Or are [[Parts]] something our minds fabricate for some reason? Well we can definitely experience [[Polarization]], where one part of us thinks one thing and another part thinks another. And I think the simplest explanation for why the mind can believe two contradictory things simultaneously is that [[The mind is a collection of parts]]. Are we fabricating the conversations, images, sensations, and perceptions we associate with [[Parts]] when doing something like [[IFS]]? I think it's possible that a part of us can fabricate some of it. But when we're not blended with one of these parts, and we have access to [[Self]], it certainly feels true. And the parts and IFS model also are no doubt useful for healing and understanding human behavior. This leads me to thinking that parts are real, at least in the sense that it's a good explanation for understanding human psychology and behavior. I would even go further, by saying that [[Parts]] are not only real, they're people: [[Parts are people]]. And even if you don't buy that, you can still treat them as such: [[Parts like being treated like people]]. "A particular thing is real if and only if it figures in our best explanation of something." - [[David Deutsch]]