My T does the "chair" thing almost every session. I talk to "myself" that sits in a chair- all my self-loathing thoughts. Then I switch roles / chairs and talk back to those thoughts, rebutting them. I struggle with it but do it because I do think it helps me get into the habit of recognizing those thoughts when they happen.

These thoughts that destroy our self-esteem are so habitual and engrained we often don't even realize that they're there guiding our emotions and actions. So yeah, I can see how it helps to do something to externalize them. Speaking them out loud removes their power.

Speaking back to them, with someone there for support, does help me realize that I can try and change the thought pattern.

it's like rewiring the brain. Studies have shown that associating a physical action , speaking out loud, sitting in a certain chair, with a thought pattern helps us to recongnize and reassign those habitual thoughts.

So yeah, it's silly but I'm all for it.