People often deny their feelings. They don’t just avoid anger and grief, some avoid excitement, love, joy. This can be due to a false concept of ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ emotions. Every emotion has its purpose. We should fear them no more than a sneeze or a fart. They are just consequences of being alive. Unfortunately […]
Three common mistakes people make about emotions Read Post »
“If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing half assed.” (KC Davis) I quoted to my partner as we got back into the car and we laughed. All day, a day of blue skies and glorious sunshine, I had wanted to get to the sea, to lie on the beach, and maybe go into the
Worth Doing Half Assed Read Post »
Often reframed as mindfulness, acceptance, focussing or compassion focused therapy, and having borrowed from buddhism, Zen, Reichian therapy, the Gestalt practice of starting where we are has retained its power for nearly 60 years, for centuries if we acknowledge that this is pre-psychoanalytic. Basic counselling training teaches counsellors how to provide a safe space: on
Here and Now: the timeless, powerful and effective Gestalt teaching Read Post »
How can we re-enter the world post-lockdown in a way that is chosen, powerful and reflective of our growth in the last year? This is the question I have been inviting supervisees, clients and most of all my Nourish & Nurture (online women’s wintering) group as we approach loosening lockdown restrictions in the UK. We
No going back: conscious re-entry and post-pandemic living Read Post »
It struck me today when I was in a meeting discussing work adjustments for colleagues with childcare responsibilities during lockdown, that maybe we all need ‘reasonable adjustments’ right now. It was an unusual perspective for me as a disabled person to not be the one asking for reasonable adjustment, and to watch as a colleague
Be Reasonable! Reasonable Adjustment and The Middle Ground Read Post »
This article was originally published on Medium in January 2021: click here to view there. There is no doubt about it, the pandemic is different this year to last year, and our psychological responses are different this year to last year. Although we learned many lessons about how to cope well and even thrive in
Blue Monday 2021: Pandemic mental health is different this year Read Post »
CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR MY NEW VIDEO: “The Paradoxical Theory of Change” ..change occurs when one becomes what he is, not when he tries to become what he is not. Change does not take place through a coercive attempt by the individual or by another person to change him, but it does take place
The Paradoxical Theory Of Change 2020 Read Post »
There is no exit strategy. The monkeys have the balls and we don’t know where they will be dropped. The frustration stage precedes the distress of the injustice and grief of loss. However, a deeper sense of internal safety grows within, once we learn to live with uncertainty.
Just when I get my ducks in a row, in come the monkeys… Read Post »
Isn’t it busy at the moment? Wonderful people setting up wonderful projects, everyone zooming and doing yoga, home schooling, street what’s app groups and people launching their own channels and podcasts. So much to help people from feeling dangerously lonely. Or maybe you’re like me, and countless people I’ve spoken to, who are responding at
The Legitimacy of Responding Slowly Read Post »
I am a psychotherapist, with a specialism in trauma over the last 30 years, who has long been fascinated with the mind-body link and how we can encourage ease of physical movement with psychological and physical experiential exercises. I am also currently living with chronic pain since multiple abdominal surgeries, cancer and chemotherapy. Recently I
Is it helpful to talk with clients about the psychological aspects of their pain? Read Post »