A mind map to understand what has shaped us
Biography work
- We all have our sore points. For some it is a hurdle to say no, for others, letting someone close to you emotionally.
- If we find it difficult to get out of our skin at certain moments, it may well be that one aspect of the current situation awakened, old feelings or bonding experiences within us.
- With the relationship wheel you can explore what influences you in early life years. Take a large sheet of paper. Write your name in the middle and circle it.
20 Minutes
4. Think about which people had a special impact on you, whether positive or negative, from the time you were born until your 18th birthday. Who looked after you as a baby and toddler? Who were your caregivers in kindergarten and elementary school? Who played a special role in the teenage years?
5. From your circle, draw a line to every person you can think of. The stronger the influence, the wider and shorter the line. These are the spokes in your relationship wheel.
Large sheet of paper, different coloured pens
6. For each name, write what position this person had in your relationship wheel. Find a word or phrase that characterises what kind of influence that was.
7. When you’re done collecting, look at your sheet. Maybe you feel the need to customise or color code something. You can also repeat the exercise at another time.
8. The relationship wheel can help to classify your current experience into your early biography. But you can also re-evaluate the influences at that time. Today, as an adult, you have the freedom to write your own story.