While IFS describes Self in psychological language, many spiritual traditions point to the same reality in different words: Atman, Buddha-nature, the soul, Christ consciousness. Jung also called it the Self — the archetype of wholeness and the deeper totality of who we are, beyond the ego. Transpersonal psychology refers to it as the innate healing intelligence. In the perennial philosophy, it is the one luminous reality at the core of all beings. However it is named, all traditions agree: within each of us lives a sacred presence that is untouched by trauma and always available as a source of healing and guidance.

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IFS offers a practical path to access this inner resource. It helps us create space from our parts so the Self can step forward. The Self relates to all parts with compassion and curiosity, and in that relationship, transformation occurs. A Buddhist image compares the path to a two-winged bird: one wing is awareness, the other is love — both are needed to fly. In IFS, Self provides both: the awareness to see our parts clearly and the love to embrace them fully.

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This process is not new — it echoes ancient ways of healing found in many cultures. In shamanic traditions, the healer journeys to retrieve lost soul parts and call them home. In mystical Christianity, there is the return of the prodigal son; in Buddhist practice, the embrace of all beings with compassion. IFS embodies this universal pattern: welcoming back every part of ourselves under the guidance of the Self — our inner healer — so we can live in greater alignment with the sacred.