Landing and Launching: Installment #13

27 Emotions Charades

Preparation time: Five minutes

Materials: None

Procedure:

(1)   Explain to the group that 80% of communication is nonverbal.

(2)   Ask participants to think of the main emotion they are feeling exactly at this present moment.

(3)   Give them a minute of think time.

(4)   When it seems like they are ready ask each participant in turn to create an exaggerated body posture which displays their feeling.

(5)   The rest of the group participants try to guess what emotion that person is trying to express.

(6)    If the group cannot guess exactly what emotion is being presented, allow the person to share what emotion it is they are feeling.

Alternatives: After you have done this activity a few times you can bring it to a more subtle level. At the beginning of group instruct students to sit while one person tries to guess what each of them is feeling.

Notes:

Being able to read people and their feelings is a survival skill for many children from alcoholic or otherwise dysfunctional families. You will often find that they excel at this activity. Being hyper aware of other's feelings can be also be trait of codependency. As the joke goes: “You're feeling good, how am I?” For others reading people can be a useful skill in future employment. I have found that being able to scan and quickly read a group of people is very useful in situations ranging from being on a river to sitting in a staff meeting. You do want to be careful with people projecting their feelings on others.

28 Archetypes

Preparation time Fifteen minutes (some background reading in Jung or another source on archetypes will add depth to your understanding of this activity.)

Materials: (this list in columns)

(a)    Poet

(b)   Warrior

(c)    Magician/Priest

(d)   King/Queen/Chief

(e)    Crone

(f)    Warrior

(g)   Hunter

(h)   Fool/Clown

(i)     Trickster

(j)     Hermit

(k)   Wise One

(l)     Teacher

(m) Artist

Procedure:

Explain that throughout history certain stock characters occur consistently across all cultures. Some cultures have their own unique variations but the source is the same. All have equal value in the make up of human society. In medieval culture the fool could speak truths without fear of reprisal. In Lakota culture the heyoka (backwards person) did everything backwards. If you were unsure of how to behave you merely had to watch the heyoka and do the opposite. At other times the heyoka created opportunity for focus. While he performed his ceremony you were not to watch or be distracted. It was a way of teaching the community to keep focused.

Alternatives: After watching South Park for a while I noticed that the four main characters fitted neatly into four archetypes:

l  Kenny: Priest magician or perhaps messianic figure, continually dying and being reborn 

l  Cartman: Warrior/Boss, while immature Cartman represents the shadow side of the warrior

l  Kyle:  Martyr, always being picked on because of his religion

l  Stan : Lover. Always falling head over heels  in love with Wendy

Notes: I f you really want to delve into the archetypes using South Park watch a few shows as distasteful as some of the episodes  might be. I watch South Park and listen to music that kids listen to every now and then just to keep tuned up on what's going into their brain,

29 Parts of a Car

Preparation time: five minutes

Materials: None, perhaps a a real toy car to pass around as a visual aid

(a)    Wheel: Direction

(b)   Tires: Motivation What's driving your car

(c)    Interior: What does it/you look like inside?

(d)   What's on the radio. What tapes are playing now?

(e)    What is the view from the driver' seat? What do you see that others don't?

(f)    Suspension: What holds us up? Are we in alignment? Do our actions match our beliefs?

(g)   Oil/fluid level: On a physical level do we drink enough water. What are we putting into our systems?

(h)   Battery: What's our energy level?

Procedure:

Explain that if if we think of ourselves as a car each part of the car can represent an aspect of ourselves. You can use some or all of the above questions. If you use more than five questions you will most likely want to use the handout or have the questions on a chalkboard.

Alternatives:

Notes: Of all the counseling theories I was either exposed or subjected to over the years, William Glasser's Reality Therapy always made the most sense. It's easily understandable by both counselors and clients. It's rooted in practical sense and the basics can be remembered for a long time.

Activity Credit: Adapted from activities learned while working at Circle S Residential Treatment Center