Suitcase Therapy

ecently a client came to session holding a brown paper bag. He opened the bag and removed a frame. In the frame was an exquisite pencil drawing of an empty suitcase. His brother had drawn the picture and it was called 'Empty Baggage'. The client told me that the picture was a symbol of what we were trying to attain and focus on in therapy. So, like the picture, his frame of mind would parallel the suitcase. He said that he identified with the suitcase which once held many things, and was now empty. He too felt his mind held many unnecessary items crammed full with old memories that needed to be cleared. The client said it felt like he had been carrying around a "fully stuffed" suitcase for a long time. He observed that he had been lugging around unresolved issues in his life, keeping them inside, internalizing them. These neglected issues had obstructed his clarity of thought and greatly misguided his behaviors. He commented that the empty suitcase represented what he hoped to accomplish in our work together. The process we were engaged in for him to get rid of his "baggage" and be content.

As the client assessed his thoughts and actions, he realized that he "over intellectualized" and spent too much time involved in obsessive thoughts. He was "in his head" so much that it blocked his ability to feel, clouded his decision making, and led to self deceptions. He found himself increasingly anxious. Bogged down by much from his past, he could not be present in the here and now. He needed to "empty his suitcase"- his mind.

When a person does commit to emptying his or her baggage, whether it is with therapy or another self-help discipline, it's not easy. But like the empty suitcase, they begin to act and feel lighter. This happens when we give attention to burdensome and unresolved events that weigh us down. It is when we can be honest, self reflective, and mindful that we begin the therapeutic process. It is then that we truly begin to create a space to go forward.

The client felt the problem was not that he was thinking, but that he needed to understand his thoughts. This would allow him to clarify and reduce the cumbersome memories, for him to feel safe in dealing with his feelings. Simply put, he had not been able to "feel" in the past, and now he was ready to bridge mind and feeling states and begin to experience feelings in a deeper way. As he gave attention to the things that weighed him down, and processed them they began to wane. This led to more insight. Increased insight and the ability to feel emotions led him to heightened clarity in his actions and behaviors.

Like the suitcase, the client needed to become "empty baggage" so he could continue on his journey less encumbered. With this transition the client discovered his life was less complex and confusing and he could begin to experience an open and loving heart with a sense of wonder and joy. When this happens every experience becomes a special journey and we are a happier fellow traveler.

Joel Polinsky MA, LMFT
License # MFC 38417

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