Parts Party
From Virginia Satir
(Your Many Faces), based on an exercise in John Bradshaw's Healing
the Shame that Binds You,
take a deep breath, relax, and imagine this happening as you read:
Close your eyes…
Spend two or three minutes becoming mindful of your
breathing. Relax. As you breathe deeply in and out,
relaxing more and more, notice a screen in front of you
and the number seven appearing on the screen. If you
can’t see it clearly, hear a voice saying “seven” or
picture yourself finger painting it. Then see, hear, or
finger paint the number six; then five; then four, down
to the number one. As you focus on the number one, let
it slowly turn into a stage door and see it slowly open.
Walk through the stage door into a small theater. Notice
the walls and the stage. Look at the closed curtain. Sit
down in a front row seat and feel the fabric of the
seat. Make it your favorite fabric. Make the chair
comfortable. Look around again and make this theater be
any way you want it to be.
Then see the
curtain beginning to open. Let yourself feel excitement.
As the curtain opens see a large sign covering the wall
of the stage. It reads The [your name] Parts Review.
Think of some part of yourself you really like. Imagine
a famous person or someone you know well who represents
that part and see that person walking out on the stage.
Hear applause. Repeat the process with another part you
like until five people are on the right hand side of the
stage. Then think of a part of yourself you dislike or
hate or reject, see it personified by a famous person or
someone you know walking out on the stage. Hear a
resounding boo as each of five parts you don’t like
walks out to the left side of the stage.
Now imagine a wise
and beautiful person walking to the center of the stage.
Just let your wise person appear. Notice whatever
strikes you about this person, who then walks off the
stage toward you, inviting you up to the stage to review
your many parts. Walk around each person who represents
a part of you; look each in the face. How does each part
help you? Hinder or limit you? Take your time, gaze into
all ten faces. What can you learn from each? Think of a
current problem you have. See them interacting at a
table discussing this problem. Notice what each part
says. Does that help you? Hinder you? Would you like to
change any part? Modify it until it feels right to you.
Repeat that procedure with every part.
Now, go around
again, facing each part and imagining that part melting
into you. Do this until you are alone on the stage with
your wise person. Hear the wise person tell you "This is
the theater of your life. All these parts belong to you.
Embrace your selves, love and accept and learn from
each." Show your wise person appreciation for the
lesson. See your wise person walk away. Know you can
call on your wise person any time.
Walk off the stage.
Be aware of yourself sitting in the theater looking at
the stage where you play out your life. Let your mind
see each of your newly modified parts float by and feel
yourself as a whole person with many aspects and
interacting parts. Say to yourself “I love and accept
all of me.”
Now imagine
standing up and walking out through your theater doors.
Turn around and see the number one on the curtains at
the stage. Finger paint it and hear it. Then see the
number two and do the same, then the number three and
feel the life in your fingers and toes, letting this
energy come up through your legs. See the number four
and feel your whole body coming alive. As you see the
numbers five and six, continue becoming fully conscious.
See the number seven and be restored to your full,
waking consciousness.
