Cast of Characters

Core Self – The Umbrella

TYLER

• Role: Core Self
• Named for: Rottweiler (named after Point Break character)
• Age: Adult
• Mood: Depression
• Totem: Rottweiler
• Values: Resilience, Genuine, Passion
• Description: Stays stuck to stay safe; doesn’t believe things can get better; doesn’t believe she has a place on the spaceship/lifeboat; stuck in familiar patterns of thinking; finds comfort in the familiar even when painful; just strong enough to do some action when spark comes, but not the best one for it.

Column 1: Vulnerable/Spiritual/Innocent

FAITH

• Role: Healthy Self/Nurturer
• Named for: The characteristic
• Age: Ageless
• Mood: Stable
• Totem: Unicorn
• Values: Supportive, Caring, Compassionate
• Description: Intuitive, feelings; attitude of “everything will be okay” and “things will work out all right”; nurturing parent.

SPIRIT

• Role: Healthy Self/Spiritual Guide
• Named for: The characteristic
• Age: 4
• Mood: Stable (but not always present)
• Totem: Woodsprites (Avatar)
• Values: Forgiving, Empathetic, Honest
• Description: Religion/intuition; just has a good feeling about people; thinks God has placed significant people in her path.

BETH

• Role: Exile/Wounded Child
• Named for: Mary Elizabeth (mother)
• Age: 4
• Mood: Depression
• Totem: Bunny (California or red satin)
• Values: Caring, Gentle, Trusting
• Description: Wounded child, hurt, quiet, shy; takes comfort in relationship with animals; enjoys going to bed and snuggling with teddy bear or pillows; wishes she could disappear; doesn’t know how to accept compliments; hums or sings made-up songs; freezes when afraid; loves to be held; scared that people will stay in her life and scared that they’ll leave.

NAIVE

• Role: Exile/Unquestioning One
• Named for: The characteristic
• Age: Child
• Mood: Bipolar
• Totem: Suffolk lamb
• Values: Trustworthy, Open, Caring
• Description: Assumes things about people and life and doesn’t check them out.

GULLIBLE

• Role: Exile/Naive One
• Named for: The characteristic
• Age: Child
• Mood: Depression
• Totem: Little gray mouse
• Values: Trusting, Grateful, Honest
• Description: Naive; can’t believe that the men in her life have all lost their feelings for her; innocent; asks, “If love was there once, how can it not be there now?” Believes that love never fails.

Column 2: Healthy/Functional (Levi leads)

LEVI

Role: Healthy Self/Competent Leader

Named for: Favorite brand of jeans

Age: 15 to adult

Mood: Stable

Totem: Lion

Values: Authentic, Friendly, Adventurous

Description: Leo the Lion: tenacious, healthy leader; wears jeans, flannel shirts, sweatshirts, and high tops; likes to ride horses, climb trees, and rock climb; wears bandana headband; talented, skilled, physical ability; attended Outward Bound course; sings along with the radio; wants to stay connected to significant relationships; thinks there is a lot more to be learned/gained by staying close to others; wants to pursue.

PETER

Role: Manager/Perfectionist

Named for: Play on word “perfectionist”

Age: Adult

Mood: Bipolar

Totem: Well-groomed monkey (breed TBD)

Values: Efficient, Fair, Committed

Description: Everything has to be perfect; intense; extremely detailed; determined to stick to promise of “will always be friends” when leaving friends during moves.

BILL

• Role: Manager/Responsible One
• Named for: Brother
• Age: Young adult
• Mood: Stable
• Totem: Draft horse
• Values: Responsible, Committed, Trustworthy
• Description: Responsible; always shows up for class or work; motivated by feelings of guilt; trying to be good; trying to earn love; rejects his list of bad faults or qualities; relationship impractical.

BRANDY

• Role: Healthy Self/Creator
• Named for: Own hobbit D&D character from college
• Age: 22
• Mood: Stable with positive energy
• Totem: Hobbit
  
  Values: Creative, Generous, Resourceful
• Description: Creator, organizer, idea generator, designer; paints the design on the bedroom wall; fixes mechanical things like woodworking, leather craft; makes costumes.

JOY

• Role: Healthy Self/Learner
• Named for: The characteristic
• Age: 8 or 9
• Mood: Stable
• Totem: Fox (Tod from Fox and the Hound)
• Values: Mindful, Curious, Genuine
• Description: Intellect; a joy for learning; delights in gaining knowledge; the thinker, the whiz kid; likes to journal, analyze, study; loves talking together, arguing, asking questions and explanations; loves to write letters.

ANNE

• Role: Healthy Self/Sexual Self
• Named for: Lena Marianne (middle name)
• Age: 22-24, maybe 32
• Mood: Stable
• Totem: Finnish woman
• Values: Loving, Sincere, Accepting
• Description: Healthy sexuality; biological attraction; enjoys a man’s body; needs to learn proper way to deal with sexual dysfunction.

Column 3: Struggling Managers (Liz leads)

LIZ, THE CONTROLLER

Role: Manager/Critic

Named for: Mary Elizabeth (mother’s name)

Age: Young adult

Mood: Depression

Totem: Highland cow

Values: Assertive, Engaged, Reliable

Description: Bossy, critical parent; wants to remember the bad stuff about people and past relationships; mostly wants to get rid of distracting male relationships.

THE KID

• Role: Healthy Self/Playful One
• Named for: Nickname from sister
• Age: 11
• Mood: Hypomania
• Totem: Kid goat (baby goat doing sideways jumps)
• Values: Playful, Humorous, Authentic, Adventurous
• Description: Clown, punky, easily jealous, wants to be the center of attention, high energy, adventurous, looking to find own place in life, wants to go on vacation; eats while standing up; learns by doing; thinks relationships are a competition of who will get the guy.

WHINER

• Role: Exile/Unheard One
• Named for: The characteristic
• Age: 6, 13, or 16 (complaints)
• Mood: Depression
• Totem: Saint Bernard/German Shepherd mix puppy (taken away)
• Values: Honest, Authentic, Persistent
• Description: Doesn’t like rules, doesn’t want to grow up; says “no one loves me,” “life is hard,” “I’m tired”; doesn’t get heard, which keeps the cycle going of complaining more; has suicidal ideation (though doesn’t fully understand the term); doesn’t believe there’s anything good left in the world.

Column 4: Firefighters/Reactive

JESSIE

• Role: Firefighter/Frantic One
• Named for: Aunt Jesse (mother’s sister)
• Age: TBD
• Mood: Depression
• Totem: Alley cat (spiky fur, matted, grime)
• Values: Passionate, Self-caring, Hopeful
• Description: Crazy, out of control, rushing, nervous energy, doing too much, frantic, impatient, panicky, bites fingernails; doom and gloom attitude; doesn’t study for class or read textbooks; procrastinates; hinders balancing the checkbook; seeks sexual relationships in order to feel better; gullible; naive; can’t believe that the men in her life have all lost their feelings for her; innocent; asks, “If love was there once, how can it not be there now?” Wants to believe that love never fails; jealous of friends.

MARY

• Role: Firefighter/Rage Keeper
• Named for: Mary Elizabeth (mother)
• Age: TBD
• Mood: Depression
• Totem: Scottish Wildcat
• Values: Honest, Assertive, Independent
• Description: Expresses rage, angry; cruel, destructive, hateful; pursues unhealthy sexuality; has fantasies of death and destruction; doesn’t like rules, doesn’t want to grow up, thinks life is a disaster; says “no one loves me,” “life is hard”; when not in a rage, pouts; wants to shut down, be snotty and obnoxious.