Self energy–that is “self” with a capital “S” as that call it in Internal Family Systems–is the place we must come to in order to truly heal our parts and shift our inner landscape. So what is Self energy exactly and why would someone want to access it? What does it mean to be able to oscillate between our parts and Self and why would cultivating that skills benefit us? And most importantly, how does one cultivate Self energy?
What is Self?
Within the Internal Family Systems model, Self is the most important feature when it comes to truly healing; truly shifting the narratives the parts hold tight and freeing them from the shackles of the roles they’ve been forced into. We call upon Self as the primary resource to capacitate the inner world and hold the space for deep liberation to unfold within the system. So what is Self? Self is the part that is not a part. It holds no preferences, judgments or agendas. It is the place we can always go within to fill up our cup when we are thirsty, exhausted, trigged, and under-resourced and need replenishment. It is the place that has access to libraries of wisdom; it has lived many lives before and will live many more lives. It is the seat of the soul, the spirit within, the intuition. Every ancient wisdom has a name for this space which takes up residence in the low belly area, just below the belly button and energetically, in the center of the body. In the Ancient Chinese lineage, it is referred to as Dantian, which translates to the “elixir field”. The Buddhists saw this as the space that encompasses the Buddha nature we are all trying to awaken, with different buddhist lineages giving this space a different name. The Zen masters call it the Hara, literally Japanese for “low belly”, but translates into a much deeper spiritual phenomena. The Tantric Hinduism and Kundalini Yogic lineages call it Svadhishthana, meaning “dwelling place of the Self” in Sanskrit. And Western psychotherapists within Internal Family Systems call it Self energy. It is in its most simple essence, the storehouse for our creative energy and life force that we can access at any time. It is always abundant, radiant, and resourced. It is in other words, the divinity that resides within. It is the God we are all a mirror of and the light that we all have inside. It is our direct connection to the divine and thus the world around us; it’s what bridges all lifeforms and the cosmos, connecting us to the oneness that resides at the root of all existence. 
Why would we want to access Self?
At its core, Self is what we are all trying to access in this human experience. Many humans have lost their connection to Self energy and thus their parts run the show, keeping the nervous system on high and keeping one disconnected from who they are, what they want, and what they care about. Life feels foggy, confusing and unclear. But mostly, being disconnected from Self energy is just overwhelming as it puts the system into constant overdrive. And when we are disconnected from this essence, we feel a deep void and a loss of purpose. It is the space that brings us clarity and helps us stay curious about the world around us and when we don’t have practices that help us retrieve the wisdom of Self, we can feel hardened, bored, and stuck or stagnant. We’re all looking for it, but most of us don’t know exactly what it is we’ve been looking for. It is the place we are all on the hunt to remember. It’s why we hike or run miles upon miles or ski fast through the back country. It’s where musicians go when they look like they’ve left this planet. It’s why we come to our mat in yoga or meditate. It’s why we dance and why we sing. It’s “flow state” for some of us and a lot of us have found our own ways of getting a taste of that sense of Self and remembrance. However, we just get a taste and don’t often have access to that flow state or life force essence in our day to day experiences. So in a perfect world, we would all have practices that bring us back to this state of centered connection and grounded comfort of inner knowing. When we cultivate a connection to Self, we tap into trust. We trust in ourselves and in the organization of the divine universe to have our back. We learn we are not doing it all alone when we are supported by Self.