The urge to migrate twists through the marrow of our bones; the restless energy moving our ancestors across vast wastelands in search of a better life mirrors our journey to self-actualisation. With global migration on the rise what happens to your relationship to yourself and to others when you leave your birth country for a…
We have all heard the phrase. Often shouted at a moment of crisis on a television programme or film: “Don’t just sit there, do something!” As if ‘doing something’, anything at all, will make a difference. Of course, the reality is that doing something does make a difference, if not to the outcome of the…
We are evolutionarily wired for stress. For our early ancestors, inhabiting a natural world beset with predatory dangers the flight/fight response was crucial to survival. The same alarm system exists today for the same survival purpose evolution originally intended. What is different is that today the more likely sources of threat (at least for those…
The world today seems smaller than ever before. We think nothing of travelling to once exotic destinations for our annual holiday and more and more of us are choosing to live in countries other than that of our birth. Alongside these effects of globalisation is that of children who are now growing up in cultures…
Social unconsciousness is a term used by Earl Hopper to describe the effect of living in a world where we are connected by our common histories, culture and social, political and economic environment. But how does this affect us? With so much taking place in our ever-changing world, this has a place in our experiences…
On the face of it, a process that is long-term, happens at the same time, on the same day, each week, would seem to be in stark contrast to modern life. We are promised, and expected to subscribe to, a world where our wants and needs can be met almost instantaneously, where we can have…
Loneliness is an experience that people coming into psychotherapy often talk about struggling with. It is an uncomfortable and often painful state and usually linked with feelings of sadness, loss and emptiness. But maybe loneliness isn’t necessarily just a bad experience. Below, I will explore possible causes and suggest there are some positive and helpful…
Most of us have to work in order to live. For many, work can take up a large proportion of our waking lives with up to a third of our lives being spent at work. While the primary reason for working is to make money, our work life can (and should) be much more than…
This year has marked the 50th anniversary of the (partial) decriminalisation of male homosexuality in the UK. This has been responded to with a slew of television and radio programmes exploring current and past personal and political experiences of LGBT individuals and communities in the UK and elsewhere. This output has been matched by a…
The term ‘Boarding School Syndrome’ is one that was brought to public consciousness by Jungian analyst Professor Joy Schaverian around a decade ago. Since then, it has gained significant traction as a model for explaining the often seen experiences and symptoms of adults who were sent away to boarding school as children. Specifically, it is…
Recent geopolitical events, notably the new American administration and the Brexit vote, have for many of us brought on feelings of uncertainty about the future. Facing this type of uncertainty can lead to feelings of anxiety driven by a loss of what we thought we could rely on or expect from life. Alternatively, we can experience…
Alice Ayres Sitting on the Tube with a relatively new friend, I suddenly found myself feeling awkward in the middle of an anecdote. “And on a Thursday evening, I…I…” I cast a sideways glance at him. How would he react? Could I trust him not to judge me negatively? In the heat of the moment,…