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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tabitha on January 8, 2003, at 2:35:44
Finally, after all these years, she opened the bottom drawer of the desk and brought out bags full of crayons and markers! I got to draw my stress (ugly brown and black colors) and my inner oasis of sanity (pleasing blues and reds). Sure was more fun than just hearing myself talk all hour. I love the smell of crayons.
Is it mere coincidence that this is the week I discussed limiting my sessions? Is she trying to renew my interest? Wonder what I have to do to get to use glitter glue.
Posted by Dinah on January 8, 2003, at 2:56:46
In reply to Therapist brought out the crayons, posted by Tabitha on January 8, 2003, at 2:35:44
> Wonder what I have to do to get to use glitter glue.
I hope you never have to find out!!!!
Seriously, that sounds so cool. My therapist doesn't (I don't think) have crayons. Pout. Although I think he's thinking about sharing an office with a child psychologist. Think of the toys!!!
When I started therapy, he was really big on my naming emotions, especially after he found out I couldn't. So I drew this really intricate color chart using the big box of crayola crayons. I could then point to the color, and I had a cross-reference of moods attached. I did several of them before I got it right, then I gave one to him and kept one. "No, no. Not red. More of a brick. That would mean resentment, not anger."
Posted by justyourlaugh on January 8, 2003, at 10:17:19
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons, posted by Dinah on January 8, 2003, at 2:56:46
when i was in the hospital,
people in the "art"room were cutting out huge circles of red and markering black centers for poppies to put up around on the bare white walls.
was this an exercise in sissor trusting-
or how well one can draw a cicle pumped full of new meds?
jyl
Posted by rayww on January 8, 2003, at 10:19:53
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons, posted by Dinah on January 8, 2003, at 2:56:46
> > Wonder what I have to do to get to use glitter glue.
>
> I hope you never have to find out!!!!
>
> Seriously, that sounds so cool. My therapist doesn't (I don't think) have crayons. Pout. Although I think he's thinking about sharing an office with a child psychologist. Think of the toys!!!
>
> When I started therapy, he was really big on my naming emotions, especially after he found out I couldn't. So I drew this really intricate color chart using the big box of crayola crayons. I could then point to the color, and I had a cross-reference of moods attached. I did several of them before I got it right, then I gave one to him and kept one. "No, no. Not red. More of a brick. That would mean resentment, not anger."
>
>This sounds interesting. I know lots of people who can't identify emotions. some of my own kids. does this mean we all need to learn how to color again? my son who never would sit and color as a child has the most difficult time identifying, or even considering emotions today. is this why coloring is so important to a child? i'm serious. is there a connection?
Posted by jane d on January 8, 2003, at 10:25:30
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons, posted by Dinah on January 8, 2003, at 2:56:46
> .... So I drew this really intricate color chart using the big box of crayola crayons. I could then point to the color, and I had a cross-reference of moods attached. I did several of them before I got it right, then I gave one to him and kept one. "No, no. Not red. More of a brick. That would mean resentment, not anger."
>
>Dinah,
This opens up lovely possibilites for therapist record keeping software. You could make it look like the cash registers at fast food places where everything is a picture. Colors for moods of course. For diagnosis maybe just appropriate the highway warning signs like "slippery when wet" or that lovely picture of the tractor trailer tipping over on a sharp curve. We could market it as an international, non language based product. Therapists would no longer need to know how to read and write (which could cut costs) and, of course, it would free them from the worry of courts, patients, or insurance companies snooping around in their records. And, for an extra fee, we could offer encryption - a colored piece of plastic to place in front of the screen without which the colors would all be off. What do you think? Should we incorporate?
Jane
And of course, each patient would get a 64 color box of crayons to take home with them.
Posted by Dinah on January 8, 2003, at 10:27:40
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons, posted by rayww on January 8, 2003, at 10:19:53
For me, emotions were hard to express in words, but easier to express in terms of color. I could imagine each emotion as a color as I felt it better than I could come up with a name for it. I could see my father's anger as a black heavy cloud with thunderbolts of red energy. I could see my anxiety as shades of yellow, with electricity skittling over the surface. Then I had a list of emotions that my therapist gave me, and tried to place each one on my color chart.
I know art is used a lot in therapy. Not mine, thank heavens. I'm still drawing stick figures.
I doubt there is any real connection. But you might want to encourage your son to use different ways to express emotion.
Posted by Dinah on January 8, 2003, at 10:28:44
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons, posted by justyourlaugh on January 8, 2003, at 10:17:19
LOL. It sounds hilarious when you describe it, but it must have been frustrating at the time.
Posted by Dinah on January 8, 2003, at 10:31:28
In reply to Color coding » Dinah, posted by jane d on January 8, 2003, at 10:25:30
Jane, I think that's a great idea! We all know that the DSM is inadequate. A pictorial system sounds much more reliable. Where's the patent office?
