In the journey of personal development and mental wellbeing, the concept of a growth mindset has emerged as a powerful tool. Have you ever faced a challenge and felt like giving up because you thought you were not ‘good enough’? The idea of a growth mindset, coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, offers a different perspective—one…
All of us make mistakes; we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t. But some past failures or mistakes have a habit of being repeated time and time again. These could be work related, like promising yourself that you’ll hand in an assignment ahead of time, only to leave everything to the last minute and deliver…
There has been a growing interest in Buddhist thinking over many years, which is perhaps influenced by the popular practice of mindfulness to help with anxiety and many other emotional issues. Often people will come to psychotherapy and use the technique of mindfulness as part of their therapeutic journey. Some then become curious about the…
We all dream – whether we remember them or not. And there is plenty of fascination about dreams and what they may mean, ranging from nothing at all, to being a means and method of understanding a patient’s unconscious. In 1899, Sigmund Freud wrote The Interpretation of Dreams outlining his theory of the unconscious and…
Motivation is the spark that drives our behaviours, whether it’s waking up early for work, pursuing a personal goal, or simply seeking enjoyment in daily life. But what exactly fuels this drive? Modern neuroscience offers fascinating insights into the mechanisms behind motivation and its role in our mental well-being. What is motivation? Motivation is broadly…
Brainwashing or thought reform is not a one-off event but a gradual process of breaking down and transformation. Thus, thought reform is a concerted effort to change a person’s way of looking at the world, which will change his or her behaviour. To understand more about mind control, or brainwashing, I will explain it in…
Self-esteem is often spoken about and seen as something that we should be aspiring towards. However, what is less clear is exactly what constitutes ‘self-esteem’ and how we can best define this concept. What is self-esteem? Well, according to Jordan Peterson it simply does not exist. However, he is in the minority with this. Whilst…
I have previously written about the psychological impact on children who grow up in cults. But what is the definition of a cult? I’m going to share with you how some academics in this field describe a cult – there are five key attributes that can help us with this explanation. Let’s go through each…
Poets and artists have an uncanny knack for connecting our hearts and minds. In many ways this is also the project of psychotherapy; in any application of the underlying science it too becomes an art. Rarely do people enter therapy in search of theories, rather they want their experience, often painful, addressed. Dealing with the…
When most of us think about the brain, we tend to associate it with thinking—solving problems, making decisions, or engaging in intellectual discussions. However, according to Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett in her chapter ‘Your Brain Is Not for Thinking’ from Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain, thinking is not the brain’s most fundamental…
In the UK, it is a requirement for trainee psychotherapists to be in weekly therapy with a senior practitioner throughout the duration of their training. However, once qualified many therapists do not continue their personal therapy beyond the therapy hours required. In this blog, I argue why it is vital for psychotherapists working at depth…
Two articles, one written by a human therapist and the other by a chatbot – can you tell which is which? Part one: The human touch: why a human therapist outshines an AI therapist In today’s rapidly evolving world, technology continues to reshape various aspects of our lives, including mental health care. With advancements in…