1. Play yourself at an earlier point in time, with the counsellor acting as the person causing you distress. It is helpful to programme the counsellor with one (or a few) powerful phrases, and tell them to keep using them with you. These phrases can either be memories or what you think the other person could typically have said. E.g., "Eat it up for Mummy," or "You're a very naughty boy!" In responding speak directly to the person using present tense and involving body in actions.
Try ending with a response which is a validation of yourself.
There is a limit on using your counsellor in this way, and that is you need to remain conscious that they are your counsellor. If the role-play is too threatening you may think they personally are distressing you, and so lose your Balance of Attention. If this tends to happen then keep that particular distress for when you are in a group situation, and can have someone as a role-player in addition to someone as your counsellor.
2. Sometimes it is useful to role-play the person who has caused you the distress. This is known as 'playing the other end of the record.' This can parody the situation for you and be Pattern breaking, or sometimes you will discover you also have the chronic pattern you have suffered under. (This identification with the oppressor is quite common.) In either case the aim is to discharge in order to break up the Patterns concerned.
3. Sometimes you may be aware that your Distress is in the form of a conflict in yourself which results in an impasse; one thought is immediately countered by its opposite, and you are blocked from making any progress. This can be unlocked by separating the different sides and allowing each to speak in turn. This is helped by making a physical separation--having two cushions or chairs for example. Sit first on one cushion and let one part have its say, and talk to the other cushion as the other part of you. When one part has had its say (or if interrupted by the other part) then move to the other cushion and reply as the other part. Continue in this manner. The probability is that neither of the two parts is rational--both are distressed. The aim is for Discharge, whichever part you are role-playing. When some resolution has been reached or time is nearly up, move to a position away from both cushions and become the rational person. Review what you have learned and use appropriate Target Practice techniques to finish.
4. Role-playing dreams can be fruitful. There are at least two different ways of doing this:
a. Treat the dream as though it were an event that actually happened and work on it with the usual techniques.
b. Take any person or object that appears in the dream and assume it is you and let it talk. E.g., "I am the grass, I am being walked over." Again use the usual techniques to get Discharge.
5. Future oriented role-play; going through situations you are about to have to cope with or expect to meet. Treat them as present time, and set the scene with literal description and speak directly to the others involved. Ask other people to play roles for you as appropriate. Repeat key phrases you wish to say and try to get voice, posture, etc. in line with complete confidence in yourself. Allow Discharge to happen if it comes up, and then go back to what you were saying or doing.
A useful variant of this is to use two cushions. This time use one cushion for the rational you, where you start. Use the other cushion for the distressed you; move there whenever you feel upset. When on the distressed cushion the aim is to return to the rational you as soon as possible, by discharging or using a ladder out of Distress. For a full description see Person and Pattern Cushion exercise later in this chapter.
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