Using Lego Therapy To Help Scam Victims Recover
What Is Lego Therapy?
Lego bricks can be used as a therapeutic tool to help people, including crime victims, to cope with traumaTrauma Emotional and psychological trauma is the result of extraordinarily stressful events that shatter your sense of security, making you feel helpless in a dangerous world. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety that won’t go away. It can also leave you feeling numb, disconnected, and unable to trust other people. Traumatic experiences often involve a threat to life or safety or other emotional shocks, but any situation that leaves you feeling overwhelmed and isolated can result in trauma, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. It’s not the objective circumstances that determine whether an event is traumatic, but your subjective emotional experience of the event. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized. Trauma requires treatment, either through counseling or therapy or through trauma-oriented support programs, such as those offered by SCARS. and emotions
Lego Therapy, in other words, building with Lego bricks can help people express their feelings and ideas in a safe and controlled way, as well as provide a sense of accomplishment and control. Working with a therapist or counselor, people can use the act of building and create with Lego bricks as a way to process their emotions and work through difficult experiences.
Creativity can be an important part of the healing process for people who have experienced trauma. Engaging in creative activities can provide a sense of accomplishment and can help people express their emotions and thoughts in a healthy way. Creativity can also be a way for people to take their minds off of their difficult experiences and find moments of joy and pleasure. In effect, Lego therapy provides a means of achieving Mindfulness. Additionally, creativity can be a way for people to feel a sense of control over their lives and can help to reduce feelings of helplessness.
Here are ten reasons why creativity can be important when trying to recover from trauma:
- Creativity can provide a sense of accomplishment and purpose.
- It can be a way to express emotions and thoughts in a healthy way.
- Creativity can be a form of self-care and can help reduce stress.
- Engaging in creative activities can be a way to take the mind off of difficult experiences.
- Creativity can provide moments of joy and pleasure.
- It can be a way to feel a sense of control over one’s life.
- Creativity can promote self-esteem and self-worth.
- It can be a way to cope with and process trauma.
- Creativity can be a form of self-expression and can promote self-discovery.
- When done with others it can be a way to connect with others and form supportive relationships.
There Is A Difference Between Unstructured Creativity And Structured
Unstructured creativity refers to a type of creative activity that is open-ended and does not have a specific goal or outcome in mind. This can be in contrast to structured creativity, which is a more intentional and planned approach to creating something. Unstructured creativity might involve activities like doodling, coloring, or playing with Play-Doh, where the focus is on the process of creating rather than the end result. This type of creativity can be relaxing and therapeutic and can be a way for people to express themselves and explore their imagination without the pressure of creating something specific.
Puzzles are not creative. Paint by the numbers is also not creative. These have structured outcomes and use the logical part of your brain.
Lego therapy has the advantage that it is unstructured, meaning you can create anything you want. This both reduces pressure and anxiety in the creative process and allows the creative part of your mind a voice. Your creativity tends to go into hiding after trauma, and this allows it to come back, which is excellent for grief processing.
You Can Also Use Lego Therapy As A Discovery Tool
Your mind can help you realize things that may be hidden from you in any other way.
For example: you can give yourself a task to create a scene of something that triggersTRIGGERS A trigger is a stimulus that sets off a memory of a trauma or a specific portion of a traumatic experience. you. You can also look (after you have built something) at what you did and how you did it – such as brick color choices (black = denialDenial Denial is a refusal or unwillingness to accept something or to accept reality. Refusal to admit the truth or reality of something, refusal to acknowledge something unpleasant; And as a term of Psychology: denial is a defense mechanism in which confrontation with a personal problem or with reality is avoided by denying the existence of the problem or reality., red = angerAnger Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, trigger, hurt or threat. About one-third of scam victims become trapped in anger for extended periods of time following a scam. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, such as increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and increased levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline. Some view anger as an emotion that triggers a part of the fight or flight response. Anger becomes the predominant feeling behaviorally, cognitively, and physiologically. Anger can have many physical and mental consequences. While most of those who experience anger explain its arousal as a result of "what has happened to them", psychologists point out that an angry person can very well be mistaken because anger causes a loss in self-monitoring capacity and objective observability., blue/green can equal acceptance).
