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, […]
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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
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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
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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
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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
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What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder? Have you always been a bit of a worrier? Do you find yourself spending lots of time getting anxious about lots of different things, such as finances, relationships, health, work, or the future? Do you struggle to let the worries go? Maybe the worries affect your sleep? Do you find
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What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences? I was asked recently whether childhood adversity can contribute to problems with anxiety in adulthood, so this blog will summarise my thoughts based on my clinical experience and knowledge from academic study. The short answer is yes. We know that adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s), such as your parents separating, witnessing
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Can Anxiety Cause Physical Symptoms? Many people who I have worked with in therapy are so surprised to realise just how many physical symptoms are caused by anxiety. They often attend their GP surgery to discuss their physical symptoms with a Healthcare Professional because they are concerned about them or the symptoms are affecting the
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