Creating a container

The third resource that I’m going to share here is the idea of creating a container for our children’s big emotional experiences, their worries and fears. This is a very effective EMDR tool and helps children manage their levels of anxiety by containing them.

Remember the first two resources were breathing and imagining a safe/calm place. Sometimes we need something a little firmer. This is where the idea of a container comes in. With young children you can help by building a little container together. A container can be a cardboard box, empty tissue box, a wooden box or anything similar. Older children can make their own boxes. Boxes can be decorated, drawn on, painted and written on. Adolescents can make their boxes or imagine a box in their own mind.

The very act of making a box, is calming. Once the box is made, ask your child to draw their worries. It can be a doodle, a colour or an actual picture. They can write a letter, or cut out magazine pictures that represents their worries or fears. Any of these would help them express what is on the inside. Once they have put their worries, fears, thoughts etc into their box, they can seal the box and give it to an adult for safe keeping.

The box can be revisited and revised at any time. If children wish to talk about and address some their worries, they can reopen the box with you.

Give this a go and let me know how it goes.