Ah, yes, that time of packing away the seasonal decorations and lights is upon us and with perhaps little on the immediate horizon, in the way of excitement, it can be common to experience low mood. The parties are over and family and friends have departed and perhaps worse still, the credit card bills are
Dealing with post-Christmas blues Read More »
TheoryI recently contributed to a post on self-care for therapists for the UKCP website when asked to reflect on my own self-care routine. UKCP is my professional body and stands for the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. When thinking about what to contribute I became more aware of what self-care actually means for me. Self-care
Self-care is more than sitting cross legged and blowing out hot hair Read More »
TheoryI came across the idea of death cafes the other day when a colleague mentioned them almost in passing when we were discussing something unrelated on the telephone. I find it an uncomfortable truth that everyone alive today, no matter where they live in the world, and no matter how rich they are, will eventually
Tea and cake at the death cafe? Read More »
TheoryThis is a podcast interview with Allan Frater, UKCP accredited psychotherapist and teacher at the Psychosynthesis Trust in London, in which we discuss waking dreams, imagination (tame and wild), and an image centric way of working in psychotherapy. Allan’s new book Waking Dreams – Imagination in Psychotherapy and Everyday Life is published by Transpersonal Press and can be
Allan Frater on waking dreams and imagination in psychotherapy Read More »
TheoryMisophonia (also known as Selective Sound Sensitivity Syndrome, or 4S) is a condition when intense anger and disgust is experienced when confronted with sounds and noise coming from other people. Sufferers of this condition are not choosing to feel that way. Misophonia is a conditioned reflex disorder, and whilst not formally recognised yet as a medical
Seeking help for misophonia Read More »
TheoryIt is common to have anxieties about returning to an office location following a period of extended homeworking, whether that is a hybrid approach or a full time return to a physical location. Lockdown will have affected us all in very different ways. It is very common to have worries about ongoing safety and protection
Afraid of returning to work post lockdown? Read More »
TheorySometimes there are buzzwords in the self-help field, some that come and go and some that stick around. When the late John Bradshaw was around, everybody seemingly needed to refer to their ‘family of origin’ issues and specifically to address their ‘inner child’ in order to self actualise. Therapy became ‘inner child’ centred in many
Is toxic positivity just another buzzword term? Read More »
TheoryIn this podcast interview I chat with Andrew Thomas about his work in developing the Rainbow Map. You will resonate with this material if you are interested in Stephen Porges’s Polyvagal Theory, Dan Seigel’s Window of Tolerance, the late Francine Shapiro’s work on developing eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), Pat Ogden’s work on Sensorimotor
Andrew Thomas explains the Rainbow Map Read More »
TheoryI have always been intrigued with the meaning of the word ‘treatment’ in the context of counselling and psychotherapy. People seeking help will often ask what the sessions will comprise of and how long the work will last. Indeed they might also ask, even in the first session, whether or not the work has actually
The meaning of ‘treatment’ in counselling and psychotherapy? Read More »
TheoryDo you find yourself over-focused on caring for another, such as fixing, controlling, pleasing, and/or conflict-avoiding in your relationships? Are you struggling to leave an abusive relationship? Are you too afraid to make necessary changes in your relationship in spite of being unhappy? If the answer is yes to these aforementioned questions then you may
My interview with Nancy Johnston Read More »
Theory