If you are going to try this, we suggest buying this kit: https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/creative-suitcase-10713 – it is not something that is a specific design, you can build anything you want, and it is only $20. Building goofy-looking animals are fun.
Using Lego As A Therapeutic Tool In CounselingCounseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. A mental health counselor (MHC), or counselor, is a person who works with individuals and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health. Such persons may help individuals deal with issues associated with addiction and substance abuse; family, parenting, and marital problems; stress management; self-esteem; and aging. They may also work with "Social Workers", "Psychiatrists", and "Psychologists". SCARS does not provide mental health counseling. Or Therapy
What are the benefits of LEGO Therapy?
There are two ways that Lego therapy can be employed in a therapeutic context:
- An individual working with a counselor or therapist
- In a group context where multiple people build together or where they take turns adding on to a joint structure
Using Lego Bricks To Help Reduce Anxiety & Stress
Lego therapy has been effective at reducing anxiety in individuals as well. Building with Lego is an excellent way to practice mindfulness, which can be effective in reducing stress according to many.
Building with Lego bricks can be a therapeutic and stress-relieving activity for a number of reasons:
- First, the act of building requires concentration and focus, which can help to distract the mind from negative or anxious thoughts. It can also be a meditative activity that allows individuals to enter a state of flow, where they are fully immersed in the task at hand. This can help to reduce stress and anxiety by providing a sense of calm and clarity.
- Second, the process of building with Lego bricks requires problem-solving and decision-making skills, which can help to boost confidence and self-esteem. The sense of accomplishment that comes with successfully completing a Lego project can also provide a sense of pride and satisfaction, which can be especially helpful for individuals who may be feeling anxious or stressed, or traumatized.
- Finally, building with Lego bricks can be a social activity that allows individuals to connect with others and share in the creative process. Engaging in activities with others can help to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, which are common contributors to stress and anxiety.
Lego therapy can be a fun and enjoyable way to reduce stress and anxiety. It provides an opportunity to engage the mind, boost confidence, and connect with others, all of which can help to promote a sense of well-being and relaxation.
In A Recent Article:
Playing with Lego can stop you from being a mental time traveller – By Sandy Summons
There’s an old saying that “many hands make light work”. However, it seems that working with your hands can also relieve stress and reduce feelings of anxiety. This is especially true when your activities involve a repetitive action, contributing to a sense of mindfulness. And these activities are proven to boost wellbeing and health, and lower stress.
“Since our time in isolation, many people have found their way back to basics and making use of their hands …whether this be planting a vegetable garden, baking from scratch, being creative with art and craft activities like, knitting, jewellery making or clay,” Brisbane clinical psychotherapist Natajsa Wagner says.
“Doing mindful activities with our hands requires a rhythm and repetition that requires both our physical and cognitive skills, especially if we are creating something.”
Wagner says repetitive activities, like drumming, colouring, and sewing, provide important sensory input. “They can calm our lower brain system and help regulate our emotions and decrease stress,” she says.
Using Lego To Help With Processing Grief
Building with Lego bricks can be a helpful activity for individuals who are struggling with grief.
Grief is a complex experience and often comes with difficult emotions that need to be navigated, and finding healthy ways to cope with it can be challenging. Building with Lego bricks can provide relief and a number of benefits to those who are grieving.
- First, the act of building requires concentration and focus, which can help to distract the mind from negative or painful thoughts. It can also be a meditative activity that allows individuals to enter a state of flow, where they are fully immersed in the task at hand. This can provide a sense of calm and clarity, which can be especially helpful for those who are struggling with the overwhelming emotions that often accompany grief.
- Second, building with Lego bricks can be a creative outlet that allows individuals to express themselves in unique and meaningful ways. Creating something with their hands can provide a sense of accomplishment and purpose, which can be especially important for those who are struggling to find meaning in their lives after experiencing a significant loss.
