‘It’s always seemed to me the most important thing in life – to start trouble and make people ask questions about what’s going on.’ – Lux Interior
Punk rock is important to me and I think has a lot in common with therapy. I previously wrote about this in my blog here.
Last year, I started toying with the idea of expanding on that blog post to create a new standalone self-help-style therapy something, ultimately leading to the DIY resource that you can download for free below (best viewed on a full-screen laptop/monitor):
Resist-Rebel-Reclaim: Write Your Revolution!
I am billing this as a ‘punk rock self-esteem workbook’ (though the Cramps would prefer the term ‘rock’n’roll’)- a therapeutic writing resource that uses reflective questions and journal prompts to get you in touch in what might be called your ‘inner protestor.’ This is different to other internal voices that many people are more accustomed to, such as the inner critic or saboteur – the protestor might be just as powerful if they can be given the space and encouragement to emerge, and that’s ultimately what the workbook hopes to foster. The key takeaway questions can be summarised as:
- What am I resisting?
- How can I rebel against it?
- What might I (re)claim for myself through my efforts?
The project was drafted with passion, hope and a pinch of idealism, and came fully together with the constructive feedback of Meg-John Barker, whose self-help zines provided an inspiration for the workbook format I decided on (and then also a nod to punk zine culture). Talking to Jason Schreurs of the Scream Therapy podcast about my experiences of tapping into a core part of myself through punk also helped push me to take this final step of putting it out into the world.
If you like or find it useful, I’d love to hear from you. ❤
Nozomi Counselling & Psychotherapy 