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Borrow your courage

Before something hard: recall a time you were brave, look at that you through a window, and step into it only if your parts agree.

7 steps, drawn from 3 books on IFS.

Checked: each step was read against the book passages it rests on, and stays inside them.

Read every step first
  1. A brave time. Eyes open or soft, think back to a time you had courage: you said or did something that scared you, perhaps something your parts were afraid of. Look through different times until one feels right.
  2. Through a window. Picture that braver you alone in a room, and look in at them through a window. Notice how you feel toward them: their clarity, their strength. You are only looking for now.
  3. Ask your parts. Notice how your parts react to that person. Some may be glad. Some may be uneasy about being that bold again, now. If any are unwilling, that is okay: you can explore their fears about what might happen if you were that bold, even for a little while, and stay at the window.
  4. Step in, if they agree. If your parts are willing, step into the room and into that you. Feel the courage in your body: where it sits, how you stand. If they were not willing, skip this. The brave one is still in you.
  5. Carry it back. When it feels right, turn back to the room around you. See how much of that steady, clear feeling you can keep as you look around, and take it with you into what comes next.
  6. How loud is it now? The same scale you used at the start. A drop is worth noticing, and no change is fine too: the brave one was there to look at.
  7. Back to the room. If it feels true, thank your parts, the willing ones and the worried ones. You can come back to their worry another time, only if you mean to. Then notice the room: your feet, what you can see.