- Finally, building with Lego bricks can be a social activity that allows individuals to connect with others and share in the creative process. Engaging in activities with others (either with other adults or children) can help to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, which are common during the grieving process.
Building with Lego bricks can be a helpful and therapeutic activity for those who are struggling with the process of grief. It provides an opportunity to engage the mind, express oneself creatively, and connect with others, all of which can help to promote healing and resilienceResilience Is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Psychological resilience is the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis or to return to pre-crisis status quickly. Resilience exists when the person uses "mental processes and behaviors in promoting personal assets and protecting self from the potential negative effects of stressors". In simpler terms, psychological resilience exists in people who develop psychological and behavioral capabilities that allow them to remain calm during crises/chaos and to move on from the incident without long-term negative consequences. In popular accounts, psychological resilience is sometimes likened to a "psychological immune system"..
Individual Use Of Lego Therapy As A Self-Help Therapeutic
Individual Lego Therapy
We often hear from individuals, especially crime victims who have been profoundly traumatized about how difficult it is to reveal themselves in therapy. Just sitting there with the total attention of the counselor or therapist on them can be very anxiety-inducing. But, if the individual could sit apart on their own and engage in a creative task without the therapist hovering over them, they are able to release the tension and turn the session into a more relaxed and enjoyable moment.
After the person builds something with Lego bricks, the therapist can then begin a dialog about what it is and why the person made the choices they made during its construction. This can be very revealing about the current state of mind, level of trauma, and even potential triggers.
Our Purpose
Our purpose in writing about Lego therapy is not to provide a manual for the therapist, nor psychological diagnosis of individuals, after all, SCARS is not a mental healthcare provider, but rather to introduce the concept to the scam victims either receiving therapy or who are on their own trying to recovery the self-help route. That even adults (especially adults) can benefit from the seemingly mindless (mindful) creative activity that is the Lego system.
Why This Works?
Building with Lego bricks can be a helpful activity for individuals who have experienced trauma, such as victims of crime.
Trauma can have a profound and lasting impact on an individual’s mental healthMental health Mental health, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". According to WHO, mental health includes "subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy, competence, intergenerational dependence, and self-actualization of one's intellectual and emotional potential, among others". From the perspectives of positive psychology or of holism, mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and to create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how one defines "mental health"., and finding healthy ways to cope with it can be essential for recovery. Building with Lego bricks can provide a number of benefits for traumatized individuals.
- First, the act of building requires concentration and focus, which can help to distract the mind from negative or traumatic memories. It can also be a meditative activity (mindfulness) that allows individuals to enter a state of calm, where they are fully immersed in the task at hand. This can provide a sense of calm and clarity, which can be especially helpful for those who are struggling with the overwhelming emotions that often accompany trauma.
- Second, building with Lego bricks can be a creative outlet that allows individuals to express themselves in a unique and meaningful way. Creating something with their hands can provide a sense of accomplishment and purpose, which can be especially important for those who are struggling to find meaning in their lives after experiencing a traumatic event such as a relationship scamRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? or other significant financial fraudFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim..
- Third, building with Lego bricks can be a therapeutic activity that allows individuals to process their emotions and experiences in a safe and controlled way. The act of creating something tangible and concrete can provide a sense of control and agency, which can be especially important for those who have felt powerless or victimized.
- Fourth, crime victims can create things that are about the crime and this can help to desensitize them.
- Fifth, things that they build can bring a sense of pride or achievement that can be posted on their social media as a safe way to interact with others. This can be a bridge back to family and friends when victims feel guilt or shameShame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion typically associated with a negative evaluation of the self; withdrawal motivations; and feelings of distress, exposure, mistrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. and are afraid to talk with others, because they may see their shame or because they may judge them. Lego structures can be a fun way to engage without those risks.
- Finally, building with Lego bricks can be a social activity that allows individuals to connect with others and share in the creative process. When they visit family or friends, they can bring a Lego set with them and sit at the kitchen table having coffee, talking, and enjoying time together while building something with Lego. Engaging in activities with others can help to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, which are common for traumatized individuals.
