Psych Games: Session 7 Board game

Welcome back, heroes!In this week's session, you will be travelling through the mountains to collect the Earth elemental, known as Gaia. Remember, you must collect all three power elements (Fire, Water, and Earth) to confront Makutu at his palace and free Avatar of the Spirit Solstice from Makutu's prison!

psych games: hero's journey

After gaining Shui, the helpers of the Spirit Solstice have asked Anemos, the Wind Elemental to help you in your next phase of your journey. After all, time is running out fast and the whole world will soon be covered in frozen darkness! Heroes do not only use their strength and bravery but also their intelligence. If you combine Ozai and Shui together, what do you get?

That's right! You get water vapour! The vapour you created becomes dense suddenly and it transforms into a puffy white cloud, lifting your group up into the skies. Your team can now sail with the clouds above the mountains! Anemos, the master of winds, helps you by blowing the cloud from Dragons Gate, all the way to Sedna Seas and Neptunes Needle. The cloud disappears at E24 as it is too cold to go any further.

deadman's gulf

the boroughs

disappearing river

arthur's citadel

dragon's cave

lady loch

Bones Valley

makutu's gehenna

Peaks or aurora borealis

Mountain Forest monastery

Neptunes needles

Sednas seas

Witches armoury

Hyperborea

Pluto’s Peak

Table Top Mountain

lone pines

Gaia’s Repository

Motu Harakore

Black Ooze Bog

Golden Sands of Kohawera

Neptunes needles

Sednas seas

Table Top Mountain

Gaia’s Repository

Lives:

Chance Dice

Heroes are adventurers who are able to meet difficult situations calmly when meeting strangers living in foreign lands. When a potential conflict situation arises, they are able to deflect the anger and frustration of others with consideration and confidence. This level of assertiveness helps to achieve results, solve problems and build good relationships. Gaia, the Earth Elemental, is observing your team to evaluate how you’ve conducted your relationships with each other and with those that you meet.

Being assertive is what enables you to put forward your ideas, thoughts and opinions by expressing yourself effectively, earn the respect of others and boost your self-esteem. Assertiveness is standing up for yourself or expressing yourself without hurting others physically or their feelings.

‘I’m OK’ means I respect myself and feel confident to put forward my thoughts and opinions. ‘I’m NOT OK’ means I don’t feel able to express myself or my ideas. ‘You’re OK’ means I respect you, I am interested in your perspective and want to hear it. ‘You’re NOT OK’ means I’m not respecting you, and don’t value your ideas.

Below are four different areas that reflect a particular mindset or attitude about yourself and others.

A. “I would like to offer my opinion based on my experience of dealing with similar issues” B. “I understand you need help, and I would like to help you. Today, I need to take care of myself because I’m very run-down. I can better help you tomorrow. Would that be suitable for you?” C. “You’ve been absent for the last two occasions and you are always late for meetings.” D. “I don’t agree with you so I don’t have to listen to your opinion.” E. “I’m right about what we should do now and you’re wrong to suggest otherwise.” F. “I don’t mean to be rude, but you have put on weight although your clothes do look amazing on you though.” G. “You are too sensitive, I was only highlighting the funny side of it to cheer you up.” H. “I will go along with whatever decision the group makes”

Look at the 8 statements below and select two that reflect and convey an attitude of mutual respect or “I’m OK, You’re OK”. Make a group decision and select 2 statements from the list that you would say to each other and strangers that you encounter.

What does your body say? How you communicate is not just what you say but includes your body language.

C5) Erect and relax posture

C4) Lean for support, arms crossed in front of body

C3) Clear well-paced voice

C2) Direct and relax eye contact

C1) Staring and glaring eyes

B5) Arms and hands open

B4) Excessive head-nodding, stooped over

B3) Finger-pointing and abrupt gestures

B2) Get into others personal space

B1) Speaks with a loud and demanding voice

A5) Weak and soft voice

A4) Standing stiff and rigid

A3) Fidgety hands

A2) Alert and attentive

A1) Averted downcast eyes

Look at the three columns below. Two of the statements in each column are in the wrong column. Make a group decision and select 2 from Column A, B and C and state where they should be rightly placed. There are six statements to rearrange.

You humans are not welcome here! You have created so much harm to mother nature with your selfish greed and unthinking ways. Our habitat is being destroyed as we speak. What will you do to make any difference?

You convince Yeti with an assertive response to his criticism “We acknowledge your distrust of the selfish motives of humans. Our team undertook this arduous journey and overcame many challenges in order to save Spirit Solstice so that the balance in nature could be restored. We humbly offer this as evidence of our actions, proof of our pure intention to protect mother nature.” Yeti thought again and decided to give you a chance to undergo a challenge he set for your team.

