Self-like Parts

Protectors that have learned to sound exactly like Self, and still have an agenda.

Description

These Parts sound calm, spiritual, or extremely reasonable, while still managing the experience from behind (“I’m fine”, “let’s stay positive”, “let’s just look at this objectively”). You catch them by the effort: there is tension, or urgency, or a faint judgement toward whichever Part is being difficult.

We have strong opinions here — or, as we say, we have Parts with strong opinions here. This is the easiest thing to get wrong for anyone who has been doing this a while, ourselves very much included, because the better you get at parts work, the better your Parts get at sounding like someone doing parts work. The giveaway is that real Self isn’t trying to get anywhere. A Self-like Part always has a preferred outcome.

What Self-like Parts is NOT:

Not deception — the Part isn’t lying to you, it sincerely believes it is helping. Not enlightenment either, though it will happily accept the compliment.

Examples:

A “wise” voice explaining to a scared Part why it shouldn’t be scared.
The meditation Part that needs the session to end peacefully.
Noticing that you are working quite hard at being serene.

see also:

Protectors; Proactive parts - managers; Self; Blending & Unblending; Spiritual Bypassing