The metaphor of Russian dolls and the sense of self

Russian dolls are a good tool in therapy. With them, the psychologist can in a simple way, get the patient to see their problems as entities independent of themselves.

Separating the concept of self from psychological problems for some people is a natural process; However, there are others who do not achieve it or do so with difficulty. Sowhen these problems make it difficult for the person to see who they are, introspection work is recommended. Russian dolls can help in this process.

The sense of self in therapy

The sense of self is built in the human being from early experiences in childhood, when the “I” begins to be differentiated from the “you” as the ability to abstract and differentiate certain experiences of one individual and another, recognizing one’s own experiences. .

It is from there when they begin to build the individual’s own autobiography and experience, in addition to the evaluation he makes of himself and perspective taking.

Certain thoughts, memories, sensations, emotions, etc., are connected to the experience of the self. Ego processes appear at many moments in most therapeutic processes.

I eat content and the pieces of Russian dolls

The self as content refers to contact with the verbal signals that are provided in the first moments of childhood. and influence human behavior. At an early age, the context provides descriptions of the individual that, together with one’s own, combine the “as I am”.

It could be said that The self as content is the main anchor of psychological problems due to the rigidity sustained in the story with which the person works for certain stories.

For example, if it were very important for an individual to be “good person” and if he took this to the extreme, he could perform certain behaviors that were in the sense of this characteristic of his self-concept, without taking into account certain aspects of the environment. This may have consequences for him, since perhaps his environment may be taking advantage of this tendency.

I eat the process and the pieces of the Russian dolls

The self as a process implies a process of self-awareness towards the own processes that combine the history constructed in the individual. It constitutes a “realize” of the psychological processes that are happening at the present moment and their relationship with other past events.

Thus, the self as a process facilitates anchoring behavior in the here and now to act in a flexible manner according to present circumstances.

The self as a process is usually private, and can be shared with others verbally. This indicates awareness of certain affective and sensory states. In the metaphor of Russian dolls, both the self as a process and the self as content would be reflected in the dolls kept inside of the biggest doll.

I as context and the Russian doll as a whole

The self as context suggests the perspective of continuity of the self, once the individual is aware of what he or she is experiencing. The self as context provides the individual with a sense of transcendence, knowing that he is more than his story.

In short, the self as context provides the individual with disidentification with his or her own history. With this, it observes itself as a continuum, functioning as a “bowl”that harbors certain experiences, taking distance from them.

In the Russian dolls metaphor, the self as context could be said to be the biggest doll that holds the others.

Russian dolls and ego processes

Russian dolls are a set of traditional dolls from largest to smallest size. The largest doll houses the smallest ones inside, the next largest also contains those that are smaller than it and so on.

The following text is an example of how to use the Russian dolls metaphor. to help the person break their identification with their problems or worriesreducing anxiety and generating greater psychological flexibility:

The metaphor of Russian dolls is anchored in the flexibility processes provided by acceptance and commitment therapy. Nevertheless, Russian dolls can be used in a variety of therapeutic processes, helping people to make contact with their own experiences – or memories of them – that generate discomfort.

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