Jigsaw Puzzle Therapy

Jigsaw Therapy is a proven process that helps young people experience, understand difficult feelings and situations which can cause them to become anxious, aggressive, disruptive, unhappy, highly emotional, withdrawn or simply unable to concentrate.

Jigsaw Puzzle is a child’s natural form of expression and as we get older we can often forget how important the ability to play is to us. Whilst adults are more able to express themselves verbally, the students  may be more able to consider, identify and acknowledge their feelings through play.

Who is Jigsaw Puzzle Therapy for?

  Low Self-Esteem 

  Bullying or Being Bullied 

  Separation / Loss 

   Bereavement 

   Peer Relationships 

   Appears Sad or Withdrawn 

   Suffers anxiety, stress or phobias 

    Being placed in the Care System 

     Anger / Aggression 

     Autistic Spectrum 

     Poor Attendance

When was the last time you did a jigsaw puzzle? Maybe when you were a child? 

Yet, putting a jigsaw puzzle together has all kinds of unexpected benefits:

Improving concentration

Feeling fully conscious and alert

Developing endurance

Learning to be patient

Developing a sense of order

Clearing the mind

Developing a sense for strategy and reflexes

Feeling a sense of accomplishment

Getting in touch with your inner child

In working a puzzle, you automatically lose all sense of time and are immersed in a bubble of concentration.

By handling the pieces, you subconsciously organize your thoughts, and you also get to experience the joy of laying down the last piece…”

“The Jigsaw Puzzle of Your Life”

In order to take a good look at your life, I invite you to create a puzzle of your journey:

“ Prepare a blank jigsaw puzzle with a piece of cardboard, or use the back of an existing puzzle, or even buy one (you can find online some blank puzzles in any shape, even in the shape of a heart, if that inspires you).

 On a white piece of paper, without thinking too much, write down all the words you can think of that represent all the recurring themes of your life (whether good or bad). Include anything that spontaneously seems important to you, even if you don’t know why. 

Here are a few examples: 

children, entrepreneurship, perfume, travels, divorce, pedagogy, writing, beauty, light, vocation, transmission, books, love, kintsugi, multitasking, creativity, accident, and resilience.

For example, think about your accomplishments, your successes and your failures, your key moments, your passions, words that inspire you, symbols that speak to you . . . everything that regularly comes back into your life, like a chorus of a song.”

“ This list will be surprising and eclectic, but it looks like you.

 Fine-tune it and clean it up, until it perfectly represents your life.”

“ Now copy the words onto the pieces of the blank puzzle you prepared.

 Sit back and study the puzzle of your life!

 What strikes you? What are the recurring themes? Which words do you like best? And which the least?

 Which pieces would you like to change or eliminate?”

Feel free to engage and carry out the above exercise with your family and share your thoughts in the comments below..

 

 

Source From: Céline Santini. “Kintsugi.”