Judith Herman (1992), writes: “Psychological trauma is an affliction of the powerless. At the moment of trauma, the victim is rendered helpless by overwhelming force. Traumatic events overwhelm the ordinary systems of care that give people a sense of control, connection, and meaning” Although Herman’s book was written more than twenty years ago, and findings…
Like many of us, at the end of each year I like to take some time to reflect on the past year and also look to the year ahead for changes and improvements I’d like to make in the personal and professional areas of my life. The beginning of a new calendar year can be…
This time of year can evoque a range of feelings in most of us. Whilst some of us may have a festive and positive outlook on Christmas and look forward to spending time with friends and family, for many it is a time filled with conflicting emotions. Some of us have difficult memories associated with…
Brighton and Hove Psychotherapy was born from a simple decision. After years of working from other clinics, Mark and I realised it was time to create a space of our own. Finding the right premises wasn’t easy. We had spent years practising in therapy rooms that never quite felt right. While we were grateful for…
In our last blog, entitled ‘The Pyramid of Change’, we introduced the concept (and paradox) that in order to achieve results (change) the locus of attention needs to begin not with change but with the felt sense in the body. How can we facilitate this? Counsellors and psychotherapists are taught to ask one particular question,…
Counselling and psychotherapy is about change. Whether that is a fundamental change in how we experience ourselves in the world, or in working through a difficult emotion and changing how we are feeling. Everybody who enters into a process of therapy is seeking change of some kind. There are a myriad of books written about…
Counsellors and psychotherapists can be very good at suggesting to clients to start to develop compassion for themselves, stop destructive behaviours and to learn to self-care. This is, after all, part of their job. However, how high a priority is their own self-care? How can clients assess whether their therapist is able to appropriately self-care…
My heart is racing and I feel constantly under threat, even though there is nothing to fear. Emotionally it is like I’m in a war zone, ready to defend or attack, even though it’s peaceful here. I look over my shoulder, tense up with certain sounds. I’m scared for my life and for the life…
Were you to ask a group of clinicians (counsellors or psychotherapists) to define the purpose of therapy , you will likely get a set of quite different answers based in a large part on the lens (modality) through which each clinician views mental health and their approach. One would hope to find some degree of…
Starting counselling or psychotherapy can feel daunting. It is also a significant commitment of time, energy and emotion. Most people begin therapy feeling conflicted. One part wants things to change, while another is understandably hesitant. After all, change often requires us to step into the unknown. Therapy is not something that simply happens to you….
When clients first present for counselling or psychotherapy at my practice in either Brighton and Hove or Lewes, I generally always ask them what they would like to get from our work; how will they know that what we have done has been worthwhile for them? The answer to this can give the work important…
“The person is comprehensible only within this tapestry of relationships, past and present.” (Mitchell, 1988) Despite the many therapeutic benefits of group psychotherapy, it remains surprisingly underused. This may reflect the current emphasis on individual therapy, the specialist training required to facilitate groups, or perhaps a broader cultural shift towards individualism. Yet human beings have…