Authors: Judith Drake, Flick Grey
Year: 2018
Event: 2018 TheMHS Conference
Subject: Hearing the Whispers Within: Acknowledging & working with (your own) inner children
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract: From the historical “child archetype” of Carl Jung to the voice dialogue work of Hal & Sidra Stone, to the ground-breaking work of trauma therapists like Janina Fischer, there has long been a belief that adults can have fragmented, dissociated or internal parts, or alternate senses of ‘self’ that can include younger, child-like parts. This experience can occur on a continuum from simply wanting to embrace one’s youthfulness right though to adaptive trauma responses like Dissociative Identity Disorder, and everything in between. However our society doesn’t offer us many opportunities to actively and deliberately embrace our younger, child-like parts. Hence we are denied opportunities to explore, embrace, ‘re-parent’, and even enjoy, these parts of ourselves. This workshop aims to provide a safe place to explore the concept of “Littlies”, give yourself permission to embrace all parts of yourself, and to find healthy ways to include them in your daily life to promote well-being and fun, within a trauma-informed, person-centred framework. So in amongst all the grown-up conferencing of TheMHS, give yourself permission to take some time out & come play! Workshop Format: - Introduction - Theoretical constructs (e.g. Voice Dialogue, Attachment Theory, Trauma Theory) - Mental Health perspectives (e.g. dissociation, Hearing Voices Approach, complex trauma, narrative therapies, creative art therapy) - Why it’s important to acknowledge and recognise ALL parts of ourselves & why they exist - What happens when we neglect these parts of ourselves - Grief, shame & trauma - Ways of including your own inner parts in your everyday life - Assertiveness and boundaries - Practical Exercise (optional) - Brainstorming activity: Things our little parts like to do - Ways of working with others to encourage them to embrace their “Littlies” - Potential challenges when working with younger parts and things to be mindful of - Encouraging use of chill-out spaces/sensory modulation techniques/self-care strategies in mainstream mental health - Re-grounding and re-orientating - strategies to use
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