{"id":224,"date":"2023-05-14T18:53:26","date_gmt":"2023-05-14T22:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=224"},"modified":"2023-05-14T19:32:21","modified_gmt":"2023-05-14T23:32:21","slug":"activity-2-5-the-lego-exercise","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/chapter\/activity-2-5-the-lego-exercise\/","title":{"raw":"Activity 2.5 The \u201cLego\u201d exercise","rendered":"Activity 2.5 The \u201cLego\u201d exercise"},"content":{"raw":"<strong>ACT Processes:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Self-As-Context<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Objectives:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Increase the awareness of the continuity and stability of a self while allowing a more flexible relationship with the contents and identities of the self<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Increase the awareness that despite numerous life changes, challenges, and adversity, the sense of self-as-context or the observer-self persists<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Expand the repertoire of behaviour that is less constricted by concepts of oneself<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Participation Format:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Participants sit in a large horseshoe; co-facilitators sit across from each other at the open end of the horseshoe.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Number of Facilitators:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>2<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Time Required:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>30 mins<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Materials Required:<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Bucket of small Lego building blocks \u2013 enough for about 10-15 pieces per participant<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Paper plates (one per participant)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Water-based markers<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">Activities &amp; Instructions<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Instructions for participants<\/strong><\/h5>\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nFacilitator #1 describes the overall purpose of the exercise.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>As we have explored, oftentimes our thoughts are not what they seem. This may even apply to thoughts about ourselves. This exercise is called the Lego or Let-go Exercise. It will help us explore our sense of self \u2013 that is \u2013 our sense of who we are.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\r\nIf this exercise is done after defusion exercises are done, make reference to them.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ol start=\"2\">\r\n \t<li><strong>Distribute the materials for the exercise.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nFacilitators pass out paper plates to each participant. Invite each participant to use a marker to write down their name on the inside surface of the plate. Pass around a bucket of Lego pieces, and allow participants to take some pieces and put them on their plate.\r\n\r\nFacilitator #1:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Please write down your name on the plate so you can identify which plate is yours.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Have you played with these before? They are small construction blocks. Please grab a handful of them and put them on your plate.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\r\nYou may notice that some participants take a longer time to pick up specific pieces. Some may want to trade pieces with others. Some will focus on whether they have enough pieces. Reassure them that whatever they have are fine for the purposes of the exercise.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ol start=\"3\">\r\n \t<li><strong>Identify a memory from last summer.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nHave participants become quiet and mindful of the present moment. Facilitator #1 directs participants to fully recall a memory of an event last summer. Ask them to note that there was a \u201cself\u201d that observed everything that was happening at the time \u2013 the same \u201cself\u201d that is here now recalling the memory.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Please put down your plate. If you are willing, please close your eyes or fixate on a point in front of you. We will just spend a few moments to become aware of the present and our breath.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Now let\u2019s think back to something that happened to you last summer. It may be a good event or bad event \u2013 just something that comes to your mind now. See if you can recall that event as clearly as you can. Notice what you were seeing, hearing, doing, feeling, or thinking at the time. Notice where you were and who you were with. Notice that you were there observing all these things and experiencing all these things and check out that this is the same \u201cyou\u201d that is here right now, recalling all of this.Note that \u201cyou\u201d have been \u2018you\u2019 all this time.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>let us return to our breath and being here for a few moments. Whenever you are ready, you may open your eyes.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ol start=\"4\">\r\n \t<li><strong>Recreate the memory with Lego pieces<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nHave participants recreate the scene with the Lego pieces they have on their plate.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Now being fully here, see if you can recreate what happened last summer with your Lego pieces.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\r\nObserve participants\u2019 actions. Some may take longer time than others. If they start talking to each other or exchanging pieces, encourage them to focus on their own work quietly. Ideally, allow time for most people to finish.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ol start=\"5\">\r\n \t<li><strong>Letting go and recreating a memory from younger years.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nHave the participants reflect on this experience and their creation. Ask them to take the pieces apart. Then, ask them to recall another memory from younger years. Have them recreate the scene again with the Lego pieces.