ABSTRACT
This exercise is about reflecting on the good times, lucky breaks, lovely things, lovely people and opportunities the participant has experienced in his or her life. We often don’t spend enough time savouring these. The exercise is also about acknowledging the times that have been really difficult, painful and disappointing. Just like snakes and ladders, life’s good times, lucky breaks and grabbed opportunities can be truly uplifting, while the difficult times can ‘bring you down,’ and then the challenge is how you get up again, dust yourself off and start again. It can be a relief to actually reflect on the good times and the painful times in this way with a listening, reflective other. For many people, the exercise offers an opportunity for them, often for the first time, to praise themselves for actually surviving the losses, the traumas and the setbacks and getting up and starting again. For others, some ‘snakes’ may still be current in their lives, so they need to be talked about and met with an empathic, compassionate response.
