Catharsis, role playing

Select someone who has negatively impacted your life. Now, pretend that this person is standing before you. Stand up, and tell this person everything you want to say. Really get into it. Wave your arms and do anything else you wish-even pretending to hit the person. If you do this successfully, you may find yourself swearing, crying, screaming, moaning, shaking, sweating, and/or laughing.

Do this for about five minutes.

Then, this is very very important, sit with eyes closed for at least five minutes with no intent to rethink this experiment-just letting the thoughts and emotions sort themselves out as you calm down. Don’t open your eyes until your emotions are back to “normal.”

Ask yourself,How is it that these emotions are “in there” somewhere and yet do not “manifest” in my life continually? Or, do they?

How do I feel, after this exercise, towards this person now? Is this difference in my feelings something I should seek more of? Should I do this exercise again?

Have I released anything? Do I feel “lighter”?

How many persons in my life could I put on a list as candidates for me to confront like this?

What would my life be like if, by pretending thus, I confronted everyone who has wronged me? What would happen to the emotional background of my life? What would happen to my general mood?

Even if nothing was really changed within, did I enjoy this exercise?

How would it feel to confront myself like this?