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Post by Admin on Nov 30, 2017 18:28:02 GMT
Post your responses and/or questions to Session 5 on this thread
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Post by jenniferowens on Dec 26, 2017 19:16:59 GMT
Session 5: Living in the Now
5.6 Coyote Walk
Complete the Coyote Walk exercise from Section 5.6 of the Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Workbook before answering the questions below:
When you took the coyote energy into yourself by getting in touch with your coyote archetype, what did you notice about yourself? Did you feel any differently? If so, how?
I noticed that I was smiling - Which is not always happening when I am walking mindfulness - in fact I am using deep in thought or worry and I have been told I have ‘resting bitch face’, ha! So, I felt a sense of playfulness. I also noticed that I felt instantly more in tuned with all around me - much more aware of my senses. I felt strong and wise - but light and feminine. I noticed that I felt no need to do anything else. I laughed at the hum and buzzing of electricity around me, when it normally makes me sad.
During your walk, did coyote hold up a mirror to you? If so, what did you see in it?
I saw a strong and lighthearted person who can see the truth in everything and greets it with a smile rather than a frown. This is a part of myself I rarely recognize.
Did you like what you saw in the mirror? If so, describe it. If not, how might you change it?
I liked it a lot!
Did coyote show you any ways you might be tricking or fooling yourself? If so, what were they?
First, I noticed I was falling myself into thinking I could only be happy/peaceful/free deep in the woods. I felt much of the same feelings 5 minutes from my house in the city, when I was immersed in my senses and using a playful outlook. I also noticed I could be fooling myself that I have control of anything, except the way I am seeing the world around me.
Did coyote show you any ways you might be tricking or fooling others? If so, what were they?
It immediately showed me that I don’t show my true self with others much, due to feeling that others wont like it. I have developed a story about myself that people don’t want to hear positivity, reality or good things.
Did coyote show you anything you might like to change about yourself? If so, what was it, and how might you change it?
Yes, I would like to be more playful and smile more. It also showed me that I don’t have to be a lone wolf all the time (like I feel that I am. I often feel alienated, because I think I am looking at the world much differently than others.). I just need to find other wolves to run with.
Did the Coyote Walk change your perception of time? If so, how?
Yes, time seemed slower and more bright.
Would the Coyote Walk be a useful tool to help you live in the now? If so, how? If not, why not?
YES! Especially being aware of my senses and staying in the moment, open to what arises. I can see it being a deterrent to being in the now, if I am thinking too much about the coyote archetype and trying to contemplate that in relation to me and my feelings.
5.8 Experiential Avoidance
Think about some of the thoughts and feelings you’ve tried to get rid of in the past, then answer the following questions:
The thoughts I’d most like to get rid of are:
-self-doubting thoughts (like ‘you can’t do this’ or ‘what if you are wrong’ or ‘you shouldn’t behave like this’ or ‘you shouldn’t want this’)
-anxious thoughts about the future
-judgmental and pretentious thoughts about others
-negative thoughts about my children and loved ones (‘they shouldn’t be doing this’, ‘this is bad for them’, or ‘something bad is going to happen to them’)
The feelings I’d most like to get rid of are:
-fear
-anxiety
-guilt
-jealousy
The behaviors I’d most like to get rid of are:
-controlling
-avoiding/distracting though watching TV etc.
-manipulating
-being self-absorbed
-procrastination/laziness
The memories I’d most like to get rid of are:
-scary moments I relive with intrusive thoughts
-times when people were mean to me
-times when I messed up
-times when I didn’t do what I should have/would have liked to do
Now that you’ve created your list, look at the list of strategies below for avoiding experiences. Place a check mark by each strategy you’ve ever used in an effort to get rid of the thoughts, feelings, behaviors and memories that you listed on the previous page.
