230 Part III: Opening the Toolkit
- Identify two parts of yourself that may be in conflict.
For instance, a part of you wants you to be healthy while another part of
you puts up an almighty fight when you want to exercise.
- Sit in a quiet place where you’re unlikely to be disturbed.
- Ask the problem part to come out and stand on one hand.
In the example in step 1, this problem is the part averse to exercise.
- Imagine the part as a person and see what the person looks like,
sounds like, and what feelings that person has.
- Ask the non-problem part to come out and stand on the other hand.
In the example in step 1, this is the part that wants to be healthy.
- Imagine this part as a person and see what the person looks like,
sounds like, and what feelings that person has.
- Starting with the problem part, ask each part ‘What’s your positive
intention and purpose?’ Keep repeating the question and building a
hierarchy until both parts realise that they have the same intention.
The part averse to exercise may say things such as, ‘I get tired’, ‘it’s
important to conserve energy’, or ‘I want to make the world a better
place.’ In contrast, the part that wants to be healthy may say, ‘I like the
buzz I get’, ‘I have more energy’, or ‘I want to make the world a better
place.’
- Ask each part what resources it has that the other part would find
useful in attaining the common, positive purpose of each part.
The part averse to exercise may say things like, ‘I have the imagination
to design better solutions’ or ‘I understand the problems people may
experience.’ Whereas the part that wants to be healthy may say, ‘I have
the energy to put into changing the world’ or ‘I have the discipline it
takes to make the world a better place.’
- Bring both your hands together and fully integrate the parts and their
resources, seeing a new you, hearing what that new you may say, and
recognising new feelings that you may have.
- Using the techniques that we present in Chapter 13, go back to before
your conception and travel along your time line to now, with the new,
integrated you, changing your history along your time line.
Remember that your memories are only a construction of your mind. If, in the
past, you chose to make a decision – such as ‘exercise is tiring’ – your whole
time line is based on that decision. If you then resolve this issue by integrat-
ing it with a decision you make to be healthy, you can change your time line
to accommodate the new, healthy you.
