Time Orientation: Power & Choice

Time orientation skills involve reminding yourself that you are in the here-and-now, rather than in the there-and-then (i.e. trauma time).

The category of power & choice refers to reminding yourself of the ways in which you have power & choices now, that you didn’t have when you were going through your traumatic experiences.

Think about the physical power & capability of your body. What can you do now as a fully grown adult that you simply couldn’t as a child? Can you run farther or faster away if needed? Do you have mobility aids to help you get around in a way you didn’t as a child?

Look at the size of your physical body or your hands. How much more powerful are they now than when you were a child? And what you are wearing on your adult body, what choices have you gotten to make about what you wear, & how you wear it, choices you maybe didn’t have as a child.

Think of all the choices you now have the power to make as an adult that you didn’t as a child. You can likely come & go as you please. Maybe you can get into your own car & drive away from unsafe situations. Your car keys might be a good reminder of that power.

You have access to the choices that money affords in a way you never did as a child. You likely have access to money, credit cards, & bank accounts that give you much more power over your choices than you had as a child.

You have a phone that you can use to call for help or support any time you need to. And you may have gotten to choose the phone you got, the mobile plan, the case, etc. Those are all choices you were not likely given as a child.

What are some of the other choices you get to make for yourself now that you couldn’t before? Is it your name or pronouns? Is it your friends or hobbies? Is it what you eat or drink & how much you are allowed to eat or drink?