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Old Sep 14, 2011, 07:19 PM
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sunrise sunrise is offline
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Member Since: Jan 2007
Location: U.S.
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My T and I have done ego state therapy, which you can do with any ego state, including the child ones. ("The inner child" is an ego state.) We don't do any special activities. Usually I just act as the liaison between T and the ego state, reporting to T the child's thoughts or words or posing T's comments or questions to her. So "conversation" would be the main activity. T has also worked with me to teach me to comfort and console ego states who may need it, so I have done comforting in therapy too, like taken the child into my arms, said comforting words to her, etc. T likes me to report back to him so he is in the loop. What did you say to her? How did she respond? Did she say anything back? What is she thinking? He can get pretty insistent with wanting to know what is happening, LOL.

At one time, it was one of my non-child ego states that my T wanted to work with and I could get him to make an appearance in therapy by thinking about a certain thing or reading a certain letter or email I had that made him angry. I could "provoke" him into appearing by upsetting him with these things. I hated doing that. Not nice. But it was fast and worked. You can't just always command states to appear and have them manifest. So it was a trick. But I didn't like it. I don't do that anymore.

Dizgirl, I think you will find what works for you with the "inner child" you are working with. I have heard of the trick of writing with your non-dominant hand, but you will probably discover other ways too that work for you and your child. What sorts of activities do you do with your inner child in your therapy?

Good luck.
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