Things you can do with a chair.
Sit on it.
Stand on it to change a light bulb.
(not recommended)
Wedge it under a doorknob for extra security.
Use it as a workbench platform. Sawing, etc.
(moderately successful)
Do a handstand on it.
(if you're an acrobat)
Use it in a lion taming act.
(cool)
Kindling
(if it's a wooden chair and you're really in a bind)
OH! Smash it over a guy's head in a western barroom brawl!
Let's see...
OK, maybe dance on it if you're Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly.
(did they ever do that?)
But way, way down on the list of things you can do with a chair is...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
not here
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
not here either
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
WAY down here on the list is...(you peeked?)
TALK TO IT!
= new reply since forum marked as read
It's an actual psychotherapy technique, from the gestalt therapy school of thought, which is exactly what it says on the label: the empty chair technique.
http://changingminds.org/articles/articles/empty_chair.htm
The 'empty chair' technique
Gestalt therapy is a complex psychological system that stresses the development of client self-awareness and personal responsibility.
The goal of Gestalt therapy is to raise clients' awareness regarding how they function in their environment (with family, at work, school, friends). The focus of therapy is more on what is happening (the moment-to-moment process) than what is being discussed (the content). In therapy, clients become aware of what they are doing, how they are doing it, and how they change themselves, and at the same time, learn to accept and value themselves. Gestalt therapy takes into account the whole person including thoughts, feelings, behavior, body sensations, and dreams focusing on integration.
Empty chair technique
When you go see a Gestalt therapist, the office will usually have an extra chair--an empty chair. This chair serves an important function. The "Empty Chair" technique is one of the various ways in which Gestalt Therapy can be applied which is developed and popularized by Frederick "Fritz" Pearls.
Rationale - When the client expresses a conflict with another person, through this technique, the client is directed to talk to that another person who is imagined to be sitting in an empty chair beside or across the client. This helps the client to experience and understand the feeling more fully. Thus, it stimulates your thinking, highlighting your emotions and attitudes. For example, the therapist may say, "Imagine your father in this chair (about 3 feet away), see him vividly, and, now, talk to him about how you felt when he was unfaithful to your mother." There are innumerable other people, objects (your car or wedding ring), parts of your personality (critical parent, natural child, introversion, obsession with work), any of your emotions, symptoms (headaches, fatigue), any aspect of a dream, a stereotype (blacks, macho males, independent women), and so on that you can imagine in the empty chair. The key is a long, detailed, emotional interaction--a conversation. You should shift back and forth between chairs as you also speak for the person-trait-object in the other chair. This "conversation" clarifies your feelings and reactions to the other person and may increase your understanding of the other person.
Cool Intervention #9: The Empty Chair
The term gestalt refers to a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Gestalt therapy, formulated by Fritz Perls (1893-1970) is based on the idea of a whole being as connected with their environment, loved ones and memories. Therapy works toward creating full awareness of the here and now, both within the client and between client and therapist. The empty chair is one of many interactive techniques used to help engage the client's feelings, thoughts and behaviors.
This is proof that it really does take a neurotic to engage in Eastwooding!