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Please stop building if you have not already finished. Whatever stage you are at, take a moment to just observe the memory of that event from last year, and notice that you are here now observing this.You may take one last look at your creation.Now, let\u2019s pull the pieces apart. notice anything that shows up for you when taking them apart\u2026\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201cLooking at the pieces in front of you, recall another event from your younger years \u2013 as a teenager\u2026 Notice all that you were seeing, hearing, doing, thinking, and feeling\u2026 Notice that your role then may be quite different from your role now\u2026 Notice that your body may be quite different from now\u2026 Maybe every single cell in your body was different back then\u2026 Yet notice that the \u201cyou\u201d that was then is the same \u201cyou\u201d that is here now recalling all this, looking at these Lego pieces\u2026\u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201c\u2026 Now being fully here, see if you can recreate what happened in your teen years with your Lego pieces.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\r\nIf some people have not finished, reassure them that they can just notice whatever feelings and thoughts that show-up, such as \u201cnot having enough time to finish,\u201d and let them go, so that they can continue with the exercise.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<ol start=\"6\">\r\n \t<li><strong>Letting go and recreating a memory from childhood.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nAs before, have the participants reflect on this experience and their second creation. Ask them to take the pieces apart. Ask them to recall a memory from childhood. Have them recreate the scene again with the Lego pieces.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Please stop building if you have not already finished. Whatever stage you are at, take a moment to just observe the memory of that event from your teenage years, and notice that you are here now observing this<\/li>\r\n \t<li>You may take one last look at your creation. Now, let\u2019s pull the pieces apart. Notice anything that shows up for you when you take them apart.Looking at the pieces in front of you, recall another event from even farther back, when you were a child. Notice all that you were seeing, hearing, doing, thinking, and feeling. Notice that your role then was quite different from your role now. Notice that your little body was very different from what it is now. You did not know or experience a lot of things yet \u2026 still, notice that the \u201cyou\u201d that was there back then is the same \u201cyou\u201d that is here right now, recalling all this, looking at these Lego pieces. This \u201cyou\u201d has never been me or someone else; \u201cyou\u201d have been \u201cyou\u201d your whole life. Now being fully here, see if you can recreate what happened in your childhood with your Lego pieces.\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ol start=\"7\">\r\n \t<li><strong>Debrief and Sharing of the exercise.<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nHave the participants reflect back on the exercise and share their experiences.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Please stop building if you have not already finished. Whatever stage you are at, take a moment to just observe the memory of that event from your childhood in front of you, and notice that the same \u201cchildhood you\u201d is here now - observing all this as an adult.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Let\u2019s let these memories go and return to this room in the present moment with all of us \u201d<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201cWould anyone like to share their experience of this exercise?\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">Important points of discussion to draw out include:<\/span>\r\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-roman\">\r\n \t<li><strong>Introduce Self as Perspective\/Observer<\/strong>\r\nThe sense of self as a perspective \u201cI\u201d (\u201cnot-you\u201d) and the \u201cobserver-self\u201d (the experience of the same \u201cI\u201d who is aware and observing) is continuously present throughout our lives.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>\u201c\u2026 notice that \u201cyou\u201d have always been \u201cyou\u201d throughout your whole life;\u201cyou\u201d (pointing around) have not been \u201cme\u201d (pointing to self).Although everything else that is not our \u201cselves\u201d are ever changing, including our thoughts, feelings, body, social roles, just like our Lego pieces\u201d<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">Persistence of \u201cSelf\u201d through challenges of life<\/span><\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">\u201c\u2026notice that \u201cyou\u201d remain \u201cyou\u201d throughout your life, through good times or bad times, from distant events to recent events\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\"><strong>Being constricted by our own stories\r\n<\/strong>We can easily confuse our \u201cselves\u201d with ideas and concepts about ourselves, like our self-descriptions, stories, or social roles, and feel bound by these things <\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">You may say to yourself, \u201cI\u2019m a man and I\u2019m not a dancer\u201d \u2013 so you may never have that experience and now what if you say to yourself \u201cI\u2019m a shy person and I\u2019m someone who never speaks up against issues like stigma\u201d?<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\"><strong>Feeling loss of self when things change<\/strong> <\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">When we feel defined by our self-descriptions, stories, and roles, we feel quite vulnerable. We may guard against such changes at a cost to us\u2026 When changes do occur, we may feel completely lost\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">\u201c\u2026You may say to yourself \u201cI\u2019m my ____ (job)\u201d What happens if you cannot keep that job because of mental or physical illness? If you identify yourself as a mother, what happens if you lose your child to suicide?So even though knowing our roles and our values behind our roles help us function, our sense of self need not be tied to them in a suffocating way.