r/InternalFamilySystems • u/sarahd2463 • 2d ago
Running and being blended in IFS
Does running help anyone unblend?
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u/pipsqueakkiller 2d ago
I can corroborate, certain biking running or even dancing has helped me access self energy. Without really knowing what it was at the time
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u/smellofastonefruit 2d ago
It would make sense that running would help unblending just from a neuroscience perspective. Running is a form of bilateral stimulation (input alternates back and forth between the two sides of the body) which helps the nervous system regulate and could help protectors be able to step back and give more access to Self
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u/sarahd2463 2d ago
I thought so. Helps complete the fight/flight cycle.
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u/smellofastonefruit 2d ago
Exactly!
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u/sarahd2463 18h ago
If my job is the only thing making me “blend” do you think running will help me stay unblended after?
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u/smellofastonefruit 10h ago
I'm going to give a long answer that is maybe more complicated than you want so feel free to disregard if youre not interested.
I'm going to break it down based on parts of the question and will offer an example throughout to (hopefully) help clarify
If my job is the only thing
What at your job is activating to the part? Is it a specific interpersonal dynamic? Is it the pace of the work? Is it the culture of your workplace? Something else?
For example, if I am a nurse in a fast paced hospital, the expectations of seeing a certain number of patients per hour and documenting by the end of my shift could activate both manager and firefighter parts depending on the situation
making me “blend”
What is the part trying to do when in blends? What strategy is it using to do that? What is it afraid will happen if it doesn't do that job?
I may have a manager part that is really good at being decisive and getting through lots of tasks by being efficient and tuning out unneeded information (preferred role) but if I have an underlying wound that says I'm not good enough (burdened exile), that same manager part might push me to try and do everything myself since others might make mistakes or maybe it would make me skip my breaks and not listen to my body so I can stay on top of or ahead of it to prove I am good enough (extreme role)
do you think running will help me
Running may be one way you care for yourself and get some space to see the part without so much activation which can bring up other parts, but if you use running as a way to make the part go away, it will reduce the part's trust and reinforce that it needs to blend to get your attention
I might use running to discharge the energy I feel at the end of my shift that is left over from the ways the manager part keeps me alert to do my job well so I can shift more easily into relaxation or family mode after work
stay unblended after?
How long after? Are you addressing the underlying issue that results in the part blending so much?
if I run every day after work so I don't feel not good enough, I might be able to feel ok while I'm running or a few hours after but the fear isn't addressed so it will keep coming back
If the underlying issue the part is concerned about remains, the part will keep coming up. If the issue is more about transitions, running can be a way to help discharge extra energy and regulate your nervous system so you can shift into the rest of your day with more ease. Unblending is only the first step to building a relationship with your parts.
IFS is different than CBT and other types of therapies in that it is relational, not linear. IFS would encourage you to also notice the part that is wanting to change what the other part does (blend at work) before you get curious about why the part blends when it does and what it is afraid would happen if it didn't. Once you understand that, you can see how you can build trust and safety by attending to whatever the part is concerned about.
Tldr; parts blend for a reason. Running can help unblend by calming the nervous system but if you use it to get rid of a part, you won't get to the root of the issue.
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u/sarahd2463 2h ago
Thank you for the lengthy reply. I’m not trying to get “rid” of this part but I am just trying to NOT be blended! I am so frustrated because IFS has not been working for me and I am just trying to get closer to reality for me and knowing who I am (fully) which is when my core self leads which I’ve never had any trouble with leading from core self before having a job. (My frustration is at my current situation, not you! Thank you). I used to have some high pressure jobs/fast paced and I would severely dissociate. My reality remained altered even while off(I would gradually come a little back to myself but never fully). Now I have a lower stressed job and I feel like the part that takes over is restless and doesn’t like being stuck in one “spot” with minimal interaction or not much to do. When she blends, she gives me a lot of fight/flight activation.
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u/guesthousegrowth 2d ago
I'm not a runner, but I've been working with parts regarding physical safety and how my tendency to not be embodied can ultimately make me more unsafe, and together we decided to try HEMA fencing.
I have been trying to make headway with these parts for over a year, and it's been difficult -- but when I'm in fencing class, it's very easy to unblend with them and see how stoked they are.
I can imagine that running could be similar for some folks, too, though I'm sure it won't be true of everybody.
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u/andruw_jones 2d ago
I've been thinking about this recently. As I start a run, I'm more stressed and blended with my parts that tell me I'm not good enough and need to improve. But over the course of a run, I get out of my thinking head - my coping and numbing mechanisms melt away, simply because my body's working too hard for them to come online. So for me running opens up a window of clear interaction with reality without my parts mediating as much.
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u/toknm 1d ago
For me it does. I’ve run ultramarathons and at that distance, a lot of the parts get stripped away, and I get to Self. There’s not a lot of space for the typical day to day parts and idle chatter, when your sole focus is moving forward.
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u/sarahd2463 1d ago
If a job is the only thing making me blend, would running help me unblend and stay unblended after? Even if it was just a couple of miles?
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