Working with parts – Curiosity

As previously posted, these are the 5 C’s that guide my work with parts: curiosity, compassion, communication, consent and cooperation.

Today I want to talk about the element of curiosity.

In the beginning of learning you have a Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID/OSDD) there is often a lot of fear and distrust of parts. This is totally understandable given the misinformation out there and the often scary experiences that can happen as a result.

That’s why the first principle of working with parts is really trying to help both myself and my clients to cultivate an attitude of curiosity about the parts and, about why they do what they do.

My belief, backed up by most theories of parts, is that parts were created to help folks survive really overwhelming and inescapable experiences. Therefore, I know that they have a reason to do what they do, and even when the behaviors are scary, I know that they are rooted in trying to take care of the person.

Knowing this helps me keep that attitude of curiosity, and it’s my job to help clients develop this same curiosity. This can help decrease conflict and misunderstanding if we can simply try to understand without immediately jumping to negative conclusions, avoiding in fear or attacking in defense.