I Have Been a Thousand Different Women by Emory Hall
Make peace
with all the women
you once were.
Lay flowers
at their feet.
Offer them incense
and honey
and forgiveness.
Honor them
and give them your silence.
Listen.
Bless them
and let them be.
For they are the bones
of the temple
you sit in now.
For they are
the rivers
of wisdom
leading you toward
the sea.
————-
These words remind me of the truth I see so often—in myself, in my clients: that we are never just one thing. We all live in multiplicity - a collection of different parts. One tends gently to the needs of others, another sharpens our eye for detail. A part soothes us with rest and still another carries stories we’ve tucked away for safekeeping. They do not exist in straight lines. They weave and intersect, guiding us, stretching us, reminding us that we are many. We are whole.
And yet, at times, these parts move into extremes. They tie us in knots with urgency, warning us of danger. In fact, clients often come into therapy looking for support to get rid of certain parts: the anxious part, the angry part, the mean part, the part that drinks too much. It’s only natural to want relief, to believe if these parts left, we might finally be free.
Instead, healing happens when we honor, listen, and integrate. Even our most reactive parts point us toward places within that long for care.
They are not the problem; they are the messengers. Emory Hall highlights this very process of tending to our parts: listening, showing up, and offering compassion. For it is these parts that have protected you. The work resides in paving a new path to become more spacious as we settle in our bodies and uncover the meaning within each part. We don’t have to run from these parts, we must create space for them. We don’t have to run, we can create a home where every voice within us belongs.
Resources for self-compassion:
What is Self-Compassion? - article
Guided Practices - audio
Resources to learn more about parts work:
No Bad Parts - book