Overall, building with Lego bricks can be a helpful and therapeutic activity for traumatized individuals, such as victims of crime. It provides an opportunity to engage the mind, express oneself creatively, and connect with others, all of which can help to promote healing and resilience.
Group Therapy Use Of Lego As A Therapeutic Tool
Group/Social Lego Therapy
Being creative with Lego in a group therapy setting promotes social interaction, turn-taking skills, sharing, collaborative problem-solving, and the learning of concepts. It can be used to target goals around social skills, language, and motor skills. By using a commonly known tool like Lego it capitalizes on its existing motivation and supports self-esteem by allowing the participants to demonstrate their skills in a social situation. It also sets up a positive opportunity for guided social problem-solving to help develop social skills that can then be used in other situations.
Traumatized crime victims often find it challenging to understand what is expected of them in a social situation, particularly within unstructured group activities. Lego therapy provides a highly structured environment where everyone can participate in a specific role within the group. This can help trauma sufferers feel calm and relaxed as they are doing something that they can enjoy and know precisely what to expect and what is expected of them without pressure or anxiety.
Many therapists regularly host Lego therapy groups to help individuals work towards their goals and recovery.
The Structured Approach
What Happens During A Lego-based Therapy Session?
During a structured LEGO-based group therapy session or in a support groupSupport Group In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic, such as romance scams. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping strategies, to feel more empowered and for a sense of community. The help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy. They can be supervised or not. SCARS support groups are moderated by the SCARS Team and or volunteers., three or four individuals work together to build a LEGO design. These tend to be defined Lego designs, such as a castle or a pirate ship – following the instructions provided by the Lego system.
Each person takes on one of four specific roles to do this:
- The Engineer oversees reading and relaying the instructions. The Engineer must tell the Supplier what pieces to retrieve and tell the Builder how to build the model.
- The Supplier oversees finding the correct LEGO pieces. The Supplier must listen to the Engineer and figure out what piece to retrieve, and then give these pieces to the Builder.
- The Builder oversees the physical building of the model. The Builder must listen to instructions provided by the Engineer and receive the pieces that are retrieved by the Supplier.
- The Foreman makes sure everyone is doing what they need to do. They provide help to other roles when needed and look out for social challenges that may need problem-solving by the group.
Using this format provides each person with an opportunity to practice and develop a wide range of skills, including language skills (in both giving and receiving instructions) turn-taking, negotiating, sharing, and collaborative social problem-solving. It also encourages people to reflect on their own actions and skills as well as give constructive feedback to their peers.
However, this structured role-based approach is not going to be right for everyone.
Lego Therapy Resources
Lego Therapy Related Articles
- Learn more about Lego Therapy on the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15628609/
- Using Lego to stop thinking about the past: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/playing-with-lego-can-stop-you-from-being-a-mental-time-traveller-20220905-p5bfiv.html
Lego Brick Sets We Recommend
Please note that SCARS makes no commission on any of the recommended Lego system sets. We recommend them because they are great places to enjoy the benefits of Leo at a low cost.
$19
Creative Suitcase 10713 | Classic | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/creative-suitcase-10713
$34
LEGO® Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 | Classic | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US LEGO® Medium Creative Brick Box 10696 | Classic | Buy online at the Official LEGO® Shop US
-/ 30 /-
To Learn More Also Look At Our Article Catalogs
Essential Tools For Every Scam Victim From SCARS Publishing
Visit shop.AgainstScams.org
Each is based on our SCARS Team’s 31 plus years of experience.
SCARS Website Visitors get an Extra 10% Discount
Use Discount Code “romanacescamsnow” at Checkout
SCARS GREEN BOOK
Self-Help Self-Paced Recovery Program Guide
LEARN HOW TO RECOVER ON YOUR OWN
This program is designed to help scam victims struggling to recover on their own and for those who want to understand the overall process. You can be using other resources, such as trauma counseling or therapy, qualified support groupsSupport Groups In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic, such as romance scams. Members with the same issues can come together for sharing coping strategies, to feel more empowered and for a sense of community. The help may take the form of providing and evaluating relevant information, relating personal experiences, listening to and accepting others' experiences, providing sympathetic understanding and establishing social networks. A support group may also work to inform the public or engage in advocacy. They can be supervised or not. SCARS support groups are moderated by the SCARS Team and or volunteers., or completely independent – on your own!
