Posted by fallsfall on October 24, 2003, at 6:55:42
In reply to Re: DBT skills manual, posted by Dinah on October 23, 2003, at 20:16:28
I liked the first part of the Skills Manual, too, for the same reason, Dinah. That was really the first time that I felt that someone else knew what it was like to be me. And the best part was that she also had a solution!
But my favorite part is the emotion lists in the back. I typed them into my computer and then printed them out and cut them apart so each word is on a different little piece of paper. I call it "Emotional Confetti". I even put the different emotion types on different color paper (pastels - red was love, blue was sadness, etc). Then you put them in a cup and shake and do the confetti thing. Sift through the words to find the ones that match you today. Most fun with a friend (but make sure you have two sets so you can each have a copy of the word you want).
I took two Dunkin Donuts cups. In one I put a little platform on top of a spring. The other had a stick that would push the platform down when the two cups were put end to end together. I filled it with emotional confetti and brought it to my session. I gave the cups to my therapist and asked her to take the top cup off. She did and the spring pushed the platform up and spewed the confetti all over her floor. That is how I was feeling - if I opened even a crack, all of these pent up emotions were going to explode uncontrollably all over the place. She got the message. And then... I was mortified that I had caused her office floor to be covered in little pieces of paper. I wanted to pick them up - I didn't want to dirty her world. But she made me sit in my chair and tolerate the mess. It was awful. I did clean up before I left. It was a great session.
The last time I was in the hospital, I took a wooden birdcage kit and made a small box with a hidden chamber protected by an airlock, like they have in submarines. I made the words "Anger" and "Rage" out of the alphabet bead that you use for necklaces. These went in the chamber. On top of the chamber went the emotional confetti. Then I put the top on the box. I made a "brain" that fit over the box out of "clay" (I had to try a couple of kinds before I found one that would work). I blew up a balloon and molded the brain over the balloon. I tried to put brain like markings on it, it was good that everyone had an imagination, and painted it grey. For the unveiling, I took a hammer to shatter the brain (break through my intellectualizations) and get to the emotions underneath. Of course, I made a really strong brain and I couldn't break it with the hammer (glad for the imaginations...). It was easy to take the top off the box and see the "easy" emotions. But then I cleared away the easy emotions to reveal a protected chamber, and from that chamber I could release the emotions that I hide away.
Art Therapy. Inspired by DBT.
poster:fallsfall
thread:272353
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20031011/msgs/272603.html