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"textbox\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\r\nObserve whether participants can spontaneously come up with the discussion points themselves.\r\n\r\nParticipants may comment on how much they like the building process itself or share about their particular memories. The sharing may be felt as quite helpful both to the individual and to the group. While demonstrating empathy, be careful not to get caught up with the content. If participants come to certain rigid insights or conclusions about themselves, this can lead naturally to the discussion points.\r\n\r\nGive relevant examples of how identities and stories may be constricting depending on the group composition \u2013 e.g. \u201cI\u2019m a community leader; I must appear perfect in the community\u201d; \u201cI\u2019m a consumer survivor; I\u2019m less than others\u201d; \u201cI\u2019m a parent; I\u2019m a failure because my son has issues\u201d\r\n\r\nSome may feel reluctant to take apart their Lego creations \u2013 just as it is hard for us to let go of our identities and stories, even when it comes time to change.\r\n\r\nSome may feel that they lack the pieces to perfect their Lego creations or want to trade with others - just as we get caught up with our stories about what we don\u2019t have and how others may have what we want and don\u2019t have.\r\n\r\nSome may feel that there is not adequate time or they do not have the skills to perfect their Lego creations to be truly representative of their experience \u2013 just as sometimes, we may spend a lot of time trying to analyze and gain insights and understanding about ourselves, even when this \u201cperfect\u201d understanding may not be possible or helpful.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>Take-home Metaphor<\/strong><\/span>\r\n\r\nAsk if the participants can look at their plate of Lego pieces and find themselves in it. The metaphor of self-as-context, that we are the context of our experiences but not the content of our experiences, is that we are the plate. Participants can keep the paper plates to take home, while the facilitators can retrieve the Lego pieces for reuse.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Looking at this (lift up your plate of Lego blocks) \u2013 where are you in this? Are you the blue piece or the red piece?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>You are the plate that contains the Lego pieces\u2026 not the pieces themselves, which have always been changing.The plate even has your name written on it.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>So whatever difficult experiences and memories we have seen depicted by the Lego blocks, we are still here, as is the plate.And we can be open and flexible to the ever-changing experiences of life and not hang on to past stories or other rigid beliefs.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>We are the container of our experiences.We have our thoughts but we are not our thoughts.We have our memories but we are not our memories. We can realize this when we are in touch with our observer self.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>References &amp; Sources<\/strong><\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Inspiration drawn from two exercises: Self-as-context Exercise and Chessboard Metaphor (Hayes et al, 2012, p 231-235).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","rendered":"<p><strong>ACT Processes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Self-As-Context<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Objectives:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Increase the awareness of the continuity and stability of a self while allowing a more flexible relationship with the contents and identities of the self<\/li>\n<li>Increase the awareness that despite numerous life changes, challenges, and adversity, the sense of self-as-context or the observer-self persists<\/li>\n<li>Expand the repertoire of behaviour that is less constricted by concepts of oneself<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Participation Format:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Participants sit in a large horseshoe; co-facilitators sit across from each other at the open end of the horseshoe.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Number of Facilitators:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Time Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>30 mins<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Materials Required:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bucket of small Lego building blocks \u2013 enough for about 10-15 pieces per participant<\/li>\n<li>Paper plates (one per participant)<\/li>\n<li>Water-based markers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center\">Activities &amp; Instructions<\/h2>\n<hr \/>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Instructions for participants<\/strong><\/h5>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Facilitator #1 describes the overall purpose of the exercise.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>As we have explored, oftentimes our thoughts are not what they seem. This may even apply to thoughts about ourselves. This exercise is called the Lego or Let-go Exercise. It will help us explore our sense of self \u2013 that is \u2013 our sense of who we are.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If this exercise is done after defusion exercises are done, make reference to them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong>Distribute the materials for the exercise.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Facilitators pass out paper plates to each participant. Invite each participant to use a marker to write down their name on the inside surface of the plate. Pass around a bucket of Lego pieces, and allow participants to take some pieces and put them on their plate.<\/p>\n<p>Facilitator #1:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Please write down your name on the plate so you can identify which plate is yours.<\/li>\n<li>Have you played with these before? They are small construction blocks. Please grab a handful of them and put them on your plate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You may notice that some participants take a longer time to pick up specific pieces. Some may want to trade pieces with others. Some will focus on whether they have enough pieces. Reassure them that whatever they have are fine for the purposes of the exercise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><strong>Identify a memory from last summer.