating it like a part. However, we're likely to find that the part isn't the symptom but [[🔑 Parts can use our minds and bodies to get or distract our attention|using the symptom to get our attention]]. When you're able to contact the parts who are trying to get our attention, you can tell them they don't have to do this anymore because you've found them and are going to listen to them from now on, so they don't have to get your attention like this anymore. Things can change dramatically and quickly. If [[💡 Exiles|exiles]] trust you you can tell them, "I can help you quicker if you can stop giving me flashbacks, nightmares, etc." They'll often stop if they trust you. You're asking them to wait their turn. Follow up, otherwise it may start again. ###### See also - [[🧘 Body Meditation]] [^1]: [[📖 ✅ IFS Online Circle]] Month 6 - The Body & the Automation Nervous System & Putting it All Together - Why Body? [^2]: [[📖 ✅ IFS Online Circle]] Month 6 - The Body & the Automation Nervous System & Putting it All Together - Month 6 with Richard Schwartz