Hugs,
Dinah
Posted by Tabitha on January 8, 2003, at 13:33:16
In reply to Re: Color coding » jane d, posted by Dinah on January 8, 2003, at 10:31:28
Coloring is fun. Man it's so hard to just draw stuff without that inner critic starting up, judging the results. I used to paint and boy was that an anxiety wrought experience. Maybe I should get a big pad of paper and do some kids art, with crayons, markers, and glitter glue.
Dinah you're right, anger is red but resentment is brick red. Festering, darkening, like dried blood.
Posted by Alii on January 8, 2003, at 13:37:58
In reply to Color coding » Dinah, posted by jane d on January 8, 2003, at 10:25:30
> Jane
>
> And of course, each patient would get a 64 color box of crayons to take home with them.
Jane,Crayola is up to 96 crayon boxes!!! (64 is so limiting hahahhahah) They're wonderful.
~A.
Posted by Alii on January 9, 2003, at 1:57:36
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons, posted by Dinah on January 8, 2003, at 2:56:46
>>Seriously, that sounds so cool. My therapist doesn't (I don't think) have crayons. Pout. Although I think he's thinking about sharing an office with a child psychologist. Think of the toys!!!
>>When I started therapy, he was really big on my naming emotions, especially after he found out I couldn't. So I drew this really intricate color chart using the big box of crayola crayons. I could then point to the color, and I had a cross-reference of moods attached. I did several of them before I got it right, then I gave one to him and kept one. "No, no. Not red. More of a brick. That would mean resentment, not anger."
Dinah,That sounds genius. What a great thing to have learned. I think whoever mentioned the marketing of this is genius too. You're onto something here!
What a fantastic way to associate emotions when they seem so remote and strange, to attach them to colours. Wow. I really am blown away by this idea. Going to bring up the idea with my therapist even though I have a full emotion vocabulary from the years of thearpy I've been through something about this really struck me as being "right" for me somehow.
Going to bring it up with therp. tomorrow. Thanks you crayon women!!
~Alii
Posted by judy1 on January 9, 2003, at 12:19:16
In reply to Therapist brought out the crayons, posted by Tabitha on January 8, 2003, at 2:35:44
I think that's awesome. My therapist deals a lot with DID and child alters and her office is like my son's preschool- lots of stuffed animals which I clutch constantly and real small dogs that are wonderful at giving affection. I think all therapists should recognize the 'inner child' and provide whatever medium that their clients are comfortable using to communicate. take care- judy
Posted by Dinah on January 9, 2003, at 16:01:50
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons » Dinah, posted by Alii on January 9, 2003, at 1:57:36
It was Jane who mentioned marketing it. And of course, her genius is indisputable. :)
The emotion I hate most is that pale yellowish green. I'm not sure but I think it's spring green in the crayon box. It's the emotion I had the worst trouble naming, and I still just usually say I'm feeling yellow green.
Posted by Alii on January 9, 2003, at 17:15:40
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons » Alii, posted by Dinah on January 9, 2003, at 16:01:50
> It was Jane who mentioned marketing it. And of course, her genius is indisputable. :)
>
> The emotion I hate most is that pale yellowish green. I'm not sure but I think it's spring green in the crayon box. It's the emotion I had the worst trouble naming, and I still just usually say I'm feeling yellow green.Dinah,
I'm now running to my art bin to grab out my crayons and check out this colour and see what you mean. Thank you so much for sharing this with the board Dinah. I really think this is a fantastic idea for connecting emotions when they seem so far away. Perhaps I'll bring in my 96 box to group tonight and spend my time 'forcing' the others to name emotions to colours I pick out to sum up where I'm at. Kind of like a 'guess Alii's emotional make up' tonight!
Spring green/yellow green. Hmmmm. I'm going to have to see what that brings up for me.
~Alii
Posted by Dinah on January 9, 2003, at 17:37:31
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons » Dinah, posted by Alii on January 9, 2003, at 17:15:40
Perhaps Jane and I could start a business.
(What did you think of spring green?)
Posted by rayww on January 11, 2003, at 18:31:07
In reply to Therapist brought out the crayons, posted by Tabitha on January 8, 2003, at 2:35:44
So, what do all the different colors mean? Is there a right and wrong to this test?
Posted by bookgurl99 on January 29, 2003, at 0:38:22
In reply to Re: Therapist brought out the crayons » Dinah, posted by Alii on January 9, 2003, at 17:15:40
> > The emotion I hate most is that pale yellowish green. I'm not sure but I think it's spring green in the crayon box. It's the emotion I had the worst trouble naming, and I still just usually say I'm feeling yellow green.
It sounds like the feeling you have when you're going to throw up. Or like shame.I color in therapy so I can talk and free-associate. I almost always draw trees.
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