Picture this: an adult comes to me for therapy, and we talk about things that have happened in their life, as a child and/or as an adult. As the conversation progresses, I quickly realise that unbeknown to them, what they are describing constitutes abuse. It might be hard to believe, but I’ve experienced this many […]
Abuse – It’s Not Just What You Think It Is Read More »
Am I Going to Screw Up My Kids? In my clinical work, I meet many parents who fear ‘screwing up’ their kids. If you had a particularly difficult or traumatic early life yourself, you’re more likely to worry about repeating the same negative cycles with your own children. This can stem from a desire to
Am I Going to Screw Up My Kids? – A Therapist’s Perspective Read More »
What Is Rest? Rest can be difficult to define because it can look different for everyone. Essentially, rest is any behaviour or activity aimed at increasing physical or mental wellbeing. When we think about resting, we tend to focus on physical rest. We picture ourselves doing nothing, being still or sleeping. But rest doesn’t have
7 Types of Rest and How to Incorporate Them into Your Life Read More »
What is Complex PTSD? The term Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or CPTSD) describes a set of symptoms seen in many clients with a background of extensive abuse and neglect. The condition has also been called ‘a disorder of extreme stress’. According to research, the condition is often characterised by significant attachment disorder, dissociative personality,
What is Complex PTSD? Read More »
What are Unhelpful Coping Strategies? We are all born with three innate survival strategies – fight, flight, and freeze. These strategies probably developed to protect us from physical danger, but we also use them to deal with psychological threat, including abuse or neglect. As children, we develop ways of coping with difficult feelings that are
Unhelpful Coping Strategies Explained Read More »
I’m back with another instalment of the self-soothing series in which I share tools and strategies to support you when you become emotionally dysregulated. Today, we’re focussing on the power of imagination. As well as self-soothing, this exercise can help you connect with your inner wisdom, kindness and compassion. Some of us already have these
The Self-Soothing Series – Using Your Imagination Read More »
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can occur at any age. It usually begins within the first three months following a traumatic event. However, some people can experience what is known as Delayed Onset PTSD. This means they may not develop PTSD symptoms for months, even years, after the trauma occurred. What Is PTSD? In diagnostic terms,
If I asked you to give me some examples of traumatic events, what would you say? Typically, it’s massive life-changing experiences that spring to mind. Things like war, natural disaster, violent crime and road traffic accidents. If you’ve never experienced something so dramatic and devastating, you might think you’ve lived a life free of trauma.
Trauma – It’s Not What You Think It Is Read More »
What is Reparenting? In simple terms, reparenting is the act of giving yourself what you didn’t receive as a child. All children have basic needs that need to be met in order for them to grow, develop and thrive in the world. When these basic needs are neglected for whatever reason (parental mental illness, excessive
What is Reparenting and Where Do I Start? Read More »
What Is Low-Self Esteem? Low self-esteem is something that I see very commonly in clinical practice. Your self-esteem relates to how you view yourself and what values and qualities you feel you have. When someone has low self-esteem, it really means that their opinion of themselves is not great, they may think about themselves in
What is Low Self-Esteem? Read More »
