• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Why is this therapy assignment so hard?

Status
Not open for further replies.
So my therapist wants me to work on "finding my voice." My assignment last week was to "notice" and write down things I want and things I like. I guess I was very general in saying the things I like (being outside, researching things, writing, etc.). She wants me to notice "little" things that I liked throughout the week, and I am having the hardest time with this! What are some "little" things that you like? I just need some examples ... I promise I won't copy! :P
 
The sound of the birds, the way each drop of dew looks like a rainbow when the sun hits it, the ability to take a breath each time I need to, the dance of the leaves falling from the trees, the crunch of said leaves underfoot as I walk through the woods, the refreshing taste of the liquids I choose to hydrate with, feeling my cells dancing in delight when I'm consistent with my self-care, feeling the corners of my mouth curling upward at the sight of kindness being shared, etc., etc.
 
The sound of the birds, the way each drop of dew looks like a rainbow when the sun hits it, t...
Love this! Very poetic too. :)

I forgot to add that she also wants me to write dislikes. She was having a hard time explaining it to me. I think she wasn't expecting me to be so confused ... haha. She said, "What do you dislike in the world?" And she gave the example of politics and things like that.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
When I'm doing really badly I don't want anything. Literally. Including food -not hungry- warm clothes -I'm not cold- etc. So even my needs barely register. I DO get to the point where I want to drink, or want to use a bathroom. And if I've got them around I can usually be drug into wanting -or being pissed off at not having- other needs based things. It's an uncomfortable place to be in, wanting things. So when I'm not doing well I usually want nothing, and then anything I do have is a bonus.

When I'm doing a little bit better I can start wanting things that need actioning. That requires a general trust in both my ability to obtain them, and the belief that an hour from now is real. Or a week from now. But it usually starts off fairly small. That it's worth going to the effort to make X happen, because in an hour I'll still want it, and IF I try to make it happen, I'll probably succeed.
 
haha my therapist always gives me crap for looking for answers/others opinion. Trust yourself. This is about you and what YOU like. There are no wrong answers in whatever you write. Consider when you were in school and your teacher gave you feedback on a test to elaborate. That's all you need to do. If you like to research things - what things? You like being outside - doing what? You like writing - about what? Don't let us telling you what you like, after all the assignment is to find YOUR voice.
 
I found my voice this year and by accident, I really do not what happened before I found it but I find I am more protective of me than I was before which has its own challenges. Good luck, you can do this.
 
It is perspective and it’s about paying attention in your own life so that you can easily detect what you like and don’t like so hearing where others are at with this is great if it helps you be a better detective in your own life.
For me, I like certain hand soaps and the smell they leave after use, opposite is true for other smells of soap in that I intensely dislike them. Perfumes, colognes, I have both here as well, in that I really like some smells actively avoid others. Food aroma same. I can generate lists of foods I can’t stand the smell of when being cooked or in use. Parmesan cheese is top of the list for can’t stand smell of. Notice I have smell as a thing I recognize because I have issues with smells so much that I can easily say a smell is bothering me. I have intense food dislikes and then some food dislikes that are take it or leave it. Food is easy for me to do like , dislike on as I seem to recognize of late that I’m drawn to some foods and actively avoid others.
When I’m folding my laundry I have one shirt that always jumps out at me as a love that shirt color the moment when I lift it from the dryer, otherwise the rest just get folded as if they don’t matter much. I have definite music likes and dislikes and volume levels. Noise is another big one for me on the like dislike list. I know it well and could easily generate that list. So if you want to make it easier on yourself try generating the list in columns of sight, smell, taste, touch and then move it to other topics. Hope that helps.
 
Why is this therapy assignment so hard?

Because you are digging into what you feel about things and making decisions about them. You are being asked to decide rather than to just react.

That is a big freaking deal. It is a big time ticket out of the dreaded PTSD mind/time warp. Congratulations that your T feels you are ready for this!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top