You are here: Home > Reformulation > Winter 2010 [Issue 35] > Mirror Workshop Summary Held On The 9th July 2010

Mirror Workshop Summary Held On The 9th July 2010

Elia, I., 2010. Mirror Workshop Summary Held On The 9th July 2010. Reformulation, Winter, p.47.

---

After a short introductory word about mirroring between infants and parents; mirrors and self-discovery with chimps and dolphins; and ‘mirror/copy’ as one reciprocal role (RR) and ‘react to reflection of self in mirror as if to another’ as the other RR, we began to look at our faces in hand mirrors. Any observed internal script, voice/feeling, or element of appearance (expression, muscle tension, action, degree of eye contact with the self) was noted.

We wondered who, reciprocally, is really in the mirror. Are the voices of the self in dialogue? What script or feeling corresponded to appearances such as raised shoulders, chin thrust out, not smiling, frown, lip biting, and touching, picking on, or pulling the skin or hair? No one dared go further and look in the full length mirror.

The Inner Voice Check (IVC - see Reformulation, summer 2007) helped us hear our inner voice(s) more clearly. There were the critical, nitpicking, and stifling comments, usual in our society. And there were poignant descriptions of sorrow, worry, anxiety, anger, and guilt sometimes seen in the reflections, as well as sadness about resembling the parent who triggered or modelled these roles for us. Better to notice these reactions as part of the RR reverberation than to simply assign them to self without any insight about origins in role interactions.

And, encouragingly, there was at least one of the 15 present who could say ‘you’re not so bad’ to the reflection.

The questions for future explorations with the mirror are ‘Can a slight change in the expression be seen if the internal script is tweaked? Will the script alter if the expression or another aspect of appearance is slightly changed, such as the tilt of the head or the gaze? Would certain unhelpful feelings, such as hopelessness, shift when both script and appearance are noted and reframed?’

Observations and experiments in role change using reflections await us and our clients.

Full Reference

Elia, I., 2010. Mirror Workshop Summary Held On The 9th July 2010. Reformulation, Winter, p.47.

Search the Bibliography

Type in your search terms. If you want to search for results that match ALL of your keywords you can list them with commas between them; e.g., "borderline,adolescent", which will bring back results that have BOTH keywords mentioned in the title or author data.

Related Articles

Mirror, Voice and Reciprocal Role
Elia, I., 2004. Mirror, Voice and Reciprocal Role. Reformulation, Spring, pp.6-8.

Three linked things: Bodies
Maggie Gray, 2013. Three linked things: Bodies. Reformulation, Summer, p.40.

Workshop Presentation Synopses from the 2005 ACAT Annual Conference
Carroll, R., Elia, I., Compton Dickinson, S. and Webster, M., 2005. Workshop Presentation Synopses from the 2005 ACAT Annual Conference. Reformulation, Spring, pp.7-9.

Book Review of: Beatrice Beebe and Frank Lachmann (2002). Infant Research and Adult Treatment: Co-constructing Interactions. Published London: Analytic Press.
Lloyd, J., 2009. Book Review of: Beatrice Beebe and Frank Lachmann (2002). Infant Research and Adult Treatment: Co-constructing Interactions. Published London: Analytic Press.. Reformulation, Summer, pp.34-35.

The Inner Voice Check
Elia, I., 2007. The Inner Voice Check. Reformulation, Summer, pp.28-29.

Other Articles in the Same Issue

A Little Bit Of Bakhtin - From Inside To Outside And Back Again
Hepple, J., 2010. A Little Bit Of Bakhtin - From Inside To Outside And Back Again. Reformulation, Winter, pp.17-18.

A Suggested New Diagrammatic Formulation for Narcissists
Nehmad, A., 2010. A Suggested New Diagrammatic Formulation for Narcissists. Reformulation, Winter, p.44.

Accessible Snags
Melton, J., 2010. Accessible Snags. Reformulation, Winter, p.40.

Aim and Scope of Reformulation
Hepple, J., Lloyd, J., 2010. Aim and Scope of Reformulation. Reformulation, Winter, p.45.

‘When I’m The Dark Angel I Feel Worthless And Don’t Deserve Love’
Kirkland, J, 2010. ‘When I’m The Dark Angel I Feel Worthless And Don’t Deserve Love’. Reformulation, Winter, pp.19-23.

Creatively Adapting CAT: Two Case Studies from a Community Learning Disability Team
Smith, H., Wills, S., 2010. Creatively Adapting CAT: Two Case Studies from a Community Learning Disability Team. Reformulation, Winter, pp.35-40.

Financial Practicalities
Harvey, L., 2010. Financial Practicalities. Reformulation, Winter, p.46.

How Can Cognitive Analytic Therapy Contribute To The Understanding And Treatment Of “Sex Addiction”
Watson, R., 2010. How Can Cognitive Analytic Therapy Contribute To The Understanding And Treatment Of “Sex Addiction”. Reformulation, Winter, pp.13-16.

International CAT
Curran, A., Potter, S., 2010. International CAT. Reformulation, Winter, p.5.

Letter from the Chair of ACAT
Westacott, M., 2010. Letter from the Chair of ACAT. Reformulation, Winter, pp.3-5.

Letter from the Editors
Hepple, J., Lloyd, J., 2010. Letter from the Editors. Reformulation, Winter, p.3.

Letter to the Editors
Pollard, R., 2010. Letter to the Editors. Reformulation, Winter, p.5.

Mirror Workshop Summary Held On The 9th July 2010
Elia, I., 2010. Mirror Workshop Summary Held On The 9th July 2010. Reformulation, Winter, p.47.

Playfulness in CAT
Coulter, N., Rushbrook, S., 2010. Playfulness in CAT. Reformulation, Winter, pp.24-27.

Situating Social Inequality And Collective Action In Cognitive Analytic Therapy
Brown, R., 2010. Situating Social Inequality And Collective Action In Cognitive Analytic Therapy. Reformulation, Winter, pp.28-34.

The “Piacentino” Context In Which We Work As Aspiring CAT Practitioners In Italy
Fiorani, C., Poggioli, M., Provenzano, A., Romanelli, S., Sogni, A., 2010. The “Piacentino” Context In Which We Work As Aspiring CAT Practitioners In Italy. Reformulation, Winter, pp.6-11.

The Reformulation ‘16 Plus One’ Interview
Hepple, J., Lloyd, J., 2010. The Reformulation ‘16 Plus One’ Interview. Reformulation, Winter, pp.46-47.

The West Midlands CAT Practitioners Course 2009-2011
Darongkamas, J., Griffiths, Dr T., Williams, O., 2010. The West Midlands CAT Practitioners Course 2009-2011. Reformulation, Winter, pp.41-44.