For Val + Bridget and anyone else who was wondering if it matters if your monsters are different than mine:

Yes! It absolutely doesn’t matter what monster you use this stuff on.

The manual is all about tactics. Tactics that embody the approach that I try to model in my posts. And these can be used on any monster, critic, gremlin, part-of-you-that-wants-to-help-but-isn’t-helping.

The examples I use are some of the monsters that have been the most common in working with clients and students, and from getting to know the commenter mice here and people at the Kitchen Table.

But really, monsters are monsters: their goal is to serve and protect, and their method is to hide from you or to worry/scare/intimidate/wonder/fake-encourage, or some variation on that.

And these techniques help you establish communication with them so they can stop being monsters. Hope that’s a slightly more helpful explanation!

xox
h

@Elissa – Awww. Allies. Adorable!

@Fi – I love you. Anyone who would do a celebratory dongle dance for this (and I know you would) is a doll in my book. Big hi from me to Mike the [formerly really scary] Goblin.

@Lindsay – parasol! LOVE.

@Katie Hart — ooh, camo sounds great. I’m sure he would like to be a secret spy.

And yeah, I met a cousin of his (the What Was The Point Of Being A Brilliant Intellectual With A History Degree If You’re Just Going To Throw It All Away To Become A Hippie-Dippie Yoga Teacher monster) a few years ago. It was *very* reassured when I promised to be a thoughtful, integlligent yoga-theory person who examined things from all angles.

I also promised to maintain sarcasm, which certainly helped. :)

@May – cephalopods and friends! That is marvelous. I love it. It *is* much nicer when they’re on your side. Off to say Cephalopods some more!

@Lucy – ha! I have been forcibly removing the ‘u’ for annoying Americanized spelling, but when I was a child I always wrote colour with the u.

I remember (in second grade!) getting in trouble for that: had it marked “wrong” on a spelling test and had a screaming fight with the student teacher.

Obviously my dear friends Jane Austen and Charles Dickens couldn’t be WRONG. She (the teacher) refused to believe me and, if I recall correctly, my parents found the whole thing extremely entertaining and were quite proud. Anyway, imagine that I’m putting it in with invisible ink!

@Kirsty – His name is Bernard! Isn’t that lovely. I’m so glad for you. And that he’s talking to you and telling you what he needs (and doesn’t). That is absolutely brilliant. Happy!

@Lilly – (! ) Shocked and outraged! Good for them. I am so excited to see your neon monsters that I’m going to have to make you send me pictures. Awesome.

@Kate (tangokate) – MWAH! Thank you, sweetie.

@Kate (katecourageous) – Sounds like you already have an advanced practice of meeting yourself where you are and interacting with yourself with compassion, and that’s great. I’m glad.

The essence of any advanced practice — and the thing everyone here (me and my duck included), is learning to work on — is this:

Once you’ve found your way, letting others have their way too , knowing that it doesn’t diminish yours.

Maybe monsters who are reformed come back as allies:

Allies are small creatures who make sure that the world is always filled with beauty and interesting detail. They do everything you can imagine from ensuring that the next tissue pops up to painting spots on lilies. Just like humans, Allies get tired of working and seek out new adventures.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlvdOfTheAllies

I used to be a Baptist, so you are going to have to tell about the Baptist conventioneers you freaked out on the last retreat. I want to hear all about it. :)
.-= Shawna R. B. Atteberry´s last post … Company Girl Coffee: It’s My Birthday Edition! =-.

Fi would like to say that a monster colouring book is the most awesomest Havi idea yet, and clearly worthy of a celebratory dongle dance. Which she’s going to go do now.

Let’s have a Monster Party to celebrate the brunch of your gorgeous Monster Coloring Book! (Bring your favorite monster…) Wishing you joy, joy, joy in the midst of Monster Doom.

Love, Hiro
.-= Hiro Boga´s last post … Life Unfolding =-.

I’m in the wilds of west Kerry, where broadband is but a mythical dream, so I’m going to wait to buy my copy until the weekend. But I couldn’t wait to dance and squee with you. Because this. Is. Fabulous. Yay!

My monsters are giving me funny looks, because I giggled my way through the Brunch page and I’m still grinning :-)
.-= Lean Ni Chuilleanain´s last post … How I Feel About Marketing =-.