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 … [Read more...]
What is psychotherapy?
Freud once described psychotherapy as the “impossible profession.” To those who have not experienced it, psychotherapy can sound like a curious, mysterious, complex or even frightening endeavour.Using brief and simplistic explanations such as “talking to someone about your problems” to describe … [Read more...]
Psychotherapy for Social Change
Like many of us, I have been emotionally moved and disturbed by recent political events. Concerns over the choice of US president, the rise of the far right in Europe and Brexit have been driving many of us towards social and political initiatives.I always believed that our work as therapists … [Read more...]
Four domains – maintaining wellbeing in turbulent times
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. … [Read more...]
What is narcissism?
Narcissism is a Freudian term that has become perhaps more ubiquitous in the social lexicon than any other derived from psychoanalysis.It is a term that seems to define a generation in the eyes of the media – the Millennials, and one that we use disparagingly to describe celebrities before … [Read more...]
Mutual Disappointment – Surviving a Long Term Relationship
At a recent clinical supervision session in Lewes, my supervisor and I were discussing the realities of being in a long-term relationship. By long-term, we were thinking about decades, rather than months or years, and in this context, we were together considering what individuals must accept about a … [Read more...]
Relational Therapy – a view
There are a number of core concepts in the Transactional Analysis model, which provide a framework and map for understanding our internal emotional landscapes and structures. The concept of “script” suggests that people will often make decisions about themselves and draw conclusions about life from … [Read more...]
What makes a good leader?
The result of the US presidential election has created shockwaves around the world. The USA is taking its first steps into an uncertain future, with the reverberations of one of history’s most brutal presidential campaigns still echoing. At this time, it seems apposite to reflect on the qualities … [Read more...]
What is an integrative existential therapist?
People often ask me what it means to be an integrative existential therapist and how it differs from other forms of therapy. The most important thing to consider when choosing a therapist, however, is not the fancy title of the form of therapy delivered, but the relationship you can make with the … [Read more...]
How to grow a mind?
The word ‘mind’ is one that most folks use quite regularly and comfortably. Us psychotherapists use it more often than most. However, to the best of my knowledge, nobody has actually seen a mind. So, what is a mind, and why should we grow one?Those of you who follow us know that at Brighton and … [Read more...]
Being in therapy is the most normal thing
While stigma around mental health issues remains an issue, there is an increasing willingness to talk about mental health issues both in the media and in society as a whole. Even if much of that talk centres around the woefully inadequate state provisions for mental health support and treatment, to … [Read more...]
Managing conflict for emotional and physical health
In our last blog, I discussed the correlation between expressed anger and cardiac problems and repressed emotion and back/muscle pain in warring couples.The article gave some interesting insights into the correlation between couples who cannot fight healthily and the poor health they experience … [Read more...]
How fights with our partner influence our health
I write a lot about how the mind and body are connected and that our emotions originate in our bodies. I also write about how change happens through learning to be aware of our emotions and being able to feel them without becoming overwhelmed or needing to suppress them.Recently I came across a … [Read more...]
Who to tell that you’re in therapy? And why?
Alice AyresSitting 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, I … [Read more...]
Beginning therapy – the first appointment
Alice Ayres reflects on her first session with her therapist.How did I feel back then?When I’m looking back at a difficult period of my life from a position of relative stability, I tend to minimise how bad things really felt for me back then. I think this is a fairly common thing. I think … [Read more...]