Timeline Exercise

This exercise can be written or drawn. It may be a particularly useful exercise for those who can’t remember parts of their lives – a timeline will show you where the gaps are.

You can always go back and fill in the gaps at a later stage, if you remember things later. Take a large sheet of paper and draw a long line – straight or curved, depending on the paper size, with perhaps your birth at one end and your age now at the other end. You could extend this, if you wish and add influences from before you were born; for example, details about your parents and/or grandparents lives. Mark your age from when you were born to the age you are now along the timeline and begin writing or drawing symbols that represent certain landmarks in your life.

1968 – Born

1970 – Age 2. Brother born.

1971 – Age 3. Mum and dad split up.

1972 – Age 4. Had a special birthday cake.

1973 – Age 5. Didn’t like mum’s boyfriend.

1974 – Age 6. Stepfather and stepbrothers moved in.

1975 – Age7. Moved house again.

1977 – Age 9. Abuse begins. Couldn’t bear the sight of sausages and eggs.

1978 – Age 10. Won award. Nice teacher.

1979 – Age 11. Began shoplifting. Develop eczema.

1980 - Age 12. Caught drinking at school.

1982 – Age 14. In detention a lot at school.

1983 – Age 15. First time had “wanted” sex. Aunty Tilly visited – She was nice to me.

1984 – Age 16. Began an after school job.

1987 – Age 19. Moved into a flat – Great to be able to stay up late at night.

1988 – First Child.

1990 – Second child.

1993 – Age 25. Partner left.

1993 – Age 25. Started dealing with the abuse etc.

You might like to use colours or symbols to indicate happy/unhappy/sad/angry/frustrated periods of your life.

In reviewing your timeline, think about what got you through the difficult parts of your life – and how you survived those times.