Quote:
Originally Posted by dizgirl2011
Hi,
I was wondering for those of you who are working on your inner child, or who have done in the past, what type of activities did you do in therapy, aside from talking about your inner child? Did you do anything else to help that part of you during your sessions? E.g. play a game or something like that perhaps?
This question could also sort of be asked of those with DID who have child identities within which may come out during sessions?
I am just wanting to open up the ideas of alternative things to do during the session for inner child work?
Thanks  |
Do you mean inner child as in that feelings, behaviors you get sometimes that reminds you of your childhood that every body regardless of mental disorder or not has, or are you using the term inner child for alternate personalities.
my therapist worked differently according to which it was..
with my alternate personalities she worked first on trying to establish communication, team work and trauma work with their traumatic memories, feelings.
after I was integrated and no longer had alternate personalities that were separate from me my therapist and I had times when we worked on inner child work meaning we were working on those times when I would feel like I did when I was a child. example I used in a thread on inner child work in the psychotherapy boards was one day I was eating an apple. a tooth fell out (the glamourous world of having dental bridges sometimes the false tooth will break free from the metal "bridge" attaching it to the two teeth on either side of it) So there I was eating an apple, my tooth fell out and I felt like I did when I was a kid - excited about the tooth fairy coming tonight lol.
this situation didnt need my therapists help I just reminded myself I wasnt a child anymore and no tooth fairy was coming then I placed the tooth in a baggie and called my dentist for an emergency appointment to have it anchored back in.
with more emotionally charged situations where I felt those pains, emotions / feelings from childhood my therapist would have me close my eyes, think about what I was like from back then, imagine Im in the room with the me I was back when those pains, emotions, feelings were stemming from, and tell that image of myself what I needed to hear, what I had wished the adults in my life would have said and done.
example -
Hi amanda, come sit here with me, may I hold you, no ok can I put my arm around you, you know problems get bigger if you dont talk about them and fix them but they go away if you tell someone and they help you fix that problem. whats the problem I would like to help you...
what ever I said to that mental image of myself as a child depended upon what was going on at the time.
worked for me and those past memories/feelings/ emotions from my childhood so that they would no longer affect my adult life.
