Journal December 2025 Release - Flipbook - Page 32
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David: IT IS VITAL THAT YOU ARE THERE TO USE YOUR DISCRETION AS YOU WILL
SEE HOW SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS SEEM TO 'HEAT UP' AND TAKE
OFF. AT LEAST THAT IS WHAT I HAVE FOUND IN THE PAST WHEN I WAS
USING VERY DIFFERENT MEANS- XEROXING DOCUMENTS AND POSTING
THEM OUT ON A REGULAR BASIS TO PARTICIPANTS.
THE WEBSITE, I BELIEVE, WILL REALLY SPEED THIS UP AT THE SAME TIME AS
ALLOWING PARTICIPANTS TO RESPOND WHENEVER THEY WISH AS NOW
ANY 'READER- E.G. ANYONE WHO WANDERS INTO THE SITE OR IS
FOLLOWING THE DISCUSSION CAN JUST GO BACK TO THE REFERENCED
'DOCUMENT' AND THEN SCROLL FORWARD.
STILL, THIS IS ALL NEW TO ME AND OBVIOUSLY TRIAL-AND-ERROR, AS
PERFECTIONISM HAS TRIED TO TURN YOUR (AND MINE)
COMMUNICATIONS AGAINST HER.
Jo:
SS has tried to convince her that she must reply to every question we ask,
wearing her out. So, we have had to work out a way of countering its
attempts at destruction and abuse. For the moment, we only ask questions
when in face-to-face therapy, so that we can prevent SS from turning our
anti-anorexia into weapons for its own use. I will see her tomorrow, and I
will certainly tell her about your interactive site and we will look for ways in
which we can contribute and participate.
Outsmarting the seductive voice of SS
As had become our custom, all communication flowed through me. Below, David
is adding his comments to an email Joanna and I shared with him. In this letter,
she is sharing her outsmarting anorexia/SS and denying its demands that
perfection is required in every situation.
David: DEAR JOANNA: I READ THIS DOCUMENT WITH THE KEENEST INTEREST.
MATTER OF FACT, IT HAS REALLY MADE MY DAY.
An Apprenticeship in Extremis
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, December 2025 Release, p. 5-44.
www.journalnft.com
