move on back
I have a 2-year-old friend that saw me for craniosacral therapy yesterday. Without even knowing it, she reminded me of a simple song that explains a metaphor I use a lot in my practice. Her favorite song right now is The Wheels on the Bus.
Do you know that song?
It starts like this:
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round, round and round,
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
all through the town.
The wipers go swish,
people go up and down,
The babies go wah,
The mommies say I love you,
and so on.
In the song, the driver says, “Move on back.”
Which brings me to one of the analogies that I use a lot with my clients.
The bus analogy.
In this analogy, the bus is your body, and you are the driver. “You” meaning the you that you are when you are calm, relaxed, and what I call “in neutral.” There are lots of parts of you riding around on that bus with “you”. Your inner critic, your inner child, you at any age you sustained a trauma, wounded parts, and sometimes those parts have other people’s faces or voices. Also riding in those seats are all the parts that are helping you stay safe, focused, and joyful.
Picture of Fozzie Bear driving a bus with several Muppets in the back seats.
Most of the time you are in the driver's seat.
But sometimes, in certain situations, one of those parts will push you out of the driver's seat, and jump behind the wheel. When one of those other parts starts to drive, things can feel a little out of control, depending on the part that starts to drive. Maybe they push the gas to the floor, and steer the bus right into the ditch. Or, maybe they hit the brakes so fast and hard that everyone slams to the front windshield.
When you no longer feel calm, relaxed, or neutral, and it doesn’t match the situation you’re currently in, it’s a good time to check in to see “who’s driving your bus?”
Take a few deep breaths, wiggle your toes to bring your awareness to your feet. Ask yourself “who’s driving right now?”
If it’s not you, tell that part to “move on back!” and get yourself back in the driver’s seat.
Just the simple visual of getting back behind the wheel can be enough, or you might have to work a little harder at it and take a walk, meditate, eat a meal, talk with a friend, whatever you do that brings you back to your calm, relaxed, neutral self.
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