Can you give me some examples of therapeutic or inspiring questions?

What person has inspired you this week and what have they inspired you to do?

What was the strongest emotion you felt today?

When was the first time in your life that you can remember feeling quite similar to that?

How much of the amount of emotion you felt today was actually an about the current situation, as opposed to it being the kind of situation that you’re still upset about from the past?

What is the main source of your moral values?

What were some turning points in your life?

If you could change something about your emotional make-up, what would it be.

“What are three things you are grateful for?”

“How have you helped someone recently?”

“Why do we forgive others for things we won’t forgive about ourselves?”

At what did you triumph today? (No matter how small)
What’s your passionate desire for tomorrow?
When you think back, what do you remember as a stand-out moment in your life? Why does that moment stand out for you?
What can become self-care for you? Why isn’t it self-care now?

Practicing gratitude can be almost too difficult for some people. A framing that I find useful for my ungrateful brain is something like this:

Would I be upset if I were to lose the ability to move my legs? I’d be devastated. Then why am I not celebrating the fact that I do have use of my legs right now and every waking moment? The amount of joy and enthusiasm at having fully-functioning legs should at least match the level of devastation and suffering I would feel at the loss of function.

This framing helps dullards like me sometimes. There are so many things that I should be so grateful for that every moment I’m not jumping and screaming with joy and gratitude means I’m not seeing things clearly.

tldr; If you were to lose [something you currently have] tomorrow, would you miss it? And if so, why are you celebrating that right now?

I just read this book and strongly recommend it:

Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age, by Bruce Feiler

His theme is knowing and telling your story, which is not a predictable linear thing but a complex process that he explores compellingly. His questions all inspire reflection and journaling.

One well-examined question might be better than ten.

“If I told you to be happy to the end of your days, what would you do?”

What things do you have now that you used to wish for in the past?

Thanks, I’m glad I asked. Made this much easier.