1. I accept the best and worst aspects of who I am. 2. I am not as attractive as others and will never be. 3. Changing is never simple but it’s easier if I stop being hard on myself. 4. I don’t deserve to spend money on myself. 5. My mistakes just show that I’m growing and learning. 6. I do not consider myself as smart enough to be included in the group. 7. It’s okay to make mistakes and forgive myself. 8. I keep making simple mistakes, I am such a failure amounting to nothing in life 9. It’s safe for me to show kindness to myself. 10. I was born unlucky because nothing good ever happens to me. 11. I deserve compassion, tenderness, and empathy from myself. 12. Nobody likes me, I don’t have any friends. 13. Every day is a new opportunity. I won’t let self-doubt or judgement hold me back from the future. 14. I forgive myself and accept my flaws because nobody is perfect. 15. I am different from other people, nobody is as strange as I am. 16. There must be something wrong with me as I don’t seem to fit.

Your team members are feeling discouraged and disheartened. What 5 things would you select that would serve to remind you of your capacity for self-compassion and self-care?

Hello, hello! If you wish to go any further, you must first play my game! There are two doors before you, similar yet different. Can you spot all the differences?

WuKong the monkey

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Below are 3 different scenarios where Wukong, already known for being short–tempered, have criticised the team. The criticism may contain no truth in it, or partially accurate or absolutely accurate. Your team has to choose one from each scenario which is the most appropriate response from a list of possible responses.

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d) We were late because we were preparing a surprise show for you to entertain you worthy of being the greatest monkey king.

c) Wukong you are a gracious host to have this feast in our honour, we sincerely apologise for being 10 mins late which has caused offence. We assure it is never our intent. What could we do to reassert our esteem for you and your hospitality?

b) We are so, so, sorry to have offended you oh mighty one. We promise never to do it again, please forgive us.

a) We did not ask for a feast to be held in our honour.

You have been invited to share a feast with Wukong at his Flowers and Fruit Mountain Palace. Your team arrived 10 minutes late for the feast.

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b) It is not difficult for me to learn. It’s just that you don’t explain very well what you are trying to teach and after all the skill is not useful for me anyway.

a) I know I am a very slow learner. I am so sorry that I am not capable of learning and wasting precious time and your desire in wanting to teach me

d) You are a wonderful teacher, Wukong, and the fault is with me, even the great sage Confucius has only managed to teach me half of what I need to know.

c) I hear you‘re feeling frustrated after three attempts with me. My peers have commended that I’m an excellent learner. It’s a very complicated skill and it would really help me to learn if the skill could be broken down and taught in incremental parts.

Wukong had attempted to teach you a fairly complicated monkey magic skill but you failed to grasp the skill after three tries.

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b) What is there to tell, we managed to survive and that’s what is most important, isn’t it?

a) I understand we haven’t lived up to your expectations in sharing our experiences. We do feel anxious at being naturally expressive. How can you help us to be better at this?

d) As heroes and adventurers, we belong to the silent type, it helps to build an air of mystery and as enigma characters.

c) We thought, compared to all the great adventures you have had, ours pale into insignificance and are not worthy to be heard.

Wukong IS disappointed that the team WAS NOT HONEST in sharing their stories of their adventures. For one reason or other, you have felt ‘tongue tied’ feeling unsure and insecure as to what to share.

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You have journeyed long and hard to arrive here at my door. This challenge is to find out if you have developed the capacity for self-nurturing and self-care. To what extent have you overcome your own ‘inner critic’ and discovered your nurturing ‘Gaia’ to find your ‘root’ and ground'?

“What you are wearing today, the combination of colours, really make you look so radiant and complement your physical features very well."

1. They are being insincere. 2. The compliment may be genuine. 3. Even if they are just trying to be nice, that is still a positive thing and I can reply appropriately. 4. If I don’t accept the compliment I may make the other person feel awkward. 5. They must want something from me. 6. Accepting a compliment gracefully doesn’t mean I have to agree with it completely. 7. If I accept a compliment they may think I am vain. 8. It’s too embarrassing to say something back. 9. If I start believing some compliments I may not feel so bad about myself. 10. They don’t really mean it. They are just trying to be nice. 11. Accepting the compliment may make the other person feel better too. 12. If I accept a compliment it means I am being big-headed. 13. You are just as entitled to receive a compliment as anyone else.

Choose any five statements that seem most relevant and appropriate that you would say to yourself when you receive the compliment below:

Congratulations, you have gained Gaia, the Earth elemental! You are now ready to confront Makutu and save the Avatar of the Spirit Solstice.