Shift into Self Healing Thoughts

  A few years ago, some girlfriends and I took a pottery class. When we arrived, the instructor guided us through the equipment, got us oriented, and then handed us a massive mound of clay. We would slice off a pound or so and place it on the wheel, wetting our hands before wrapping them around the clay—just like that iconic scene in Ghost. From there, we whittled, molded, shaped, and decorated our creations. Maybe it became a beautiful mug. Maybe a misshapen, lopsided bowl. Whatever. Our job was to transform something raw into something new. I’m currently taking a course on Attachment and Internal Family Systems (IFS), and it’s fascinating to explore how they intersect. Richard C. Schwartz PhD, the founder of IFS, describes the "Self" as the unchanged, perfect essence we are born with—like that untouched mound of clay sitting on the wheel. But as we grow, the forces around us—culture, environment, social media, friends, parents, coaches—become the potter’s wheel, constantly ...