What if you could gather a group of your friends to your home after dinner once a week to have a fun friends’ therapy study group?  No special training required for a fun friend’s therapy study group, only a favorite book of your choosing that is therapist recommended.  Or you can choose to use Not Your Mother’s Diet – The CURE for your EATING ISSUES.  All you need is an open heart and the desire to learn.  Furthermore a group can give you the support that can help you take the steps needed to succeed in your diet goals or your other goals.

There are some simple therapy study group guidelines that follow to help you set the tone.   The main purpose is to have fun and share your learning experience.  It’s been researched that when women get together something chemically changes in their bodies that causes them to feel really good.  How about that for fun?

1. Nothing to do after work and dinner?
2.  Boyfriend problems or split?
3. Divorced and wanting to heal?
4. Want to learn to speak up and be in control?
5. Want to basically feel good about yourself and not be such a pleaser?

What would be these fun friends’ therapy study group (FFTSG) guidelines? Read the following easy tips.

1. Have a focus with the choice of book and clarify your goals.
2. Choose friends that are stable enough to handle the confrontation and the fun.
3. Be flexible
4. Be greedy share without monopolizing time
5. Pay attention to feelings.   Ask, “What are you feeling?”
6. Level by openly responding when confronted, and express feelings.  For example, “I feel frustrated when I hear your comment.”
7. Don’t expect to be understood by the fun friends’ therapy study group.  You can be heard.
8. Avoid advising, interpreting, questioning, and decide to share feelings and your own experiences.
9. Let the gossip go and maintain a total confidential commitment within the fun friends’ therapy study group.
10. Let go of band-aid help.   By rushing in to help or be supportive or comforting to someone expressing a painful experience you disrespect their ability to fully express what they have to say.  People grow by living through their pain.
11. Give feedback.  If something touches you let them know your reactions whether positive or negative.  Being willing to be honest and level enhances the level of trust within your fun friends’ therapy study group.
12. Discover your defenses.  

The purpose of fun friends’ therapy study group is to discover your feelings and to identify defenses that prevent honest expression of feelings.  While change is a goal, look at the group as a tool to help you to discover yourself at a deeper level.  Look at the fun friends’ therapy study group as a place to try out experiential techniques or use new tools that can help you cope and even enjoy your life and your relationships more.   Keep the fun friends’ therapy study group light and have fun.     

If you have any group situation questions please e-mail me and I will do my best to give you an answer kathleenfuller@notyourmothersdiet.com       

   Must Do Feeling Chart That Can Add to Your Self-Awareness

This is a homework assignment that can be done weekly. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling?  Ask yourself this question at the end of your day and place check mark by the feeling.  People often fear their feelings.  You need to feel safe in doing this exercise.  Don’t attempt it if you feel unsafe.  Seek a therapist to work with you.  Feelings will become like a partner to be listened to, not feared.  If not in, share your feelings with a trusted and safe person or friend who will listen, not give advice.  Allow feelings to be part of you that can give you signals and clues to lead you to your truth