[DePressMe]

I am sometimes bothered by negative intrusive thoughts. It seems like they come and I have no control over them. When I am having them I get so tired I have a tough time making it through the day. Of course, it helps when I take my medicine!

My therapist and I had an interesting session. She had me draw out my intrusive thoughts. I drew several bright starburst shapes each with a dark center. The dark center is the intrusive thought and the bright starburst is my energy. Its like the dark intrusive thoughts take my energy and use it to manipulate me and my thoughts. That’s why I get so tired--my energy is being sucked out of me by the negative thoughts. We then imagined separating my energy from the dark center and allowing the energy to flow back to me. I envisioned putting the dark centers in a baggie and sticking them in the freezer. In some ways I was trying to separate myself from the thoughts and put them away where I can take them out one by one when I want to work on them. I don't think I can just throw them away because they will just come back and start sucking away my energy. So, now, when the thoughts come I try to imagine taking back my energy and then putting the dark centers in the freezer. I know it sounds a little weird, but just trying to ignore the thoughts does not work. Anybody else ever do weird stuff like this?

[sunrise]

That sounds really interesting, DePressMe. I haven't done anything like that in therapy, but it sounds intriguing and helpful, especially for the visually oriented person. My daughter does art therapy but I don't know if it if similar or not. When I get negative thoughts and don't want them, I don't just ignore them (as you said you were unable to do), I push them away or actively leave them. This is kind of like what you were doing, I think, with the pictures, but only more concretely. Very creative.

The dark centers.... sound like black holes.

[Lemon]

That sounds like a really interesting session. My T has hinted that when I'm ready we'll try art therapy. I also like the imagery aspect of this (I may hijack the image you used because I really like it, even the whole putting the negative away in the freezer). Have you ever read the book Kitchen Table Wisdom? The author talks a lot about experiences using imagery with clients, you may what to check it out.

I used to imagine myself kicking the %#@&#! out of a panic attack. I didn't draw it, but visually, I created what I thought a panic attack would look like. It was a monster of some sorts. He was a brown, blobby shape, with lots of scribbles on his body. He had arms and legs. So whenever I would start to panic, I would visualize this little panic attack guy and then I would visualize myself kicking the ever-living %#@&#! out of him. It really did work. I was able to visualize myself literally fighting and beating a panic attack, and in turn, it helped with the true attacks.

Thanks a lot for posting this DePress. I had forgotton all abou that. What you did in therapy, combined with my little panic-attack blobby guy memory, just gave me a really good idea of an activity to use with my patients in group therapy this week.

[DePressMe]

Thanks sunrise, lemon and pinksoil. Lemon, I’ll see if the library has the book.

My T does have me draw and imagine things a lot…It is creative and I think it really does help.

[Caramee]

WARNING:

Please forgive me for going off on an unrelated tangent on your thread, DePress, but I was skimming Pinksoil's post and all that really registered clearly were the first and last sentences. So, I concluded that Pinksoil said, "Thanks DePress, you gave me a good idea of what to do with my patients in group therapy this week -- I am going to kick the %#@&#! out of them!"

Of course, I then reread it more carefully, but that really gave me a chuckle.

OK, sorry to get off topic, but I just had to share that. Please resume your discussion without my bizarre interruptions . . .

[DePressMe]

Thats hilarious Caramee...thanks for sharing!

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Caramee said:
I was skimming Pinksoil's post and all that really registered clearly were the first and last sentences. So, I concluded that Pinksoil said, "Thanks DePress, you gave me a good idea of what to do with my patients in group therapy this week -- I am going to kick the %#@&amp;#! out of them!"


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HAHAHAHA, amazing

[Lemon]

If you decide to look for the book at the library, the author's name is Rachel Naomi Remen. Some of her work is on the mind/body connection and has tried to develop psychological approaches for people with life-threatening diseases among other things. She's a physician turned therapist. Let me know if you read the book.