During my years of work as a counsellor and psychotherapist, and thanks to my academic background as pedagogue, it became very apparent how little emotional education children generally get, which, in my opinion, is one of the significant factors responsible for our suffering as adults. This suffering is inherited from generation to generation together with maladaptive coping mechanisms to deal with problems and emotions.
This has been very present for me for a long time and I can confidently say I see this in most of the clients that come through my practice doors. The most common way to cope with issues and unpleasant emotions is avoidance. We avoid, dismiss, brush under the carpet, deny, and neglect our mental health and all of a sudden it takes its toll and it becomes too much, it becomes unmanageable and we don't know what to do. We can't avoid anymore because avoiding becomes futile and we get lost, we only know we want to fix it now, we don't want to look at what is happening and what is there, and often we go to therapy looking for quick fixes.
I work with metaphors a lot, I am a visual person and, as the book warm I am, I love stories, one day I came up with a metaphor, called the pile of sh** (yes, I do use swear words in my practice sometimes, especially if I know my clients will relate better to that, and because sometimes there is not a better word to describe something).
I used this metaphor so much with my work with adults. It basically means to explain that issues can accumulate quite easily if we avoid them or don't look after our mental health and that in order to process our issues the only way is sitting on them, facing them, looking at them, exploring them, being uncomfortable, basically, the only way is through, there is always a limit to how much we can avoid an issue or an unpleasant emotion.
So, I started to think how could more people benefit from this metaphor, how could I share this message for it to reach more people than just my clients? What if we also share it with the little ones? Can they become adults who manage emotions and life difficulties better? Is there a way to facilitate, encourage, or make easier, early and healthy conversations about mental health and emotions between parents and their children?
The Pile of Rubbish, a story about a little boy who discovers he has the superpower to transform his problems and negative emotions into objects to pile them away and forget about them, is here to do all that and help you reflect about your own pile of rubbish.
This book also shows us how we sometimes cope with emotions and problems, how easy they can accumulate if we don't look after our mental health and the massive impact this can have, and how important it to ask for help when needed. Ulises' story makes it clear to both children and adults that it is never too late to start your healing journey.
This beautiful book, with reach full illustrations all hand painted, is for all ages, and parents, mental health professionals, educational organisations and schools can greatly benefit from it. You can read more about the book on www.thepileofrubbish.com
