This week I had the great privilege of attending a group session with Dick Schwartz, the creator of Internal Family Systems (IFS) at Blue Spirit in Costa Rica. IFS is a form of therapy I have been fascinated with for a while because it so deeply resonates with some of my own meditation experiences.

In IFS you identify distinct parts of your mind that play different roles to help you manage your life. In many of us these parts are overburdened or excessive and they can often be confused with our identity leading to suffering and confusion.

IFS is a system of techniques to unburden these parts and live from Self-leadership, i.e. guided by our true nature.

The session I attended was an unburdening session in which a person from our group sat with Dick and he helped her unburden a real part she is encountering in her life. The session was powerful to say the least, both in its impact and the short time in which it was accomplished.

IFS is deeply complementary with the practice of meditation because both practices aim to recognize self-essence or awake awareness. The unburdening of parts is very beneficial to this project.