Sometimes writing is too complicated and too “against the rules,” especially in the early days of treatment. Try using old magazines, newspapers, advertisements, and telephone books, etc. as tools for self expression and system communication. Look through these printed materials and cut or tear out any picture, word, or phrase that seems relevant.

Let the internal system help pick out these pictures and words, too, even if you are not sure why they want that particular picture. It is very important to not edit or limit the choices of your system, as all of your parts will have their own things to say, and will relate to pictures in a very different way one from another. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t understand why some of the pictures are selected. As you get to know the parts inside that selected those pictures, they will tell you the relevance and meaning involved.

Don’t push everyone who is selecting the cut-out’s to talk about everything at once. You can easily overload and overwhelm yourself if you start demanding explanations for every picture or phrase that is selected. Give the entire system time to explain their choices with you.

If you find that lots of your parts are doing this exercise at once, you can either make different piles for the pictures that belong to different folks, or just cut out everything you see and separate the piles of pictures into themes at a later point. I have known people to be working on dozens of tiny collages all at the same time. I have also known people to assemble gigantic collages on huge poster boards. Use whatever style works for best for you! Your creative expression is very important.

The purpose of the collage is to provide another way to tell without telling. Using groupings of pictures and cut out words or phrases can help to say things that you are not allowed to say directly. Any form of expression is helpful in the therapeutic process, even if some of it stays unclear for a long while.

Another added benefit to this exercise is that you will get to know your system parts better. You might recognize patterns for who leans towards what type of pictures. You might hear a new voice that you don’t recognize insisting on a picture that has absolutely no relevance to you. Tending to everyone will help to include the whole system and lead to greater trust and internal connection.

Collage work can help with the processing of traumatic memories. You might see entire storylines be displayed right in front of you in the groupings of magazine pictures. You might develop a greater awareness for whom in your system dealt with what types of abusive situations.

To process the information that has surfaced during this journaling exercise, click here for a clinical consultation.