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Here are some examples of a type of statement I often hear from clients:

“I appreciate the fact that my partner loves me and cares about me, but part of me just wants to be left alone.”

“My mom is getting older and I know I should spend more time with her, but part of me just doesn’t want to be around her.”

“I know I should be looking for a better job and trying to make more money, but part of me is just not interested in trying.”

These statements all involve a speaker invoking the idea of a part of themselves. Like they have their own established, developed, mature personality, but deep down inside them, there’s a different part of them that wants to act differently than they’d consciously like. This part of ourselves that we refer to in this way is a very important part of ourselves. In fact, one might argue that this part is, in fact, our actual self, and the larger version of ourselves we consider ourselves is actually just a part of this other part.

This Part can be thought of in many ways, with different names. I like to think of this part of ourselves as our inner child. To me, this part is the original version of ourselves, the younger part that was able to feel and process and develop responses to emotions, but was not developed enough to support itself........

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