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Have participants become quiet and mindful of the present moment. Facilitator #1 directs participants to fully recall a memory of an event last summer. Ask them to note that there was a \u201cself\u201d that observed everything that was happening at the time \u2013 the same \u201cself\u201d that is here now recalling the memory.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Please put down your plate. If you are willing, please close your eyes or fixate on a point in front of you. We will just spend a few moments to become aware of the present and our breath.<\/li>\n<li>Now let\u2019s think back to something that happened to you last summer. It may be a good event or bad event \u2013 just something that comes to your mind now. See if you can recall that event as clearly as you can. Notice what you were seeing, hearing, doing, feeling, or thinking at the time. Notice where you were and who you were with. Notice that you were there observing all these things and experiencing all these things and check out that this is the same \u201cyou\u201d that is here right now, recalling all of this.Note that \u201cyou\u201d have been \u2018you\u2019 all this time.<\/li>\n<li>let us return to our breath and being here for a few moments. Whenever you are ready, you may open your eyes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><strong>Recreate the memory with Lego pieces<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Have participants recreate the scene with the Lego pieces they have on their plate.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Now being fully here, see if you can recreate what happened last summer with your Lego pieces.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Observe participants\u2019 actions. Some may take longer time than others. If they start talking to each other or exchanging pieces, encourage them to focus on their own work quietly. Ideally, allow time for most people to finish.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><strong>Letting go and recreating a memory from younger years.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Have the participants reflect on this experience and their creation. Ask them to take the pieces apart. Then, ask them to recall another memory from younger years. Have them recreate the scene again with the Lego pieces.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Please stop building if you have not already finished. Whatever stage you are at, take a moment to just observe the memory of that event from last year, and notice that you are here now observing this.You may take one last look at your creation.Now, let\u2019s pull the pieces apart. notice anything that shows up for you when taking them apart\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cLooking at the pieces in front of you, recall another event from your younger years \u2013 as a teenager\u2026 Notice all that you were seeing, hearing, doing, thinking, and feeling\u2026 Notice that your role then may be quite different from your role now\u2026 Notice that your body may be quite different from now\u2026 Maybe every single cell in your body was different back then\u2026 Yet notice that the \u201cyou\u201d that was then is the same \u201cyou\u201d that is here now recalling all this, looking at these Lego pieces\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201c\u2026 Now being fully here, see if you can recreate what happened in your teen years with your Lego pieces.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If some people have not finished, reassure them that they can just notice whatever feelings and thoughts that show-up, such as \u201cnot having enough time to finish,\u201d and let them go, so that they can continue with the exercise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><strong>Letting go and recreating a memory from childhood.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>As before, have the participants reflect on this experience and their second creation. Ask them to take the pieces apart. Ask them to recall a memory from childhood. Have them recreate the scene again with the Lego pieces.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Please stop building if you have not already finished. Whatever stage you are at, take a moment to just observe the memory of that event from your teenage years, and notice that you are here now observing this<\/li>\n<li>You may take one last look at your creation. Now, let\u2019s pull the pieces apart. Notice anything that shows up for you when you take them apart.Looking at the pieces in front of you, recall another event from even farther back, when you were a child. Notice all that you were seeing, hearing, doing, thinking, and feeling. Notice that your role then was quite different from your role now. Notice that your little body was very different from what it is now. You did not know or experience a lot of things yet \u2026 still, notice that the \u201cyou\u201d that was there back then is the same \u201cyou\u201d that is here right now, recalling all this, looking at these Lego pieces. This \u201cyou\u201d has never been me or someone else; \u201cyou\u201d have been \u201cyou\u201d your whole life. Now being fully here, see if you can recreate what happened in your childhood with your Lego pieces.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><strong>Debrief and Sharing of the exercise.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Have the participants reflect back on the exercise and share their experiences.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Please stop building if you have not already finished. Whatever stage you are at, take a moment to just observe the memory of that event from your childhood in front of you, and notice that the same \u201cchildhood you\u201d is here now &#8211; observing all this as an adult.<\/li>\n<li>Let\u2019s let these memories go and return to this room in the present moment with all of us \u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWould anyone like to share their experience of this exercise?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">Important points of discussion to draw out include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-roman\">\n<li><strong>Introduce Self as Perspective\/Observer<\/strong><br \/>\nThe sense of self as a perspective \u201cI\u201d (\u201cnot-you\u201d) and the \u201cobserver-self\u201d (the experience of the same \u201cI\u201d who is aware and observing) is continuously present throughout our lives.