The princess is sitting at the birthday table, eating - flanked by a prince and a nobleman. The nobleman increasingly invades her personal space, until she is almost pushed out of her seat.
"Once upon a time, there was a nice woman whose personal space was being invaded."
The notion of setting boundaries
To be able to sense ourselves properly, we have to set boundaries in relation to the needs and desires of the people around us. We need to set our own house in order and be responsible, transparent and clear in order to keep ourselves whole.
As adults, we are responsible for standing up for ourselves, but our ability to do so may be impaired as a result of childhood experiences. For example, if we are used to not being heard, if we were overpowered by a dominant adult who ignored our needs and wishes or maybe even subjected us to physical or mental abuse, and if we failed to separate fully from our parents and are generally more attuned to other people’s needs than our own –