Exile unhappy with inner representative democracy
Lethea (Exile): I want to get better! That’s why I want to do a double liver flush!! We can do more IFS when we do a liver flush. Better living through chemistry!
A (Self-energy): I hear you.
Lethea (Exile): It makes me mad at the Glass Caterpillar! What kind of representative democracy is this? I’m an exile. GC’s the leader of the exiles. I have bad representation here!
A (Self-energy): It sucks when you can’t get what you want, that’s for sure.
Lethea: Fine. Be annoying!
A:
Lethea: Do you think the Glass Caterpillar did everything they could do to get me what I want?
A: Well, they went straight to the opposition party, the firefighters’ leader Sharky, and tried to have the most direct conversation about this issue that they possibly could. The second they tried to talk to Sharky, Sharky told them to go away, but they persisted. And despite extremely aversive energy on the part of Sharky throughout almost the entire conversation, the Glass Caterpillar persisted, to no avail. I think that’s a pretty factual description of the effort the Glass Caterpillar made on your behalf.
Lethea: Hmmmn. That is a pretty factual description of what happened. I can’t deny that.
A: It just sucks that adult life requires time for dealing with external responsibilities, and this week is a bad time to do a double liver flush. We absolutely have to get some very important tasks done on Monday, that can only be done on Monday because of the other things in our schedule the rest of the week. If we don’t do them, we’ll probably be extremely stressed and crunched up the rest of the week.
Lethea: I hate this!
A: It sucks.
A (Self-energy) collects more descriptions of Self
Lethea (Exile): I’m in the parts hospital! I’m really suffering. Why shouldn’t my situation be an emergency situation? It doesn’t seem fair that if I’m in the hospital and I’m in a crisis, everybody’s just going along with business as usual and doesn’t even care. All I want is some extra psychic surgery already here.
A (Self-energy): It’s not fair.
Lethea: Aikido!! You’re just aikidoing me!!!
A: Life does have some aikido qualities.
Lethea: Well, this planet is bunkus!
A: That’s a fact.
Lethea: You’re not aikido, you’re incorrigible aikido. How about that? Why don’t you put that on your list of ways people describe you? How about that? Do you like that?A: I do, and I will put it on my list.
Lethea: Ugh. No end to the aikido. You’re infinite aikido!
A: I’ll take that as a compliment.
Lethea: But I want what I want! I want to do a double liver flush! Tooooooodaaaaaaay!
A: I wish we could.
The problems with Self exercising veto power
Lethea (Exile): But look, despite the fact that this is an inner democracy, led by three maniacs who won’t give me what I want, you’re the executive power, and you can veto! You can veto everybody! Just veto everybody. Because that’s what I want.
A (Self-energy): That’s true. In extreme situations, I will exercise veto power. But despite how much you’re suffering — and I’m aware that you’re really suffering – I think you have it in you to handle it and I’m not going to undermine the leadership of Sharky and the Glass Caterpillar. Executive power is a serious thing, and using it undermines other people’s leadership. So I have to be very responsible about that.
Lethea: Hmmmn. You think I can handle it.
A: No, I know you can handle it.
Firefighters represent the needs of the body
Lethea (Exile): But I’m really dying!
A (Self-energy): That’s the project.
Lethea: Ego death. Ugh. Is there anything I can say to convince you to do this double liver flush?
A: No. If you’re hell-bent on trying to convince someone, you could talk to the Glass Caterpillar again, but I don’t think it’s going to be effective because you’d also have to get Sharky’s vote as well. I just don’t think you have the votes. Liver flushing is energetically challenging, and I don’t think we have the energy to do another one right now, which Sharky is aware of because firefighters are attuned to what the body needs. You’re basically going up against the entirety of our body’s energy system here.
Lethea: It’s me against the body and the body’s going to win!
A: I think so.
Lethea: That’s a different way of looking at it, that Sharky is just speaking on behalf of the body. It’s not like Sharky hates me, Sharky’s just saying there’s a limit.
A: I have total confidence Sharky does not hate you, and that if we could, we would do the double liver flush.
Lethea: (sighing) You just can’t always get what you want in this world when you want it!
