Feelings Language for Adults

  • Lucy Holbrook
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12 Jun 2014 20:39 #1 by Lucy Holbrook
Feelings Language for Adults was created by Lucy Holbrook
Hi All,
Can anyone recommend any resources that help adults learn feelings, feelings vocabulary and differentiating between intensity of individual emotions (eg irritation, anger, rage). I have just started a project in an adult male prison and it is clear that participants' feelings vocabulary is very limited.
Thanks
Lucy

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13 Jun 2014 08:24 #2 by Sally Ann Hart
Replied by Sally Ann Hart on topic Feelings Language for Adults
Hi Lucy,
I don't feel surprised by your comment regarding a limited feelings vocabulary - I've spent the last 10 years or so trying to help people use more than 'bad, sad, mad, glad' and here are a couple of the activities I use to try and achieve this.
One of the activities is to use 4 flipchart pages each with a picture depicting someone/thing feeling angry, sad, happy and worried, (I often use The Bear Cards for this although have some magazine images that would also do). I then ask people to add other 'feeling' words they know that 'fit' within this range - so for example on the 'sad sheet' people often add miserable, low, upset, depressed, tearful etc. I still remember a someone asking if 'subdued' would fit here - fantastic! I would display the sheets every week so that people could keep adding new 'f' words and by the end of each course people certainly were using more within their communication. We also discussed how having a wider feelings vocabulary enabled them to protectively interrupt while they were perhaps feeling midly irritated rather than waiting 'til they were feeling furious and had allowed their behaviour perhaps to illustrate how they felt. By knowing 'mildly irritated' is on the 'feeling angry continuum' they could protectively interrupt for themselves before ‘losing it’. (This also reminds me of the 'Feelings Thermometer' Activity - do you know that one?)
I have also used the feelings flipchart activity slightly differently by asking each group (up to 4 in a group) to fold a flipchart paper in 4 and then indicate in each quadrant happy, sad, angry and worried perhaps a bit like:
:) :( :angry: :unsure:
and then give them about minute to record as many feelings words they can think of for each quadrant. After the time has elapsed I ask them to pass their page on to the next group and give them another minute to see if they can add any that the previous group didn't have - and we keep going 'til they get their original sheet back. This activity helps people to see how many words they collectively know and provides an opportunity for them to practise remembering and recording them. An adaptation of this is to just have one feeling sheet per group and ask them to focus one at a time on happy, sad, angry, worried etc. I always find it interesting when a feeling word like 'embarrassed' or 'ashamed' ends up on more than one sheet - e.g sad and worried which again helps to talk about how feelings are on a continuum.
Hope this is helpful and would really love to hear how things go.
Sally Ann

PS Hoping it goes without saying that I do my best to reassure people that for me the spelling isn’t the focus of this activity and I encourage them to be as creative with their spelling as I am.
PPS Can't believe I forgot to mention how this is also a fantastic opportunity to reinforce feeling safe.
PPPS And also think it could be really helpful to liaise with Penny & Tim as they've done lots of PB work in prisons.

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13 Jun 2014 17:44 #3 by Di Margetts
Replied by Di Margetts on topic Feelings Language for Adults
Hi Lucy
Penny Bassett and her partner Tim Lee have done lots of work in prisons.
Suggest you look at her website pennybassett.com and also feelingsafestandingstrong.com.
She is also on the PBpeople website as a trainer.
They are in OZ at the moment and will be back in UK on 1st or 2nd July
When I put Feeling Safe Standing Strong into google it came up with lots of Penny's stuff so hope there is something in there for you.
See you in Brighton
Cheers from Di

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13 Jun 2014 18:31 #4 by Ann Seal
Replied by Ann Seal on topic Feelings Language for Adults
Love all suggestions already posted.

consciousdiscipline.com/resources/feeling_pictures.asp

has feeling faces you could use for Sally Ann's activity.

www.teachfind.com/national-strategies/seal-resources-photocards

not sure if any of these would be useful for that particular group but can download them free.

I also have a wonderful resource made by a colleague following PB training which he used to help the young men/ teenage boys he was working with engage with feelings. I will send by email in case you can use/ adapt it.

Ann

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  • Lucy Holbrook
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14 Jun 2014 10:30 #5 by Lucy Holbrook
Replied by Lucy Holbrook on topic Feelings Language for Adults
Thanks Sally-Ann, Di and Ann for your suggestions and they all look really useful. On Friday we put up a couple of flip charts sheets on the wall to encourage participants to write up both new Feelings words and new words in general that they hear - prompted by Judith's Feelings Mountain post which popped into my head (thanks Judith). And we also have put a dictionary in the room so they can look up words they are unfamiliar with. We are working with this group twice a week over 3 months so have the option of being able to develop themes as we go along over an extended period which feels a lovely luxury.
BW
Lucy

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14 Jun 2014 11:46 #6 by Sally Ann Hart
Replied by Sally Ann Hart on topic Feelings Language for Adults
Wow Lucy, that sounds like a wonderful opportunity and really looking forward to hearing how it goes.
Also just dipped into the consciousdiscipline.com/resources/feeling_pictures.asp resource suggested by Ann and wondering now how I missed that one. Love the ideas around images for Safe Place Breathing - looks like there are lots of PB consistent messages available here, unless I've missed something, and fantastic that the resources are freely available. Thanks Ann for recommending ;)

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