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Re: Containing emotion

Posted by Daisym on February 4, 2005, at 11:02:30

In reply to Containing emotion, posted by gardenergirl on February 4, 2005, at 8:15:31

GG -- I want to respond to this both ways --

As a professional, when we have really emotional days (a baby dies), we use pretty standard debriefing techniques - everyone shares, stories are told, etc. etc. Group resilency stuff. For my individual stress (like when I had to lay someone off and she cried and cried) I usually shut myself away and give myself 5 minutes to breathe and/or cry too. I also usually try to write out what happened as soon as I can. Putting it on paper for me helps dissipate the emotions as I organize the events.

As a client, really emotional sessions need chocolate or starbucks or both. I've found myself wanting to sleep afterwards lately, and I can't as I usually go back to work. Debriefing after really intense ones works the best (poor Falls), I think because it is a combination of getting it out and organizing it so someone else can understand. This reflecting allows me to understand the emotions better too. If I can't find my Babble buddies, I journal.

The other night I had a complete melt down a few hours after a really intense session. My therapist encouraged me to "go soft around it" and just let myself cry. He said, "don't try to understand your tears, don't try to stop them, don't look for what's next, just give in to them." This is hard for me, as crying wasn't allowed for me growing up, but giving myself permission to "just" cry was amazing.

Lastly - sessions that produce anxiety instead of sadness are the hardest for me to deal with. This is when I clean stuff - my office, my house, the refrig, etc. Accounting works too. Focusing on those numbers, which have to make sense, there aren't two possible answers, is very calming. Weird, I know. Losing myself in a book works for anxiety too.

I think I've used all of the above this week...

 

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poster:Daisym thread:453008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050129/msgs/453091.html