Dear Matthew:

Start with your beginning. Take me to a tour back in time to your childhood. Start as early as you remember.

Our memories of our childhoods are often poor, we don’t remember much and what we do remember is not accurate as far as dates and events, what was said and done, and that’s okay, I don’t need a complete and accuracy account (and you don’t want to provide identifying details anyway, such as dates and places), so don’t worry about giving me a complete or accurate tour.

Also, your vocabulary as a young child was not as rich as it is  now, so as you take me on this tour, use simple vocabulary, nothing fancy, use the language a young child will use, in this exercise.

Show me your home life, the interactions between your parents, between them and you. Anything and everything that you do remember is significant- nothing too small to bother to show me. If there are things that you remember that you are too embarrassed  to tell me, either tell me in a general way that will not include the embarrassing details, or don’t tell me at all.

What is most significant to me in this exercise is how you felt and thought back then- not what you think now about what happened back then. I don’t need to know what you now think that your parents intended and thought and felt. They are not my focus; you are. I need to see what you felt back then, how life was for you, in your subjective experience.

You may want to do this exercise when you are comfortable and relaxed, not interrupted by anyone, typing on your keyboard while you are sitting as comfortably as possible.

anita