The year is ending. The winter (for people up north) solstice just happened.
Time with family. Holidays. Regrouping. Possibly looking back at what happened, and starting to think about the next year, resolutions or hopes or goals.
What could be better. What could change.
At times, it is good to look back to the cause of a problem.
At times, it is useful to look at what is happening right now.
At times, we can look at how it would be not to have that problem, at how it would feel to have already solved it.
Parts work is often a great tool for looking at the original causes (real or what we feel are the causes), and also at what is happening right now.
At times, less so for imagining a future.
It can be used for that, of course.
Before we begin: if you like what we do, if you like what you are reading, share it with others, and/or subscribe. We rely on word of mouth. Join our events, like the Unconference (we are having one early next year, February the 21st, 2026).
If you really like what we’re doing, you can book a 1:1 session with one of us to find out what it’s like to work with us.
Branching out and the thrift store
Maybe you noticed: we started branching a bit out from pure IFS and parts work.
Actually: we always branched out form pure IFS, or, to be honest, we arrived to IFS from many different branches, and we kept on having other branches of interest and practice.
That’s the all point: we have parts, and interests.
Only, we felt that since are the IFS collective, we should mostly stick to IFS or mostly IFS.
That’s fair.
On the other hand, one of the reasons we love parts work is exactly the idea that we have parts, we are made of parts, we contain and are multitudes.
We can dance the dance or parts around almost everything: a part of us feels we should stick to pure official IFS, several other parts want to share how use use it, how we mix it, how we dance the dance, at times more parts informed, at times less.
After we published our IFS glossary, we gave ourselves officially the permission to start sharing more techniques and concepts that are only partially related to IFS. We plan to call it “the thrift store” and have a specific section in the glossary page.
Thrift store, because they are not new techniques, a bit used, possibly a bit battered by being passed through our interpretation, and our way to adapting it to IFS and ourselves.
Maybe they can still get some use.
So far, it seems to have been appreciated.
Let us know if this is actually the case.
The miracle question
This is one of those techniques.
It is quite simple. It is practically a single question.
Being quite simple, it is very easy to misunderstand it: simple does not mean easy.
Here it is:
Take a problem.
Or just a general feeling of dissatisfaction. Or even just the idea that things are not as good as they could be, as we would want them to be.
Practically, take the human condition.
You have it? 1
And then a miracle happens.
Only, the miracle happens during the night, while you are asleep.
Maybe it is tomorrow, or in one week, or in one year, it depends.
When you wake up, the problem is gone. Or better. Life is better. Life is good.
But you do not know it yet, because you were asleep when the miracle happened.
How would you notice that things are better?
What would you feel? How would life be?
Be precise. Go into details, from when you wake up, onwards.
Take notes.
Notice what is what, how you feel inside, what would be different, what would be missing.
Only, wait a moment.
It is only a very limited miracle. It was on discount, so it can only change things inside.
We told you about the thrift store. 2
That person at work won’t stop being annoying. That other person will not come back in our life, or love us, or admit that they were wrong.
That broken leg will still be broken. 3
The bank account still has the same numbers as before.
You are still you. Winter is still winter. Mondays are still Mondays.
Only, it is not a problem anymore. We feel good about it, or not bad.
We do not feel it is a problem.
Again, if you woke up, and the problem was gone: what would you notice?
How would it feel inside?
What parts would feel more at ease?
How would you day unfold? What would you do differently?
What about parts?
Let’s bring parts work to the table: parts do not disappear, they change.
You are still you.
What parts would be different?
How would they be different?
Notice inside if there are parts that would want other parts to be gone.
We tried before to get rid of parts of ourselves: it did not work.
It is a bit like wanting to get rid of our eyes to avoid seeing ugly things.
It doesn’t work, and if it would work, it would not work very well for us and the system.
In IFS, we call this exiling. You may have noticed that we do all we can to re-invite exiles in our system.
So this miracle doesn’t try to get rid of parts.
They change, in a way that is better for them, for other parts, and for ourselves.
How would they transform? How would the inner relationship transform?
Are there parts that go “this change could never happen”?
Notice them, be curious. What could happen? What if it (the change, the miracle) could happen?
Are there parts panicking, going “what would happen without that problem”?
What if they could do something not related to the problem?
”Who would I be without problems to solve” is a good Zen questions, also for parts.
Or are they scared that something important, beautiful would be missing from our life?
Notice those parts. Welcome them: this is important knowledge.
Is there any way to have some version of that beauty, of that something important, without the problem?
Are there skeptical parts that really do not want even to consider miracles? What about “Deus Ex Machina” then? What about a strike of luck?
What would they require to consider it? 4
Stay there.
Describe your day. You life. Notice the details. The textures.
The smells.
What would you do?
What would you not do?
How does it feel?
What would you tell, or not tell yourself?
Stay with that feeling.
Has that feeling been with you before?
Are there moments in the past where it felt like that?
Or felt more like that?
Also, do you remember the first version of the miracle, the one before we told you that it could not change things outside?
Is there anything from that world that is more possible?
Anything that could happen? Maybe soon? Maybe tomorrow, without needing a miracle?
Here is the difference: for once, start from things being solved, being better, being good, being great.
Stay there, and then notice how to get there.
At the very least, enjoy feeling that possibility.
This technique comes from Solution Focused (brief) Therapy.
We like using it with IFS too.
Commercial notice, as usual: if you want support in getting to know your parts, trailheads, and explore your system, from a “everything is already solved” perspective or not, you can book a session with us.
Also we have an Unconference coming up early next year. It’s free: come. Spread the news.
In case you have no problems and things are amazing: congratulations, and thank you for reading this anyway.
Maybe things could be even better, or just try to empathize with us other human being, having problems
Also remember what is almost always the 3rd wish: take everything back.
So maybe a miracle changing the whole world could be not such a good idea
tomorrow, hopefully not in one year, deal?
and yes, this is often bad narrative: in the story, things are really messed up, and then something totally out of the left field happens and solves it.
Fine. I also get annoyed, or at least some parts of me do.
Just dance with this a moment.
I love what you do guys. 🥰