Hi Lucille! Thanks so much for doing this, I was unfamiliar with IFS until today, but after reading through this AMA I think I might be doing something similar with my own methods.

A quick summary of what I've done for the past decade or so: Early on, right after graduating from high school, I identified a part (I didn't consider them one at the time). Having been interested in Jungian psychology, I tried to bring them out and classify them in a way that I understood. I'm also very affected (and enthralled) by color psychology, so I attempted to combine this part with the color I felt best represented it both conceptually and emotionally, and Green was reified. After a bit of struggle, I found a way (by wearing a green beanie) to express Green comfortably, and I decided a schedule (the beginnings of my color calendar) would be best to structure and familiarize myself with Green. I got to know and feel Green quite well, with all of their habits and coping mechanisms, but they didn't encompass everything that I was, and I knew that. So I forged onward. Today I have seven Colors (each with their own hat) that each correspond to a unique persona. Most of them (besides the two extremes - Red and Violet - or exiles, as they might be called in IFS) I can express easily wherever I am, and I've developed my schedule into something a bit more complex, but something that I'm comfortable with.

I've had trouble trying to identify what exactly it is that I'm doing and why it makes me feel better, and I feel like IFS is the most similar in theory that I've found. However, to me, my parts are more than just a way to cope, I cherish them and thinking about integrating them all into my Self makes me uncomfortable. They help me function and maybe, once they all get along, I can meld them together, but I'm not sure how to go about getting them all to agree, since they can have drastically different ideologies that each serve their utility in different situations.

So after all that and this recent revelation regarding IFS, I'm wondering: Is total integration with the Self really the true end goal? Am I supposed to say goodbye to these parts of me I wholly identify with that are each so unique? I don't want to be alone in my head, I enjoy the growing camaraderie and rapport from my Colors and I feel that if I brought everything together, attributes would cancel out and I would simply feel Grey.

PS - sorry about the wall of text, this can be difficult for me to talk about with others but I got really excited with the similarities to IFS, and I'd be grateful to hear a professional's thoughts on the matter.

Maybe I should just book a session.