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201c\u2026 notice that \u201cyou\u201d have always been \u201cyou\u201d throughout your whole life;\u201cyou\u201d (pointing around) have not been \u201cme\u201d (pointing to self).Although everything else that is not our \u201cselves\u201d are ever changing, including our thoughts, feelings, body, social roles, just like our Lego pieces\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">Persistence of \u201cSelf\u201d through challenges of life<\/span><\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">\u201c\u2026notice that \u201cyou\u201d remain \u201cyou\u201d throughout your life, through good times or bad times, from distant events to recent events\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\"><strong>Being constricted by our own stories<br \/>\n<\/strong>We can easily confuse our \u201cselves\u201d with ideas and concepts about ourselves, like our self-descriptions, stories, or social roles, and feel bound by these things <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">You may say to yourself, \u201cI\u2019m a man and I\u2019m not a dancer\u201d \u2013 so you may never have that experience and now what if you say to yourself \u201cI\u2019m a shy person and I\u2019m someone who never speaks up against issues like stigma\u201d?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\"><strong>Feeling loss of self when things change<\/strong> <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">When we feel defined by our self-descriptions, stories, and roles, we feel quite vulnerable. We may guard against such changes at a cost to us\u2026 When changes do occur, we may feel completely lost\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-align: initial;font-size: 1em\">\u201c\u2026You may say to yourself \u201cI\u2019m my ____ (job)\u201d What happens if you cannot keep that job because of mental or physical illness? If you identify yourself as a mother, what happens if you lose your child to suicide?So even though knowing our roles and our values behind our roles help us function, our sense of self need not be tied to them in a suffocating way.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"textbox\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><strong>Notes for facilitators<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Observe whether participants can spontaneously come up with the discussion points themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Participants may comment on how much they like the building process itself or share about their particular memories. The sharing may be felt as quite helpful both to the individual and to the group. While demonstrating empathy, be careful not to get caught up with the content. If participants come to certain rigid insights or conclusions about themselves, this can lead naturally to the discussion points.<\/p>\n<p>Give relevant examples of how identities and stories may be constricting depending on the group composition \u2013 e.g. \u201cI\u2019m a community leader; I must appear perfect in the community\u201d; \u201cI\u2019m a consumer survivor; I\u2019m less than others\u201d; \u201cI\u2019m a parent; I\u2019m a failure because my son has issues\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some may feel reluctant to take apart their Lego creations \u2013 just as it is hard for us to let go of our identities and stories, even when it comes time to change.<\/p>\n<p>Some may feel that they lack the pieces to perfect their Lego creations or want to trade with others &#8211; just as we get caught up with our stories about what we don\u2019t have and how others may have what we want and don\u2019t have.<\/p>\n<p>Some may feel that there is not adequate time or they do not have the skills to perfect their Lego creations to be truly representative of their experience \u2013 just as sometimes, we may spend a lot of time trying to analyze and gain insights and understanding about ourselves, even when this \u201cperfect\u201d understanding may not be possible or helpful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>Take-home Metaphor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Ask if the participants can look at their plate of Lego pieces and find themselves in it. The metaphor of self-as-context, that we are the context of our experiences but not the content of our experiences, is that we are the plate. Participants can keep the paper plates to take home, while the facilitators can retrieve the Lego pieces for reuse.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Looking at this (lift up your plate of Lego blocks) \u2013 where are you in this? Are you the blue piece or the red piece?<\/li>\n<li>You are the plate that contains the Lego pieces\u2026 not the pieces themselves, which have always been changing.The plate even has your name written on it.<\/li>\n<li>So whatever difficult experiences and memories we have seen depicted by the Lego blocks, we are still here, as is the plate.And we can be open and flexible to the ever-changing experiences of life and not hang on to past stories or other rigid beliefs.<\/li>\n<li>We are the container of our experiences.We have our thoughts but we are not our thoughts.We have our memories but we are not our memories. We can realize this when we are in touch with our observer self.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>References &amp; Sources<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Inspiration drawn from two exercises: Self-as-context Exercise and Chessboard Metaphor (Hayes et al, 2012, p 231-235).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"author":486,"menu_order":15,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-224","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":123,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/486"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":235,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/224\/revisions\/235"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/123"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/224\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=224"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=224"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/strengthinunity\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}