I've been working on shame
I've been returning to shame recently. I did some training on working with shame, that I actually used to look at my own sense of shame. I also did a...
Discomfort vs safety (paywall removed)
Once a month or so, I remove the paywall from an old email, to showcase what you can get if you upgrade to a paid subscription, to share something I’m proud...
Touching grass
I’m so sorry I missed the last paid post, life happens. I appreciate your support more than I can say. The past few weeks have been challenging. Becoming a...
Mental health at the holidays
I’m working on a workshop for mental health/survivng the holidays and I thought I’d share some things from it, given it’s somehow mid-November already. How...
Some reminders for when you're ill
I've been ill for the best part of a week. I'm recovering but the fatigue and gastrointestinal distress is lingering. Here's what I'm reminding myself of...
You can't self aware your way out of it
Self awareness isn't enough. You can be fully aware of your patterns and still follow them every time. You can see the self sabotage coming, and feel a sense...
Tough love
I once had someone tell me they didn't find person centred counselling useful, because they needed to hear difficult truths and be shown tough love. I've...
Do it scared
Do it scared. Do it anxious. You don't have to do it happy, but you do have to do it. You may have heard something like this on social media, and it's...
What if it's trauma?
This is the follow on post from Is it trauma and Trauma So you've got through something and now are experiencing things like dissociation, flashbacks or...
Discomfort vs safety
The thing about stepping out of your comfort zone is that you need to be safe to do so. I used to have some real issues with the phrase 'you don't grow in...
Is it trauma or Trauma?
I was speaking to someone recently, who disclosed some workplace harassment from a previous workplace that was still affecting them. I offhandedly mentioned...
I thought fondly of my mother
I don't often think about my mother, to be honest. For new people here, I'm estranged from my family of origin, and my mother's choices and the way she...
The magic that happens in the counselling room (free)
Once a month or so I remove the paywall from a post I’m particularly proud of. This is one of those posts. Magic happens in the counselling room. Or at last,...
It'll be fine
I had a breakthrough this week. I was sitting with the fact that the mistake I spoke about previously was sitting so heavily on me. It was fine, I had...
The changing of the seasons
Apologies this is late, I've been ill. It's almost September, which is wild, quite frankly. We've still got some warm days ahead of us in the UK, but I am...
When you're ill
I have a cold during a heatwave, which is especially grim. It's been a good reminder of how being compassionate to yourself can take energy, and how easy it...
The magic that happens in the counselling room
Magic happens in the counselling room. Or at last, it can happen. It's happened for me. I've experienced true care in a counselling room. Not only a space...
Curiosity
Curiosity is a surprisingly important tool in self care. We like to find things out as humans, and curiosity tends to come without the overtones of blame or...
Why I've been missing
I've been having trouble writing recently. This is partly because end of term has been slamming me. This course is intense, and we had a lot to do in the run...
Why I've been missing
I've been having trouble writing recently. This is partly because end of term has been slamming me. This course is intense, and we had a lot to do in the run...