🕯️ Understanding the Six F’s and Five P’s of Self in Practice

The Six F’s and Five P’s are more than steps or traits — they are two living rhythms of IFS. Together, they show how Self meets the system: curious first, compassionate always, and patient enough to stay.

The Six F’s — Find, Focus, Flesh Out, Feel Toward, Befriend, Fears — guide the process of relationship. They move you from noticing a part to knowing it, from analysis to connection. Each F is a breath in the dance of discovery.

The Five P’s — Presence, Patience, Perspective, Playfulness, Persistence — describe the quality of Self that makes that dance safe. They are how Self feels when it’s leading.

In practice, they weave together.You

• Find a part with Presence,

• Focus with Patience,

• Befriend with Playfulness,

• stay through its Fears with Persistence and Perspective.

When these two frameworks unite, IFS becomes less a method and more a way of being — a relational flow where Self and parts meet in mutual respect, healing unfolding at the pace of trust.