Comfort items

[Punky143]

I have a blanket that comes with me every appt with my T. I keep it in my bag for now because some of my parts are embarrassed still. My T and I have talked about it and she's reassured me its ok but we're not there yet. Although its in my bag, i knead it with my hands. I hope someday soon the parts will know its ok and we're not the only ones.

 

[agirls]

I bring a a grande cafe mocha with an extra shot, fully equipped with a coffee stopper. I play with the coffee stopper for much of my time in there. I find it grounding.

I play with the stopper too! I frequently chew on it. One day it popped right out of my mouth and hand and flew across the room at my T. We still laugh about that.
My T and I were just talking tonight about me bringing a blanket with me. She told me I could bring it if I wanted to. Maybe I will on Monday.

 

[Deleted member 37474]

I play with the stopper too! I frequently chew on it. One day it popped right out of my mouth and han...

Lol. Love that! I also have a blanket that I have thought about bringing. It is too big for my bag, though.

 

[Renestel]

I love this thread.
I dont always bring it to sessions, but if I have a panic attack or get heavily triggered I either grab (or if Im really bad my husband does) either a stuffed seal or my stuffed stingray. We bought both together while visiting the downtown aquarium and despite the people chaos, the aquarium is such a relaxing, peaceful and healing place. Holding them reminds me of watching gorgeous jellyfish rhythmically move in the water or sea otters scurry around without a worry in the world.

 

[Lola Nocheprieta]

I carry around a small chunk of amethyst that I had initially ground down the sharper edges. Its still very sharp, I squeezed it once so hard that it broke into pieces! But the smooth ones don't do it for me ... I need a strong sensation, I just have to be careful and stay mindful and present not to hurt myself. When I was going through a particularly difficult time I took that out during my sessions and played with it.

Also, I periodically wear a rubber band around my wrist, especially when I am going through a period of intense self-harm urges. I fiddle with that a lot in session.

My T has a pillow that I sometimes hug ....

a stuffed seal

I have a large stuffed seal, too! It's name is The Seal of Approval. It belonged to an elderly lady, a friend of the family when I was very young, like 4 or 5. When we went to her house I would always play with it. She called it The Good Housekeeping Seal. When I was about 17 she gave it to me and I renamed it. I love it to death and sleep with it when I am feeling particularly young and vulnerable.

 

[The Albatross]

I used to put a scent on a kerchief or on a Kleenex. Yeah it helped.

 

[Deleted member 40217]

A pink spinner

 

[agirls]

Lol. Love that! I also have a blanket that I have thought about bringing. It is too big for my bag, t...

I have a gigantic purse.

 

[Changing4Best]

My therapist has a lot of these in her office, mostly stuffed animals and little hand games that one can play with or fiddle with as one waits for her to do whatever it is she does before the session. Once we start, I am preoccupied with what we are doing and usually put the toys down.

 

[Deleted member 41765]

I love it to death and sleep with it when I am feeling particularly young and vulnerable.

I seriously thought I was the only one who did this exact thing!

Love this thread. For me, it is my dog or a necklace I wear to symbolize strength, the subtext of which is "Don't lose hope when the sun goes down, the stars come out.

 

[NightSky]

This is so fascinating to me. I love the idea of bringing coffee. My T always has water and sometimes coffee that she drinks. And she has a coffee table between us with fidget toys, stones, putty. I'm so frozen in session I can't imagine using any of it. I can't even take sips of something if I bring it because I'm shaky. But I wonder if it would help with how much I dissociate. I'm never fully "in the room." I wonder if forcing myself to move more, even drinking something, would help. Great ideas!

 

[Deleted member 37474]

Just the warmth of the coffee is very important. My therapist is hungry at my time (9 am). She will get a granola bar and almond milk. I don't mind. Honestly, I want it to feel like a living room.