Posted by fairywings on December 7, 2005, at 9:33:23
In reply to Re: So.....how DO you sit?!, posted by Tamar on December 7, 2005, at 7:26:56
> I used to sit on straight chair, opposite him (he was also in a straight chair). I felt very exposed and uncomfortable a lot of the time and often I wanted to sit on the floor but for some reason I never did it.
Bleh, a straight chair sounds SO uncomfortable. Maybe it's to make us want to get out on time! ; ) I mean if we can get too comfy we might want to stay all day. ; )
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> I was pregnant when I was in therapy and at first I sat leaning forward with my elbows on my knees and my face in my hands. But pretty soon my tummy got too big and I had to sit up straight. By then I was too big to cross my legs at the knee, so I sat with one ankle on the opposite knee (did I describe that so that people know what I mean?).Yep, understood completely.
>>I think it’s actually a very masculine and dominant position to sit in, and my therapist never mirrored it, although it wouldn’t have bothered me. It was simply comfortable for me. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen another woman sit like that.
I sit that way a lot, and a lot in therapy. Mostly it's when my jeans are feeling just a bit too tight to cross at the knee, BUT I also don't sit with my legs crossed at the knee because if I sit that way too long I get hip pain. Oh these old bones! I often want to sit on the floor too, but I wouldn't. There's not much space on the floor.
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> I also sat on my hands quite a lot. My therapist never mirrored that one either. But when I sat with my hands on my abdomen he would mirror me. And if I caught him I’d very deliberately reposition myself in one of the positions he never mirrored.It's funny you talk about mirroring, and that you're really conscious of it. I'm not sure I look at mine enough to know if he was or not, but I don't think he does. He often sits with his feet propped up on a table. But, my old T used to mirror my behavior, so if I was edgy and aggitated, lots of gestures, he'd be the same way. I didn't realize it until one time I was flinging my hair back, and he did the same thing. Then on the way home I was like, "Hey!, I think he was trying to mirror me!" I never got a chance to ask him because I quit not too long after that.
> I was constantly aware of my body language and of his. That’s probably part of the reason I felt so exposed. I don’t know a lot about body language, but I definitely was aware of what my body and his body were doing in therapy!
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It is fascinating, and I wonder what mine says to him, but I'm afraid to ask! ; )
fw
poster:fairywings
thread:586236
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20051206/msgs/586439.html