The SCARS Steps program is a complete program and is provided for the purpose of helping scam victims to overcome this experience. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues and challenges that a victim may have and help guide them through their recovery. But each person is different and it is important to understand your own reasons for being vulnerable to being scammed.
After the trauma of being scammed, you need to take steps to recover and move on. This may be an alternative to counseling in the short term, but we still encourage you to seek out professional help & support. Throughout this SCARS Steps Program, we speak about issues, challenges, defects, or problems that a victim may have in a generalized way.
The SCARS GREEN BOOK will help you recover from your scam offline and it will always be there when you need it!
SCARS SLATE BOOK – Let Us Explain What Happened!
A Guide For Families & Friends Of Scam Victims
HOW TO HELP ROMANCE SCAM VICTIMS FOR FAMILIES & FRIENDS OF SCAM VICTIMS
This SCARS Publishing book represents a complete guide to help the families and friends understand how these scamsScams A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime - is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. work and how to help the victim.
The SCARS Slate Book should be purchased by family and friends to better understand what happened to the victim and the traumatic impact on them. But it can also be shared by the victim so that they do not have to explain to family and friends about the scam. This publication is to help others to help Scam Victims to make it through this traumatic experience and recover.
Each person is different and it is important to understand how relationship scamsRelationship Scam A Relationship Scam is a one-to-one criminal act that involves a trust relationship and uses deception & manipulation to get a victim to give to the criminal something of value, such as money! Click here to learn more: What Is A Relationship Scam? work and why people are vulnerable; to being scammed, how they were lured in, then groomed and manipulated. This understanding is essential in helping them through the process of ending the scam and then on to recovery. The SCARS Slate Book will provide the information necessary to help support a victim through this process.
SCARS RED BOOK
Your Personal Scam Evidence & Crime Record Organizer
ORGANIZE YOUR INFORMATION TO MAKE THE REPORTING PROCESS SIMPLE!
Helps you get and stay organized. This publication is to help Scam Victims organize their crime information. Complete this information before reporting to the police then bring this book with you
Before or after reporting to the police the RED BOOK gives you a dedicated tool to record all the essential facts of this crime. The Victim, the Scammers, the Money, and your Police interactions. Everything that really matters can be easily recorded for your immediate use and for the future!
As we have seen, money recovery/repayment programs can become available years after the scam ends and you need to keep all the details of this crime in case it is needed. We have also seen scammers being extradited to the U.S. and other countries, this will help in the event you testify or give statements, Additionally, this helps you have your information ready to qualify for victims’ benefits, compensation, or aid.
The Official SCARS RED BOOK is your way of recording all the important facts of this crime so that you do not lose essential information, Complete the RED BOOK then put it away with the confidence that you will have it if or when it is needed.
100% of all profit goes to help SCARS help more scam victims worldwide.
Your generous purchase allows us to maintain our scam avoidance, support, and recovery services. Please help SCARS and stand proud.
PLEASE SHARE OUR ARTICLES WITH YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY
HELP OTHERS STAY SAFE ONLINE – YOUR KNOWLEDGE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!
THE NEXT VICTIM MIGHT BE YOUR OWN FAMILY MEMBER OR BEST FRIEND!
By the Society of Citizens Against Relationship ScamsSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS. Inc.
A Worldwide Crime Victims Assistance & Crime Prevention Nonprofit Organization Headquartered In Miami Florida USA & Monterrey NL Mexico, with Partners In More Than 60 Countries
To Learn More, Volunteer, or Donate Visit: www.AgainstScams.org
To see ScammerScammer A Scammer or Fraudster is someone that engages in deception to obtain money or achieve another objective. They are criminals that attempt to deceive a victim into sending more or performing some other activity that benefits the scammer. Photos visit www.ScammerPhotos.com
Contact Us: Contact@AgainstScams.org
Leave A Comment