Module 01b - 'Health & Good Mood'.
This module also consisted mostly of group exercises.
We understood that this is a training group, with a 'pre-given formula'.
It wasn't a therapeutic group.
In a therapeutic group, staff follows patients without enforcing too strict form or too many of rules.
i've skipped one exercise in this article, because it's very difficult to convery with words alone. It taught us that there are often solutions to seemingly impossible problems. i still don't understand how we got it right. Part of group led, part followed, others reassured others to keep going. As a group we did succeed.
1. Sharing Experiences.
We were speaking about feeling we experienced during previous 3-day session.
2. Drawing Difficulties.
We split into groups, and drew or painted what's difficult in a previous 3-day session - from a group's point of view.
Then two representants of each group related plastic artwork's meanings & related comments to everyone.
After relation, anyone could add their own words.
This experience had a goal of expressing feelings, of naming feelings, worked with trust & cooperation in a group.
We understood that when we talk of something, this might touch a 'closed subject' of a person, make old thoughts & feelings alive again. This is good thing - it shows that there's personal emotional & thinking work to do still, at a convenient time & situation for that person.
We understood that exercises that touch feelings of a patient are beneficial, as these start a process of 'working with feelings', and allow everyone to handle accumulated feelings & stress, to get healthier.
We understood something about 'masks we wear' when we fulfill various life's roles - that these not only protect, but also can be cumbersome, can block.
We understood that during a therapist's work one has to bear 'weight of others', we were hinted that we'll learn methods of bearing other people's problems without getting overwhelmed by these, without burning out professionally.
We understood that to endure emotions of other people is similar to enduring one's own emotions. Methods for that are individual, vary per each person.
We understood that in a therapist's work we'll have to find a way to open a person, to help him or her express oneself, that there are 'keys to people', everyone has these.
3. Feelings Cards.
In a corridor there were put large placards with feeling names, with feeling pictures drawn symbolically & simply as well.
We walked around a corridor, we heard music song parts and stood by a proper placard that represented feelings we experienced during that song.
There were 10 songs in total.
We could see & understand how differently different people can react to the same stimuli that way.
4. Circle of Emotions.
We stood in a circle, each of participants spoke one feeling's name & expressed it with a gesture. Everyone repeated that gesture.
We understood that ways to express vary from a person to a person, that 'symbol is never explained forever'.
5. Emotions - Allies or Enemies.
We worked in groups, each group thought, talked and wrote about emotions, whether these are allies or enemies.
Then two representatives of each of our groups shared explainations to everyone.
We understood that during mental ilness emotions are sometimes inadequately shown. Certain people have difficulties of expressing feelings, this results in hindared reactions & social problems.
6. Gifts.
We randomly chose another person in a group, then gave him or her a small gift & commented that in a positive way, before whole group.
Something material or nonmaterial: a postacrd, a mascot, a good word/advice/wish, a banana, a cigarette, etc.
Everyone got a gift.
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