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  • Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts

  • Discovering Your True Self Through Internal Family Systems Therapy
  • Written by: Richard C. Schwartz
  • Narrated by: Richard C. Schwartz PhD
  • Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (54 ratings)

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Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts

Written by: Richard C. Schwartz
Narrated by: Richard C. Schwartz PhD
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Publisher's Summary

Explore your multifaceted mind - an invitation to personal healing and spiritual awakening

Inside each of us, there are many distinct selves. “Though we’ve been raised to believe that healthy people have a single ‘self’”, explains Dr. Richard C. Schwartz, “acknowledging our multiplicity gives a far deeper awareness of how our minds actually work.” Dr. Schwartz’s pioneering Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy has become renowned in psychotherapy for its power to help us connect with and heal the many distinct facets - or parts - of our psyche. With Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts, he brings you a practical training course for using this method for your growth, well-being, and especially your spiritual journey.

Embracing your inner diversity as a path to wholeness

One of the key lessons of IFS therapy is that there are no bad parts. “Trauma or life experience can cause our parts to take on burdens”, says Dr. Schwartz. “Yet when we bring the spiritual values of curiosity, gratitude, and kindness to these burdened parts, we discover incredible opportunities for healing and awakening.” Through instruction and guided meditations, Dr. Schwartz shows us how to engage even the most disturbing or unwanted parts of our psyche with openness and love - so we may unlock the hidden gifts and wisdom each part contains.

Many forms of therapy and even spiritual practice inadvertently put us in conflict with ourselves as we try to transcend or reject our parts. With Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts, Dr. Schwartz invites you to embrace each of your many parts with self-compassion - and discover the inclusive greater Self that is your true, divine nature.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2018 Richard C. Schwartz (P)2018 Sounds True
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What listeners say about Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts

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So great for anyone doing parts work,

It’s basically scripts where he poses questions and helps you do therapy work yourself. Brilliant

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A wonderful listen that opened up my inner world.

This book was a joy to work through and helped me illuminate an inner world that I never knew existed. I feel that this is the beginning of a loving, symbiotic relationship with all the parts that make up “me”.

It feels like a door has opened, I’ve stepped through, and I’m gazing out into a vast landscape of Self, facing a wondrous expanse of unexplored terrain.

I’m left hopeful, compassionate, and eager.

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Amazing!

I truly enjoyed listening to and learning about IFS. I will continue on with training in IFS. I appreciated the gentle and approachable style of Dr. Schwartz. I'm hoping more IFS titles will become accessible on audible. Congrats on #Audible1!
Petra

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Develop real insight, emotional strength

I assign this book as part of my inter-session work for many of my clients. Glenn Cronk RP

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Great tools, great voice, will listen again!

IFS is a great way to learn more about yourself and others. I enjoyed listening to the founder walk me through the meditations.

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A great IFS overview that includes meditations with Richard C. Schwartz.

This Audible only book (no Kindle or paper copies were created) is unusual in that it includes entire chapters that consist of Dr. Schwartz leading you through meditations designed to illustrate the topic he is explaining.
He covers the basics of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and explains how our parts can both positively and negatively impact our everyday lives.
The chapters on self-leadership were inspiring!
It might be helpful to listen to ‘An Introduction to Internal Family Systems’ first to better understand the basics before immersing in this transformative series of meditations.

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transformational

Loved it, highly recommend. Getting to know yourself from the inside out with compassion and curiosity.

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Essential material for deep, transformative and lasting healing from trauma.

At first I was a bit skeptical, as I hadn’t heard of IFS and Richard Schwartz before. As I listened to the audiobook, carefully and slowly, it began to take hold; and completely make sense to me. There is a lengthy segment of IFS mentioned in Bessel Van Der Kolk’s book, ‘The Body Keeps the Score. Once I read that, I was all in. I’ve had 2 sessions with a therapist trained in IFS and it has been very helpful. It goes deeper than other models. Thankfully, it seems to be compatible with the ACT model which I currently use in the therapeutic context.

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