feelings soup

I currently work part-time at a day treatment program for mentally ill adults. Every Monday, I lead a drama group where I lead activities and self-expression through drama. This group has been a stretch for many of the clients, as a lot of them carry a lot of anxiety, particularly social anxiety. Also, no one had done a group like this before at the program so it was new to everyone. Nevertheless, they have taken many risks and had fun. When we processed how the group was going, it was difficult for people to articulate, but I still sensed a lot of anxiety. I went home that night, thinking about how I could address this ongoing issue that causes people to isolate. That’s when I thought of the “feelings soup”.

The next week, I asked the group to think of a feeling they had that morning. About 80% of the group said they were feeling some form of anxiety, although one said he’s feeling hopeful and another said he’s feeling optimistic. I instructed the group to take that feeling and hold it in their laps. It now had a physical shape and form and they had to hold it accordingly. For example if it was really big, or really hot, it needed to be held that way. Some people’s feelings were liquidy and needed a container, one person’s feeling took the shape of a little turtle that he could carry on his shoulder, and one feeling was prickly and sharp. I asked people what they wanted to do with their feeling and most said they wanted to put it in the trash or stomp on it. I did not encourage that, as they have to live with their feelings and manage them. But I did have them pass their feelings around so others could hold their group members’ feelings. They passed them around until they eventually got their feeling back. Some people expressed their feelings were starting to change shape.

After that, I placed an imaginary magic bowl in the middle of the room and one by one each group member placed their feeling in the bowl. One person had a pretend spoon available and she mixed the feelings together. Then I had each group member take out a part of the “soup” that they chose without further instruction or prompting. Each group member spontaneously took out a positive emotion; they took the hope and optimism that was in the mix. As they described their reformed emotions, they expressed feeling connected to others in the group. One group member took out “happy”. I asked her to think of what her happy looks like if it could take a shape or form. She answered by saying she is not good at these things. However, in actuality, she had a wonderful visualization for her “happy”. She described a helmet that helps protect and shield against overwhelming problems and helps her manage them. Other people in the group expressed they wished they had a “happy helmet” too. At the end, they each had their part of the soup and they now could carry it with them. I concluded the group by having the client with her helmet give each of her group members a helmet of their own to wear. This was particularly inspiring because this client often does not recognize her tremendous value. Meanwhile, her great idea was validated and the group appreciated receiving a helmet to help them manage their negative feelings.

This was an activity I had thought of on my own and had not done before with another group. I was impressed by the spontaneity of the clients. I had no plan that the group would find all of that hope and happiness in the soup. I was amazed and inspired by the power of the group process to help people feel connected with each other around similar feelings.