I can’t wait until next week to share what I’m going to share today! I literally can’t hold it in until next week! I’m super excited to share with you about things you can do in between sessions because if we only meet with our therapists for like 45 minutes a week then there’s a bunch of minutes we are just out there not in therapy. Most of our time isn’t in therapy, but we can still engage THERAPUETICALLY. I want to talk about some of the ways of being that allow for that channel to stay open in between sessions. Hey, sessions may not always make you feel good, but they may allow you a channel of openness to your inner child or most authentic desires and needs. If you find that progress goes away in between sessions, you’re totally not alone! I have a few ideas of how we can keep that flow going so you don’t feel you loose touch with your most authentic, open self.
Some of my patients astonish me when they tell me how they read a recommended book in between sessions or share journal entries (my super favorite journal of all time because of it’s soft, high quality pages is sold and designed by Dr. Dowtin here). You can keep engaging in psychoeducation (books I recommend) or expression (journaling) even outside of our time together. You can also do a morning or nighttime check in with your parts. You may find a quiet minute where you’re not drawn to other tasks and just say hello to your inner family members. If there are protector parts like fear or worry you can notice them too. If you have a practice with your protector parts you can even ask them to hang out in a favorite part of your inner home for a bit and come back to them after you say hey to your inner kiddos. When your inner kiddo has grabbed a hug or hello with you, you can thank your protector parts on your way out, thank them for trying to protect with worry, fear, etc. and then see if they wanted to tell you something. This really only takes a minute to five minutes a day and can truly create some inner trust. I notice it has my parts trying to get attention in other ways. They know I’ll be back every morning and are developing some inner trust. Another great way to keep up the great therapeutic progress you’re making is to meditate. Guided meditations tend to be super helpful (more about that next week in our meditations blog article).
Reading recommended books, expressing yourself in between sessions, checking in with your parts, and daily meditation can be amazing ways of keeping that authentic channel open. You can also brainstorm reminders and organizational tips with your therapist on how to stay consistent with one or more of the ways above to help you keep in that therapeutic, healing flow. Sending you love today and if Friday is the start to your weekend I’m wishing you ease in your weekend ❤
Soft Heart Psychology 