Lifeline: my story · worksheet 118
Some scenes sum up a period or say something important about you. Choose a few and tell them like film scenes: a moment, a place, what happened.
Before you start
- What it is for: To recover specific memories (not just “it was hard”) and see how you acted in your own story.
- About 30 minutes, or one scene a day.
- Specific scenes: a moment and a place, like a scene in a film.
- For the low point, choose something difficult that you can tell without being overwhelmed, not the worst.
Prefer paper? Download the PDF to print (with a page for psychologists).
What to do with your results
See what repeats in the scenes: a quality, a value, a person. It is a thread in your story.
If you find it hard
For the low point, choose a difficult moment that can be told, not the worst one. If a memory overwhelms you, stop: just write one word, do a grounding exercise (worksheet 04 or 93) and talk about it with your psychologist.
For psychologists
The PDF also includes a page for the psychologist: how to run the exercise in session, points to watch and scientific references. You are free to use it with your clients.
For psychologists: aim, audience and duration
Describe a few specific key scenes (best moment, difficult moment, turning point) and draw meaning from them, working on the specificity of memories and the sense of having influence over one’s own life.
Low mood (vague, general memories), feeling lost in life, work on identity and values. Duration: 30 min.
References
McAdams, D. P. (2008). The Life Story Interview. The Foley Center for the Study of Lives, Northwestern University.
Williams, J. M. G., Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., Herman, D., Raes, F., Watkins, E. & Dalgleish, T. (2007). Autobiographical memory specificity and emotional disorder. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 122-148.
Adler, J. M. (2012). Living into the story: Agency and coherence in a longitudinal study of narrative identity development and mental health over the course of psychotherapy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(2), 367-389.
These worksheets do not replace therapy. If you are in distress or having suicidal thoughts, call your local emergency number (112 in Europe; 3114 in France, free, 24/7).
Free worksheet for non-commercial use: you may share it with credit to the author, without modifying it (Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence).
