ABSTRACT
The tug of war exercise is a metaphor that lends itself well to being physically acted out with the client. The metaphor seeks to highlight how struggling with thoughts and feelings can have unintended consequences, including paradoxical increases and life costs. It suggests acceptance as a viable alternative that can facilitate valued action. For the exercise, the practitioner needs a piece of rope to play ‘tug of war’ with. practitioner
– Imagine that for a moment, this struggle you’re engaged in is like a tug of war with a big, strong ugly monster. And to add a bit of drama into the situation, it’s a tug of war to the death! [if using ‘death’ draws unhelpful functions, modify as needed]. In between you and the monster is a bottomless pit. For this exercise, I’m going to pretend that I’m made up of all your worries, fears, and unwanted thoughts [make these specific to the client].[Together with the client, the practitioner writes each of these down on a sticky label and sticks them onto themselves.]
P– So here I am, your worry/sadness/anger monster in front of you with a rope and I want to play tug of war with you.