•Worrying about it *****
•Trying not to think about it ***
•Trying to distract myself *
***
•Staying busy ****
•Finding other things to do ****
•Dwelling on the past *
•Catastrophizing about the future *****
•Fantasizing about escaping the situation (e.g. quitting your job, leaving your spouse, etc.) *****
•Imagining revenge *
•Imagining suicide
•Thinking “Life’s not fair” *
•Thinking “I must” or “I must not” ***
•Thinking “I should have” or “I would have” or “I could have” *****
•Second-guessing past decisions **
•Anticipating future problems ****
•Blaming myself **
•Shaming myself *
•Guilt-tripping myself *****
•Blaming others **
•Shaming others **
•Guilt-tripping others ****
•Blaming the world **
•Substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, etc.) *
•Overeating, or not eating, as a method of stress relief *
•Addictive behaviors (gambling, worrying, being depressed, “woe is me” pity parties) *
•Other: planning vacations, buying things pertaining to vacations, starting a new project at work, obsessing over a new hobby
Now ask yourself:
1.Did any of these strategies work in the long run? Not really
2.Did any of these strategies actually make the things worse instead of better? Yes, many of the distractions made me avoid the things I could have taken some action on.
3.If you were able to live in the “now” of existence, instead of in the mind trap, how many of the things you were trying to get rid of would still be a problem? Not many - maybe some of the worry I have about my children.
Think of one thing from the list that you would like to get rid of.
Go outside to your own sacred space, ground and center, and just allow yourself to experience the thing you were trying to get rid of. Open yourself completely to the experience in the present moment, without assumptions about the past or expectations about the future. Just be in the now with the thing you were trying to get rid of.
Did this change your experience? By accepting it instead of trying to avoid it, do you look at it in a different way? What did being in your sacred space add to the experience, if anything?
Write your answer below:
I choose controlling my children’s behavior/actions/choices as something I would like to get rid of. I went for a walk to the closest green space to my home, which is a cemetery. I walked until I found a spot that seemed safe and sacred to me. I sat under a pine tree and my fav. part about the tree was how low the limbs hung. I was cloaked by pine needles under three tree and it felt private and safe.
I brought up the controlling behaviors and dislike of my children’s addiction and behaviors around their addiction. I thought about all of the ways I try to control and change it and how I have a narrow view of how I see them, usually judgmental and negative. When I was able to think about letting that go - I thought of why I attempting to control the behavior in the first place. I felt tremendous sadness in the suffering the addiction has caused for them - the parts of themselves that are hidden and the sadness that they must feel. I realized that the behavior was covering up my profound sadness for them and myself. I am sad because I was hoping my kids would be self-sufficient and be able to explore their lives as emerging adults - instead they cant hold jobs and are not wonderful to live with due to the chaos of drug addiction. I held some space for myself to feel this sadness and understand it for what it is. But I was also able to open up space for everything that is right now. The love I feel for them and the ability to accept them right as they are and accept myself right as I am - right now. It felt hopeful and I was able to explore new ways to cope with this situation - once I was freed from being stuck in my old ways thinking about this situation.
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Post by Admin on Dec 26, 2017 21:16:20 GMT
The topic of addiction is always a difficult one because of having to draw the line between supporting and enabling. For me it helped to define 'enabling' as 'taking away the consequences of another's actions.' A former supervisor pointed out to me that taking away consequences for negative actions is enabling because if there's no consequences, there's no motivation to change.
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katie
New Member
Posts: 3
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Post by katie on Jul 6, 2018 10:20:12 GMT
Session 5: Living in the Now
5.6 Coyote Walk
Name:Katie LaPlant
Date: 7/6/18
Complete the Coyote Walk exercise from Section 5.6 of the Mindfulness-Based Ecotherapy Workbook before answering the questions below:
When you took the coyote energy into yourself by getting in touch with your coyote archetype, what did you notice about yourself? Did you feel any differently? If so, how?
I noticed that I was a bit reluctant at first because I didn’t want my neighbors to see me outside prowling around like a coyote, however, once I let go and got into the exercise, I felt a sense of confidence and empowerment.
