[Lucinda]

does anyone know anything about chosing a object that reflects your inner child? i need to find somthing to take into group t next week and i dont really ubderstand much about it

[sunrise]

How about choosing something with a lot of meaning to your inner child but not necessarily to the adult you? Or something specific to the child?

In my sessions, we worked for a while with a particular ego state of mine from when I was a little girl. This ego state had particular traumatic memories that had been inaccessible to me for decades. Interestingly, she also had some other inaccessible memories that were not traumatic, and it was kind of cool to recover these too. For example, she knew how to build complicated houses of cards, as she had spent hours and hours doing this. So if it was my assignment to take an object to represent this ego state, I would probably take a playing card, maybe the queen of hearts. (Of course, ego states are not equivalent to the inner child, but you get the idea.)

I hope you will share with us what you choose.

[Lucinda]

thanks sunrise,

I had walked into a shop and seen a knitted toy mishapened on purpose and all i keep thinking about is that. I doent have any real meaning but i really liked it. Is that the kind of thing im after or should it have more meaning?

hey. yeah, i think the idea is that it is something meaningful to your kid.

do you know much about your kid? what kinds of things she likes? could be something that reminds her of a nice memory...

e.g., if you used to skip stones then a stone that is good for skipping could be a nice thing for her.

if you keep thinking about the doll... then that sounds perfect :-)

do you know why it feels right for her?

[Lucinda]

no i dont , but then i havent really looked at the inner child before

it can be hard... i think my kid likes stuff that i used to like as a kid. it is hard for me to find nice memories... but she really likes swinging. and riding on the bus.

sometimes it isn't about stuff that i liked as a kid so much as stuff that makes me feel happy in a childlike way right now. so maybe i like to draw or paint or something like that. or i like fish or something.

don't know if this helps.

if you keep thinking about the doll then maybe it is something that she likes and maybe you don't know why. that is okay too.

[Lucinda]

A K it does help, i think i am going to get the doll, maybe when i have it ill know more why i have brought it

[Perna]

I had a miniature stuffed bear with arms/legs/head that moved and a jester's cap and coat.

Maybe we should form a company, "Inner Child Toys" :-)

Here's some ideas?

http://www.cherylrainfield.com/artic...hild-play.html

[Lucinda]

Thanks perna, i liked the crayon idea. i might set aside some time to draw but buy myself some nice crayons first

Lucy

I just wanted to pipe in and say that I love crayons!

I am over 50 and when I had some major surgery this past summer, my coworkers put together a gift bag of things to do while I recouperated. One friend remembered how I laughed and 'confessed my little secret', that I still love to color. And no little ones in the family to color with anymore.. sigh. So, in the gift bag there was a box of crayons and a coloring book!! Too funny! And, yes, I did use them! Just the feel and smell of crayons makes me feel like a kid again.

ECHOES

[pegasus]

Hello Lucinda,

Choose something that 'feels' right for you.

It can be a cuddly toy, doll, pen, crystal, whatever makes you feel safe, secure or feels comforting.

Good luck!

[dalila]

<font color="green">I have a bear that I found shortly after my therapy got deep.

I still sleep with it. It is comforting to me and helps me to feel love for the younger me. Most of the time I hated myself and I hated that part of me that was so hurt.

I think whatever speaks to you is what you should get and bring into therapy. I had no ideal when I bought my bear that it would become important to me - I just knew I had to have it. My therapist helped me to see that I needed to accept it and me.</font>

[Lucinda]

thankyou, i went round a toy shop yesterday but nothing appealed to me. I think its going to be this knitted toy i saw. This thread has been really helpful

Thankyou

:-)

we have a baby wombat named 'mouse'

:-)

(cause he looks quite a lot like the picture of the mouse with the 'obesity gene' that you find in psych txt books sometimes)

;-)

looks like this except its a stuffed toy:

http://educ.csmv.qc.ca/mgrparent/vie...wombat%201.jpg

http://www.umass.edu/neuro/faculty/files/goodphotos.jpg
(looks a little like KO imho)