Sometimes we cannot say exactly what is happening to us, what really excites us. With the help of a picture – accompanied by a psychologist – we can find out this. But what to do if there are no metaphorical maps at home, and the psychologist is all the more? Ordinary postcards, photos from a family album, illustrations for books will help.
The name “metaphorical maps” speaks for itself. This is a metaphor for your current state or condition in the past. Psychologist Mikhail Ingerleyb, author of the book “Metaphorical Associative Maps” (Peter, 2020), is sure that with their help you can solve completely different problems – from the development of creative abilities, searching for yourself and your individuality to removing stress, adjusting relations with partners and children,conflict resolution in the team and command formation. His book is recommended to psychologists.
And we will try to adapt his recommendations to our realities.
With home “metaphorical cards” you can work yourself, but it is better to do it in the company of loved ones or friends. This can be a kind of game. Consider different options for working with “home cards”.
You work alone
Step 1. Try to take a photo or picture from a magazine or book. What is your primary reaction – that which instantly flared up in my head and echoed in the body?
Step 2. The visual image of traditional metaphorical maps, Mikhail Ingerleib believes, causes an emotional reaction that can be studied in the next step. What an emotion it is? Try to call it. Often the first spontaneous emotion surprises us: why did I suddenly feel it? What memories or associations did you have?
Step 3. Try to rationally realize the visual image. Pay attention to the details of the image, what they are talking about? Why, of all the details, it was these precisely these were seen? Tell us about what is “happening” in the picture – what kind of story this? What thoughts come to you at the same time?
Step 4. Creative to comprehend. What is the meaning of the plot for you? What does he look like? How often it is repeated in your life? What is this story actually? Draw the picture with words if necessary. What should it be if you were its author?
You work in a group (a circle of friends, loved ones, from two people or more)
Step 1. Choose the first participant. He chooses a picture or photo, shows other participants. They do not comment, just watch. The first is divided by what he saw on her.
Step 2. What feelings the picture causes him? What details he did not notice right away, but now he saw? What does it look like? What is this picture for him? What is its meaning?
Step 3. How other participants see the picture? What they noticed? What is this picture for them? What feelings she evokes? All participants share their vision and emotions.
Step 4. The main participant shares how the picture has changed after the group work for him. What new meanings he saw. What did I learn to myself and for myself. And then they “play” everyone in turn.
What is left behind the scenes
A family album can become a real revelation and the ability to improve relations with a partner, children or parents. A long -designed photo album will help us better know each other, fill in the gaps. Allows you to return to yourself and your memories and learn something about another person.
Step 1. Open the album and find a photo that is most of all now “responds” to you. If all the photos are equal to you, then take the first. Tell us what is depicted on it. Who are these people? What year it is? What place? Just describe what you see.
Step 2. Remember the context in which the photo was taken. Why the time was special for you? How this photograph was born? Who photographed? What feelings you had then? What happened behind the scenes? What events took place that month or year in your life?
Step 3. What feelings do you have when you look at this photo? What would you like to take with you to the present and future from that photo? Or vice versa – they would like to thank this something from the past and release? What are you feeling now?
Step 4. Give your game partner to share your feelings. Perhaps he did not know about you something before this story. Was there a similar situation in his life? What he carried out of it and is ready to pick up with him, and with what he is ready to say goodbye?
Game on request
It is sometimes useful to work with cards on a specific topic. You can ask a question (open, not involving a definite “yes” or “no”). For example: what partner am I looking for for life? Or: What prevents me from developing as a professional? What resources will help me better understand my children? And so on.
If we work alone, then we follow the first algorithm. If in the group – in the second. You can complicate the task and choose three cards – the past, present and future (as I want to see it). We ask a question and check it in the past (what partners I came across?), the present (what partnership I have now?) and the future (what partner do I want to find?). Such a game helps partners to know each other better than each other.
You can in this way plan a common future or understand conflicts. This method is much more careful and light than a serious conversation. The main thing is to formulate the question correctly. Fantasy field in working with cards endlessly. And they themselves can be at hand at any time – be we at home or on the street. After all, shop windows or advertising billboards can also become resource pictures for us.