During your walk, did coyote hold up a mirror to you? If so, what did you see in it? Yes. I was able to see a confident True Self standing upright. I saw a person who has been through a lot emotionally and a person who feels like she does not always fit in. I saw person who is tired inside, but strong and confident. I saw a person who is proud of who she is today.
Did you like what you saw in the mirror? If so, describe it. If not, how might you change it? I do like what I saw in the mirror. I think the worn and tired was not a bad worn and tired. It was a worn and tired from doing lots of good work in a very dark world.
Did coyote show you any ways you might be tricking or fooling yourself? If so, what were they?
No.
Did coyote show you any ways you might be tricking or fooling others? If so, what were they?
Yes, I saw that I wear a mask much of the time to protect myself. I saw someone who does not show how she is really feeling to others and shows a strong and confident person.
Did coyote show you anything you might like to change about yourself? If so, what was it, and how might you change it?
Not today. I like where I am at today. I do not think it is a bad thing to protect yourself with a mask. I think this is a kind of barrier to keeping myself protected from bad energy. I know how to be vulnerable with others. But today, I don’t share my life with every person I meet. I used to do that.
Did the Coyote Walk change your perception of time? If so, how?
I think my perception of myself changed in the sense that I think I am doing better than I give myself credit for.
Would the Coyote Walk be a useful tool to help you live in the now? If so, how? If not, why not?
Absolutely. It is a great self-reflection activity.
5.8 Experiential Avoidance
Name:Katie LaPlant
Date:7/6/18
Think about some of the thoughts and feelings you’ve tried to get rid of in the past, then answer the following questions:
The thoughts I’d most like to get rid of are:
I am not good enough.
The feelings I’d most like to get rid of are:
Self-doubt and fear.
The behaviors I’d most like to get rid of are:
My reaction to stress at times can be to say things aloud without thinking.
The memories I’d most like to get rid of are:
Past abandonment and rejection in relationships, specifically the one with my neighbor.
Now that you’ve created your list, look at the list of strategies below for avoiding experiences. Place a check mark by each strategy you’ve ever used in an effort to get rid of the thoughts, feelings, behaviors and memories that you listed on the previous page.
***•Worrying about it
***•Trying not to think about it
***•Trying to distract myself
***•Staying busy
***•Finding other things to do
***•Dwelling on the past
***•Catastrophizing about the future
***•Fantasizing about escaping the situation (e.g. quitting your job, leaving your spouse, etc.)
•Imagining revenge
•Imagining suicide
•Thinking “Life’s not fair”
***•Thinking “I must” or “I must not”
***•Thinking “I should have” or “I would have” or “I could have”
***•Second-guessing past decisions
***•Anticipating future problems
***•Blaming myself
***•Shaming myself
***•Guilt-tripping myself
***•Blaming others
•Shaming others
•Guilt-tripping others
•Blaming the world
•Substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, etc.)
***•Overeating, or not eating, as a method of stress relief
***•Addictive behaviors (gambling, worrying, being depressed, “woe is me” pity parties)
•Other:
Now ask yourself:
1.Did any of these strategies work in the long run? No, they just made me feel worse about myself.
2.Did any of these strategies actually make the things worse instead of better? Yes.
3.If you were able to live in the “now” of existence, instead of in the mind trap, how many of the things you were trying to get rid of would still be a problem? None.
Think of one thing from the list that you would like to get rid of Go outside to your own sacred space, ground and center, and just allow yourself to experience the thing you were trying to get rid of. Open yourself completely to the experience in the present moment, without assumptions about the past or expectations about the future. Just be in the now with the thing you were trying to get rid of.
Did this change your experience? By accepting it instead of trying to avoid it, do you look at it in a different way? What did being in your sacred space add to the experience, if anything?
Write your answer below:
It gives me hope and peace. I have peace in the beauty of what is around me. I also have a sense of gratitude for life when I go outside and meditate on the now. I also see that I am okay. I am better than okay. This give me hope. When I allow my mind to run my life, I obsess over things that are not happening right now. Things I do not need to worry about right now. It takes away from what I could be enjoying today and right now.
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