Therapist: Are there any parts that are showing up for you in this moment? Parts that require your attention. 

Client: It feels like there’s this sad part in me. 

Therapist: Okay. Where are you feeling this sad part?

Client: In my chest. 

Therapist: What does this sadness feel like?

Child: It feels like a weight is sitting on my chest. It doesn’t hurt, but it feels like it’s pushing down on me.

Therapist: Is there anything else you’re noticing in this moment?

Client: My breath feels shorter, as if it’s because of the weight. 

Therapist: How do you feel about this weight and shortness of breath? 

Client: I feel anxious about it. 

Therapist: It sounds like there is this other part – an anxious part – that is stepping in now. Would it be ok if we ask this part to give us space to continue talking to the sad part first?

Client: Yes. 

Therapist: Okay. Let this anxious part know that you’re aware of it and ask if it would be okay for it to step aside for now, so we can talk with the sad part. Is it willing to move over?

Client: Yes, it does. 

Therapist: Okay, good. How are you feel about the sad part now? 

Client: I’m feeling more curious about it. I think a little empathetic towards it, too. Like I know it’s trying to protect me in a way, I just don’t know how. 

Therapist: How is this part responding to you now? 

Client: It’s telling me that I don’t need this pain anymore. That’s what’s happened in the past, and I can’t change it. 

Therapist: Do you know what it’s talking about?

Client: No. 

Therapist: Ask this part if it can provide more information to help you understand better. 

Client: It’s showing me the moment my sister and I got into a fight, and she walked away. We haven’t spoken since that fight.  

Therapist: So now that you know this sadness is talking about the fight you had with your sister, how are you feeling towards it?

Client: I want to learn more. 

Therapist: Okay. As this part is showing you the fight, are you in the room, or are you looking into the room?

Client: I’m looking into the room. 

Therapist: Ask this part if there is anything it wants you to see as you look into the room. 

Client: I can see the back of my sister, and then I can see myself. I keep seeing myself crying. I feel so bad for her. She looks so sad, and I just want to hug her. 

Therapist: It sounds like this was an emotional moment for this part. A moment that really hurt it. 

Client: It was. I didn’t realize how hurt I was in that moment. I remember feeling angry towards my sister for a while afterwards, and then I just kept telling myself to brush it off. 

Therapist: Ask this part why it wants you to see how hurt you were.

Client: It’s telling me that I didn’t deserve it. That she didn’t listen to me and made me feel like I was at fault. 

Therapist: Do you agree with this?

Client: A little. Part of me understands it, but another part of me is yelling, “You did it too”.

Therapist: Interesting. This conflicting part – the part that’s yelling “you did it too” – where are you feeling this in your body?

Client: I feel it in my stomach. It feels like someone just punched me there. 

Therapist: Okay, and how do you feel about it? 

Client: I want to know what it’s telling me I did too. 

Therapist: Okay. Let’s shift your focus to this part because it seems to be demanding your attention now. Let this part know that you’re listening, and it doesn’t need to yell at you. 

Client: It doesn’t seem to be yelling at me anymore. 

Therapist: Okay, good. Ask it if it can tell you what ‘you did too’.

Client: It’s saying I wasn’t honest. That I could have tried harder. 

Therapist: Do you know what you could have tried harder at?

Client: Maybe try talking to my sister more?

Therapist: Ask it that.

Client:  It’s saying yes. It’s saying I could have tried harder at maintaining a relationship with my sister. 

Therapist: Do you agree with this?

Client: Yes.

Therapist: Ok. How do you feel about this part now?

Client: I understand it better. I agree with it.

Therapist: Okay, good. So let this part know that you understand it and ask it if there’s anything it needs from you or wants you to know. 

Client: It’s just telling me to try again. It feels calmer now, too. 

Therapist: That’s good. Thank you for opening up to me and asking if it’s ok if you go back and talk with the sad part. 

Client: It said yes. I can feel the stomach pain go away. I don’t really feel it anymore. 

Therapist: Do you still feel the sad part in your chest?

Client: Yeah, but it also feels a bit lighter, too. Is that because I talked to the other part?

Therapist: It could be. What do you feel?

Client: I see the argument with my sister in a different way. I still feel sad for myself in that moment, but I understand my sister’s frustration more. 

Therapist: That’s good. So, how do you feel about the sad part now? 

Client: I can still feel it. But I feel like it’s telling me to move on now. I can’t change what happened, but I can control what happens next. 

Therapist: Do you agree with this? 

Client: I do. 

Therapist: Focusing on this sad part, ask it if there is anything else it wants you to know.

Client: It’s silent.

Therapist: Okay. Ask it if there’s anything it needs from you.

Client: It’s telling me to walk into that room and give myself a hug and then turn to my sister and hug her. 

Therapist: Do you want to do this?

Client: Yes.

Therapist: Okay. Let yourself hug both yourself in that moment and your sister, and then notice what comes up for you afterwards. 

Client: It’s just telling me we’re going to be ok. 

Therapist: Is there anything you’d like to share about this part? 

Client: Thank you, I appreciate it. I’m sorry it was this way for so long, and I didn’t know. 

Therapist: How is this part showing up for you now?

Client: It’s gone. My breathing feels slower, too. 

Therapist: How are you feeling right now? 

Client: I feel better. I feel like I’m ready to talk to my sister again.