Patanjali's vritti (thought-waves) map directly onto the multiplicity of internal parts, each generating its own mental patterns and reactive cycles that IFS seeks to understand and harmonize.
In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali describes vritti as the fluctuations and modifications of the mind—the constant stream of thoughts, emotions, and impulses that arise unbidden. These vritti are not unified; they emerge from different substrates of consciousness and often contradict one another. This teaching directly parallels the Internal Family Systems model, where each part generates its own perspective, desire, and defensive strategy. By recognizing vritti as natural mental phenomena rather than truth itself, practitioners learn to observe their internal parts with the same witnessing awareness Patanjali prescribes. In Parts work, this perspective transforms reactive cycles: instead of being hijacked by a part's vritti, you develop the capacity to notice it, name it, and create space between awareness and reaction. This is the foundation of psychological freedom—not eliminating parts, but achieving mastery over the mental fluctuations they generate.
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