##### 🦮 How to help Parts unblend [[🔑 We cannot force Parts to unblend]], but there are several ways we can help them to. ###### Noticing The first step to helping [[💡 Parts|Parts]] to [[🕯️ Unblending|unblend]] is simply noticing we’re [[💡 Blending|blended]] in the first place and that there are [[💡 Parts|Parts]] around. [[🔑 Blending is a spectrum]], and the moment we realize we're [[💡 Blending|blended]] with a [[💡 Parts|Part]], we no longer fully are. Noticing is a skill that can be learned, and there are several practices which can help us do this. - When we notice a [[💡 Trailheads|trailhead]] or a reaction to something, we can immediately go into [[F4 — Feel Toward]] to see whether we're [[💡 Blending|blended]] with [[💡 Parts|Parts]] in reaction to it. We might even ask ourselves, “What is this [[⭐️ Emotions|emotion]]?" and name it. Then we might ask, "Who does it come from?” - By practicing [[🕯️ Mindful Moments]] we can learn to recognize when we're lost in thought and remember that we're listening to [[💡 Parts|Parts]] talk to us and each other. We might notice we're talking to ourselves. - Sometimes we know we're [[💡 Blending|blended]] but [[💡 Parts|Parts]] don’t feel safe enough to [[🕯️ Unblending|unblend]]. When that happens we can pause and say to them (either silently or out loud) “I see you.” If there's a somatic sensation connected to it, we can make [[🕯️ Loving Touch]] with it to offer [[☀️ Connection]], so that the [[💡 Parts|Part]] knows they’re not alone. This often surprises them, which can be both amusing and touching. With practice, noticing [[💡 Parts|Parts]] become easier. When I was learning to do this, it felt a lot like popping out of the back of a Russian Nesting Doll. A [[🕯️ Meditation 🧘]] practice can be an enormous boon — some days more than others, and largely depending on which practice and for how long relative to how [[💡 Emotional Dysregulation|dysregulated]] or active our [[💡 Parts|Parts]] are. I don't even get out of bed until I've meditated for at least half an hour, but even a few minutes can make a significant difference. Each of these practices help us notice [[💡 Parts|Parts]]. - [[🧘 Mindfulness Meditation]] - [[🧘 See, Hear, Feel In]] - [[🧘 Neti-Neti]] - [[🧘 Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation]] - [[🧘 Tonglen]] ###### Establishing Safety and Expression Via traditional [[⭐️ Internal Family Systems|IFS]], [[🕯️ Unblending|unblending]] is achieved through the first 4 of [[💡 The 6 Fs of Internal Family Systems]]. They create a safe space where a [[💡 Parts|Part]] can arise without others interfering. 1. [[F1 — Find the Part]] 2. [[F2 — Focus on the Part]] 3. [[F3 — Flesh it out]] 4. [[F4 — Feel Toward]] Other tools and practices: - [[🕯️ Part-Tending]] - [[🛠 Solo Parts Work Journal]] - [[🛠 Visual Journaling]] - [[🛠 Parts Map]] - [[🛠 Psychedelics]] - [[🧘 IFS Meditations]] - Borrowed from [[💡 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]], we can start by pretending we're talking to a dear friend. If none of these create enough safety that [[💡 Parts|Parts]] are willing to [[🕯️ Unblending|unblend]], the [[🛠 Pendulation Toolkit]] may help. ###### See Also - [[🦮 How to get to know your parts solo]] - [[🦮 How to Soothe Triggered Parts]] ![[❓ Why won't my parts unblend]] [^1]: