Finding Flow

How to embrace Fear

Fear is all around us, when we read or look at the news but also if we look inside of ourselves. The question I recently asked myself was “Can I achieve a state of flow that helps to embrace fear?”

The Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi discovered that people find genuine satisfaction during a state of consciousness called Flow. During this “optimal experience” they feel “strong, alert, in effortless control, unselfconscious, and at the peak of their abilities.” Remarkably, this state also pushes aside negative thoughts and feelings. This means, the essence of flow is the removal of the interference of the thinking mind.

We often think that we will be happy if we achieve something we aspire or when we can buy something we want. But actually, we all know that those moments only last for a very short while until the mind brings up another thing we need to have or achieve. True happiness arises when the thinking mind - or the monkey mind - is out of the way, when we are able to be in the moment without being stuck in our fear.

Now, applying the concept of flow on Parts Work is where I get to feel truly happy. Parts work is another name for Internal Family Systems (IFS), a model that is developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s. IFS posits that the mind is made up of multiple parts, and underlying them is a person's core or true Self. Like members of a family, a person's inner parts can take on extreme roles or subpersonalities. Each part has its own perspective, interests, memories, and viewpoint, and are related to a persons personal history. I believe we can create a flow state in our inner world where all our parts live. To me, that means that we strive towards being in a state of Self that welcomes all parts without getting stuck in them, or in IFS terms blending with them.

This dance of being with parts and with Self is what we get to practice. And it might be the best skill we can teach ourselves. 

In this upcoming sacred sound ceremony Aug 10 we will work with different modalities like IFS and flow exercises, breath work, vocalization, sound, and meditation. The container is supported with multiple sacraments. Embrace this unique opportunity to cultivate inner peace and resilience, and take a significant step toward your personal growth and well-being.