About Parts Therapy

Wow!

That's the first thing that I have to say about parts therapy. It might also be the second thing that I have to say about parts therapy.

Based on a recommendation from the Hypnobirthing® Institute I purchased a parts therapy book. Before I was even done reading it I was calling my friends to ask whether they'd like to try it. Two of them agreed, and all I can really say is that parts therapy is possibly the most powerful hypnotherapy technique for inner conflict resolution ever.

Simply put, once the client has reached an appropriate depth of trance, the hypnotherapist asks each part of a conflict to come forward and speak. The hypnotherapist then mediates and helps the parts that are in conflict negotiate an agreement. After agreement has been reached, the parts reintegrate and supporting suggestions are given before the client comes out of trance.

The client is aware of the process as an observer. In fact, both of my clients had additional information about the origins/workings of their parts. They were also each able to describe quite clearly how it felt when the parts came out - one client even had visual images of each part! This awareness on the part of the client makes it extremely important that the hypnotherapist give a clear and simple description of how parts therapy works before beginning a session. Clients need to understand that they are not having a breakout of multiple personalities.

The awareness of my clients extended to the reintegration process as well. They saw and felt the parts go back to being parts of a whole, and were able to describe their thoughts and feelings during the process. One client had an intense kinesthetic experience as her parts reintegrated - physically feeling the process. The reintegration portion of the session is extremely important; the client should always leave a parts therapy session feeling whole, not fragmented!

What, then, are these "parts"? Whenever we find ourselves saying, "well, part of me wants to do this, but another part wants to do that," we have parts in conflict. Whenever we feel that we really want to do something (such as quit smoking), and we don't know why we don't, we have parts in conflict. A "part" is simply that, a part of our conscious/subconscious mind that is performing a specific task for us.

Science will probably find at some point that specific neurotransmitters are in charge of certain parts, much like we already know that certain parts of the physical brain perform specific functions. Even without such precise scientific knowledge, however, we can work with the parts of the mind to promote healing and change. Both of my clients came out of trance with a different facial appearance, and both reported feeling more peaceful, even after several days had elapsed.

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again - wow!
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