Do you curl up into a ball during therapy?

I find myself needing to do that very frequently but I don't because I'm embarrassed. This happens when I talk about my mother and somehow I just want to make myself as small as possible and hide my face in my knees. Some topics (like my family) literally induce a hollow feeling in my chest and I have to get into the fetal position to feel safer. I do believe that I may be able to share more if I get over the embarrassment of "regressing to childhood" as I tend to avoid bringing certain things up now due to feeling vulnerable/exposed. Do you do this too and what has your T's reaction been?

Ugh. Tell me about it. I am the same way. It could be about anything. I just sit on the floor. My T plays games with me sometimes or we throw a ball to get me out of that phase.

No. But I don't really want to curl up in a ball anywhere. It sounds completely unsafe to me.

I often get terrified to move in therapy when I get triggered, so though I want to curl up and hide, I generally don't. I may hide behind a pillow, or my hair, or under the hood of my sweater...
I think a lot of people have trouble with vulnerability and shame. It's just one of those universal things that most people freak out over yet very few share...
Whatever works to help you get through the tough stuff is generally ok, as long as it also falls under the "safe" category...

I do my best work in T when I'm curled up in a ball. I feel safer and it makes it easier to talk.

No, I haven't curled up into a ball but I have felt like it a few times. I'm like you, I was too embarrassed to do it. I always thought it would be helpful if I had a pillow or stuffed animal to hug on during therapy. When I went to the psych hospital once I did take a stuffed animal with me that helped me sooth myself, so I would think that it would work during therapy. Now, though, I'm not doing such intense therapy and don't feel the need or I would take my own now. I'm much less concerned with embarrassment now than I was when I was younger.

I very much like the idea of throwing a ball. I would find it difficult to be over-whelmed when playing catch.

Always curl up in a ball against my t, makes it easier to talk.
When we are on the same sidee of the planet, that is.

Never have.

New t's chairs are to small.

Kinda...as ball curled you can get sitting in a chair. And I usually hide my face with my hands. Yep, this 40+ year old feels ya!

Always. Even now with snow on the ground I wear shoes I can slip in and out of because my feet are never on the floor. Been seeing T 9 months, and every session I take up as little space as I can. I also sleep in the fetal position. At 40. LOL

As a teen I saw this one T and I was sitting on her couch and I slowly start lying on my side and curling up into fetal position. As I was doing it she said, "C'mon sit up like you've got some balls." or something like that. If I was in college I would have been offended by that.

Wow!! I am quite offended by that. How can a T say this to a client in need of support?? I would completely shut down if my T said that to me.

I'm too tall to curl up. My legs wouldn't fit and it would just look/feel weird.

I'm too strong to curl up. I have to present this front. Smile when talking about pain. Laugh instead of cry. Sit up straight and try not to slide off her slick chair.

She probably thinks I'm quite insane!

I sit as tight as I can. It's interesting though, the past 3 sessions I have been all over the place with my sitting arrangement. Lying down, curled up, bent over in a ball... I wonder what I should make of this or what she does. I intrigue myself sometimes.

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I have never done it, but I have certainly felt like it emotionally. I would love to curl up into a ball and have T put her arm around me to make me feel safe and comforted. However, that just isn't how therapy works with my T. I'm sure she would let me curl up into a ball if I really wanted to-- but without her putting a hand on my shoulder or doing something comforting it would end up making me feel disappointed or unsupported. So, for me, it just isn't the right thing to do in my therapy. But I can totally relate to the feeling!

No. I don't think I could fidget comfortably if I was in a ball.

I'm exactly like this too. I hold back the tears even in therapy and most likely somewhere along the line, I've managed to block out the trauma of the memories. So instead of a "normal" expected reaction I flippantly discuss these things with gallows humour. For me, the act of kicking off my shoes and bringing my feet up onto the chair is the insurmountable barrier. I'm sure that if I get over that first bit I wouldn't have a problem with hugging my knees and rocking back and forth.

I can relate.

It's not that I necessarily want to curl up into a ball, but I wish I could hide my face or just hide behind a giant stuffed animal because I'm often too ashamed.
It would be nice to have a huge pillow but my therapist hasn't got any, just very small ones. Besides, they're hers and it would feel weird.

For three sessions I brought my cuddle bear with me and it made me feel safe to be able to hold it in my arms but I stopped doing it because I see my therapist before going to work and the stuffed animal was too big for my purse and as I take public transport to go to work, I couldn't explain its presence with me to my colleagues.

I didn't want them to think I was insane.

OMG I'd never bring a stuffed animal. I used to use a pillow in her office, but she now uses it. Sometimes I use my coat. But I'm usually sitting on the couch facing the wall instead of her anyway. I'm a big time hider. But one time she asked me "how old are you right now?" I'm like WTF? I was kind of offended by that. I told her my age. She said "are you sure?" She thought I dissociated to a child version of myself. No, I don't do any of that. I looked at her like she was on crack. She knows I collect Garfield stuff....and my office was a Garfield shrine. I saw no trouble with that. But she thought it inhibited my growth or something...that I was spending too much time in a "child's room." I actually did listen to her and packed up my entire Garfield stuff collection. I won't get rid of it, but I will put it away for now. So if I went in there holding a teddy bear, she'd be expecting me to stick my thumb in my mouth at any second, I'm afraid.

I always curl up in a ball. I take a blanket with me so I can wrap it around me so I do not put my feet on her couch. I feel safer if I am curled up.

Yes! I bring a blanket to every session to use to cover myself/my face if I feel small in session. Which is nearly every single session

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I tend to cup my hands and gaze into them. I think we've all got things we do for protection /defence.