If you’ve ever found solace in therapeutic or creative writing, you likely understand the multifaceted nature of your own creative process. There are parts of yourself that come to life as you write – parts that strive for perfection, craving validation, and longing for recognition. Perhaps you struggle with insecurities or inner critics, comparing yourself to others or feeling like a fraud. There might be ambitious parts striving for acclaim, and justice-seeking parts eager to share a message.
It’s essential to recognize when you’re allowing these various parts to channel through your writing, and then determine if there are more parts longing to be heard, perhaps in conflict with those currently at the forefront. Understanding and navigating these dynamics is the foundation of our upcoming Write To Heal: IFS + Memoir Writing six-week online class.
In this class, renowned IFS practitioner Dr. Frank Anderson and I will guide you through strategies for working with the different parts vying to tell the stories often found in memoir writing. Imagine choosing a pivotal moment in your life, the kind that divides it into distinct “Before” and “After” periods. What if various parts of you were to recount that moment? The perspectives could be startlingly divergent, reflective of the intricacies within your psyche.
If I were to share a writing example, I’d recount a life-altering event in early 2006 that severed my world into starkly contrasting eras. Here’s how different parts of my being might narrate this occurrence:
Grieving Part
I find myself in the recovery room, still reeling from my C-section, when my father, now bald from radiation treatment, visits me after flying to San Diego. His eyes, though familiar, are now clouded with tears, and he whispers, “I’m ready to go now.” Amidst the chaos, my grief feels overwhelming, my emotions in disarray.
Angry, Vindictive Part
Four weeks post-surgery, the expectations of returning to work loom over me, the hypocrisy of my colleagues propelling my resentment. Why must I comply with standards they themselves dismiss for others? Their empathy and compassion falter when it comes to me.
Surgeon Mode Part
In moments of chaos, I slip into “surgeon mode,” handling each crisis with unwavering determination. After a harrowing ordeal post-C-section, I find myself needing to write my own medical orders in the early hours of the morning, navigating the system’s inadequacies alone.
These excerpts illustrate the diversity of our inner voices. Throughout our class, we will explore these elements further, honing your ability to identify, understand, and ultimately harmonize these diverse parts in your writing journey.
