TALISAC-TORTURED SOULS & SOME PRETTY AMAZING GRACE!
First of all, note that this is a rare toy: the bottom of the package notes it is for age 17 and up! How often do you see that on a toy? But here’s the backstory of this toy entering my life. I saw it advertised by MacFarlane as the Tortured Souls series and found them fascinating, so I ordered 10 cases. Imagine that! (It was the minimum order, back when they sold directly to small time entrepeneurs.)
The night before I headed to Allenwood Federal Penitentiary for two days of meetings with inmates about the toys, 10 cases of Tortured Souls were delivered, Talisac being one of the collection of 6 figures. On instinct I took it along and showed it to the 90 men I was speaking to, explaining my thoughts about it as representing a human at their worst: no shame, absolute vampyric hunger, hanging by hooks, their favorite substance hanging in a bag and coming in through IV, a fetal alcohol monster child forming in their loins. It’s horrible, but as it was passed around the room, 6 different men stood and said they were this toy – the toy was them! The story the men had in common was that when they told people how bad addiction was for them, people would tell them: “It can’t be that bad!” This toy gave them affirmation for how bad it really was and is! They can point at the toy and say: “There it is – my existence – the shit is that deep, and then some!” This is one of the few toys that says on the package: not suitable for children under 17. This toy is special and powerful as it allows a therapist to “lead from inside” – to meet the client in hell and confirm how bad it is while seeking any possible exit that might eventually be available. But clients typically need recognition of the depth and degree of their experiences before being willing to engage in core-level change.
“When I feel recognized and have a sense that you understand how I am experiencing my experience (whether this is how you experience it or not), I can find your limit-setting tolerable and even a relief; if I do not feel recognized, I resent it as a violation of who I am - which is just what it is.” Robert Kegan, THE EVOLVING SELF
(I highly recommended Kegan’s book. I once spent an entire week reading that book on a porch next to the river in Taos, New Mexico. It’s a complex but very rewarding book.)
There are 2 sizes available: one is 6” approximately, and the other is 12” tall. Both have all the same details. This is one toy you may want to keep in the box as it has many pieces and is hard to keep intact unless you create some kind of secure mount for it.
This toy is horrible in many ways, but it helps some people feel seen and recognized and that makes them more open to sharing what is going on, as well as consider engaging in some kind of interactive, therapeutic process!
First of all, note that this is a rare toy: the bottom of the package notes it is for age 17 and up! How often do you see that on a toy? But here’s the backstory of this toy entering my life. I saw it advertised by MacFarlane as the Tortured Souls series and found them fascinating, so I ordered 10 cases. Imagine that! (It was the minimum order, back when they sold directly to small time entrepeneurs.)
The night before I headed to Allenwood Federal Penitentiary for two days of meetings with inmates about the toys, 10 cases of Tortured Souls were delivered, Talisac being one of the collection of 6 figures. On instinct I took it along and showed it to the 90 men I was speaking to, explaining my thoughts about it as representing a human at their worst: no shame, absolute vampyric hunger, hanging by hooks, their favorite substance hanging in a bag and coming in through IV, a fetal alcohol monster child forming in their loins. It’s horrible, but as it was passed around the room, 6 different men stood and said they were this toy – the toy was them! The story the men had in common was that when they told people how bad addiction was for them, people would tell them: “It can’t be that bad!” This toy gave them affirmation for how bad it really was and is! They can point at the toy and say: “There it is – my existence – the shit is that deep, and then some!” This is one of the few toys that says on the package: not suitable for children under 17. This toy is special and powerful as it allows a therapist to “lead from inside” – to meet the client in hell and confirm how bad it is while seeking any possible exit that might eventually be available. But clients typically need recognition of the depth and degree of their experiences before being willing to engage in core-level change.
“When I feel recognized and have a sense that you understand how I am experiencing my experience (whether this is how you experience it or not), I can find your limit-setting tolerable and even a relief; if I do not feel recognized, I resent it as a violation of who I am - which is just what it is.” Robert Kegan, THE EVOLVING SELF
(I highly recommended Kegan’s book. I once spent an entire week reading that book on a porch next to the river in Taos, New Mexico. It’s a complex but very rewarding book.)
There are 2 sizes available: one is 6” approximately, and the other is 12” tall. Both have all the same details. This is one toy you may want to keep in the box as it has many pieces and is hard to keep intact unless you create some kind of secure mount for it.
This toy is horrible in many ways, but it helps some people feel seen and recognized and that makes them more open to sharing what is going on, as well as consider engaging in some kind of interactive, therapeutic process!
First of all, note that this is a rare toy: the bottom of the package notes it is for age 17 and up! How often do you see that on a toy? But here’s the backstory of this toy entering my life. I saw it advertised by MacFarlane as the Tortured Souls series and found them fascinating, so I ordered 10 cases. Imagine that! (It was the minimum order, back when they sold directly to small time entrepeneurs.)
The night before I headed to Allenwood Federal Penitentiary for two days of meetings with inmates about the toys, 10 cases of Tortured Souls were delivered, Talisac being one of the collection of 6 figures. On instinct I took it along and showed it to the 90 men I was speaking to, explaining my thoughts about it as representing a human at their worst: no shame, absolute vampyric hunger, hanging by hooks, their favorite substance hanging in a bag and coming in through IV, a fetal alcohol monster child forming in their loins. It’s horrible, but as it was passed around the room, 6 different men stood and said they were this toy – the toy was them! The story the men had in common was that when they told people how bad addiction was for them, people would tell them: “It can’t be that bad!” This toy gave them affirmation for how bad it really was and is! They can point at the toy and say: “There it is – my existence – the shit is that deep, and then some!” This is one of the few toys that says on the package: not suitable for children under 17. This toy is special and powerful as it allows a therapist to “lead from inside” – to meet the client in hell and confirm how bad it is while seeking any possible exit that might eventually be available. But clients typically need recognition of the depth and degree of their experiences before being willing to engage in core-level change.
“When I feel recognized and have a sense that you understand how I am experiencing my experience (whether this is how you experience it or not), I can find your limit-setting tolerable and even a relief; if I do not feel recognized, I resent it as a violation of who I am - which is just what it is.” Robert Kegan, THE EVOLVING SELF
(I highly recommended Kegan’s book. I once spent an entire week reading that book on a porch next to the river in Taos, New Mexico. It’s a complex but very rewarding book.)
There are 2 sizes available: one is 6” approximately, and the other is 12” tall. Both have all the same details. This is one toy you may want to keep in the box as it has many pieces and is hard to keep intact unless you create some kind of secure mount for it.
This toy is horrible in many ways, but it helps some people feel seen and recognized and that makes them more open to sharing what is going on, as well as consider engaging in some kind of interactive, therapeutic process!