A Reflective Check-In
Designed by Bearmore
Inspired by Richard C. SchwartzWhich part of you is trying to run things today?
A reflective check-in for the days when your mind already feels full. Inspired by Richard Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems model, this Burst helps you notice the different inner voices that might be present, without needing to fix, silence or follow all of them.
The runsheet
Ask which part is loudest
Self-guided inquiryInternal Family Systems frames the mind as a set of parts. Sit quietly and ask which one is loudest right now and what it wants you to know. We have scaled the clinical idea down into a plain question.
20 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing self-guided inquiry before visualisation
This pairing is especially effective because inquiry can surface personal questions that visualisation can use or be prompted by.
Visualise your calm self at the wheel
VisualisationPicture your 'Self' as a calm centre and the busy parts as advisors gathered around it. This image comes from the IFS model. Spend ten minutes there, letting the parts speak without letting any one of them drive.
10 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing visualisation before journaling
This is a strong combination because visualisation produces vivid scenes and aims that writing can then capture and further develop on the page.
Write down what each part said
JournalingWrite down what each loud part said and what the Self answered. Specific names if it helps: 'the planner', 'the perfectionist', 'the tired one'. One paragraph is enough.
10 min activityTime well spent.
50m spent doing something good for yourself.
The breakdown
Burst evaluation
Wellbeing focus
About this Burst
Richard C. Schwartz is an American psychotherapist and the creator of Internal Family Systems, a therapeutic model that understands the mind as made up of different “parts” and a core Self. He founded the IFS Institute and is the author of several books, including No Bad Parts and Introduction to Internal Family Systems.