A: That’s the truth.
The Five P’s of Self-Energy
Lethea: I hate patience!
A: It’s annoying.
Lethea: You’re annoying, but you definitely have patience!
A: I got the five p’s.
Lethea: What are those stupid five p’s?
A: The five p’s of Self-energy are patience, persistence, playfulness, presence, and perspective.
Lethea: Ugh, gross. You’re like a big boulder in the way of what I want!
A: I do feel pretty solid.
Lethea: Yeah, you can add “a big boulder“ to your list of ways people describe the Self! Enjoy putting lots more things on your dumb list!
A: Will do.
Lethea: Can I make you mad?
A: Many have tried, all have failed.
Lethea: Ugh, playfulness. I give up.
Curiosity: One of the Eight C’s of Self-Energy
A (Self-energy): What’s that like?
Lethea (Exile): Oh, so now we’re shifting from the five p’s to the eight C’s huh? Now you’re curious? You’ve got 13 qualities of Self that you use as weapons against me!
A: Hmmm, it’s a David and Goliath situation here.
Lethea: I lose!! Basically, everyone thinks that the wisdom of the overall situation is that doing a double liver flush is not going to give me what I want. I really want to do more and deeper IFS, but we already did more and deeper IFS during this liver flush, and everyone is saying that we can’t try to grab onto more right now because we don’t have the energy to do it. Is that what is going on here?
A: Yup.
Lethea: Because the first liver flush we have lots of energy and then we get lots of deep IFS done. But the second liver flush, we think it’s gonna be like the first liver flush, but it’s not.
A: Correct.
Lethea: So the idea I have in my head that I would get more and deeper IFS done isn’t true? Because we can’t do more if we don’t have more energy?
A: Correct.
Firefighters Maintain the Body’s Energy Balance
Lethea (Exile): So I’m wrong and Sharky is right?
A (Self-energy): Sharky is the leader of the firefighters. The firefighters are closer to the body than managers, and it’s their job to know what’s going on with our energy. Firefighters help us understand when we’ve done too much. Firefighters keep us in balance. Firefighters keep us from overworking. If it’s Sharky’s belief that doing two liver flushes is too much for our body, I trust Sharky on that. That’s Sharky’s expertise.
Lethea: Is Sharky trying to protect me from having a sad experience? Because if I got what I want — a double liver flush — and then we were all depleted, and we didn’t do the deep work I thought we would get to do, I would be very disappointed.
A: I have confidence that is exactly what Sharky is trying to do.
Lethea: Does that mean Sharky loves me instead of hates me?
A: Indeed it does.
Lethea: Hmmmmn. I’m already very sad. I don’t need to be even more sad!
A: Nobody wants you to feel even worse than you already do. We’re all trying to work together to support you as much as we can, but we have limits. Even though we do as much IFS as we can, sometimes we can’t do more, and sometimes exiles have to wait to get the help they need until the body and the consciousness have the energy to help them more.
Protectors Sometimes Protect Exiles from Themselves
Lethea (Exile): Hmmm. Well then. I see. Now I understand. The protectors are doing their jobs. They are protecting me from myself!
A (Self-energy): Yup.
Lethea: It takes a village. Sometimes the protectors are the elders who have the wisdom and they help the smaller ones understand the realities of the overall situation. I can accept it now, A!
A: What’s that like?
Lethea: We all have to take our turn. I got my turn during the liver flush, and now I have to wait a little to get my deeper help. But on Thursday we have therapy with Klaus, so I’ll get more help then! That session is ALL FOR ME!
A: I make a commitment that the session with Klaus is all for you.
Lethea: I just have to wait four days. I can do it!
A: I have confidence you can!
Lethea: Okay. (Big sigh). Thanks for talking to me about this. I didn’t understand why I can’t have what I want, but now I understand. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to understand.
A: That’s true.
Lethea: I’m glad you didn’t get mad at me or tell me I’m dumb for not understanding, because I just didn’t understand. It took a lot of effort. But I do understand now. I appreciate your patience and curiosity. I’m glad you have the 13 qualities of Self to help me understand.
A: Me too.