A guest blog by Kimberly Hayes Getting Back on Track: What to Do After Relapse For many on the journey to recovery, there may be stumbles. Sometimes, relapse is a part of the path to sobriety. It isn’t a failure. It’s a moment to learn more about yourself. If you have relapsed, this […] Read more »
Alternative Recovery Methods For Addiction.
Alternative Recovery Methods For Addiction. A guest blog by Kimberly Hayes. The most popular recovery method for addiction in the United States is, by far, the 12-step program. Designed by Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12 steps are highly religious in focus and involve accepting yourself as an addict for life. While this has worked well for many […] Read more »
Can Bad Feelings Ever Be OK?
Bad feelings don’t make you a bad person. Nor do they make you ungrateful. Everyone is inclined to the odd intrusive thought now and then. It’s healthy and natural. These thoughts can feel ‘bad’. The kind of thoughts we feel we ‘shouldn’t’ be having or the kind of thoughts that make us question what kind […] Read more »
Why we all need to be seen.
What is meant by the term ‘Stroke’? Transactional Analysis employs the term ‘strokes’ to denote any form of social inter-action where another’s presence is recognised. Therefore any transaction is also an exchange of strokes. While the general term ‘stroking’ might be used to imply close, physical contact, in reality and practice it may present in […] Read more »
Our Reactions
Reacting in ‘the same old way’ in Psychotherapeutic terms probably means you are engaging in Script behaviour that may no longer suit your needs or who you are. I addressed the concept Life Scripts in my previous post. As a child, when this Script was developed maybe you didn’t have a choice. Maybe you learnt […] Read more »
You Shouldn’t Feel That Way You Feel
‘You shouldn’t feel that way’ I have lost count of the number of times I have heard people recite experiences that begin and end with the summation, ‘You should not feel that way’. For me, I lump that phrase alongside ‘Cheer up, it might never happen’ or ‘Pull yourself together’. A client of mine once […] Read more »
What can Depression feel like?
Stephen Fry has experienced mental health problems, including two suicide attempts, for most of his life. At the age of 37 he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bipolar affects hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and sadly, like many other mental health problems, is still shrouded in prejudice and stigma. In […] Read more »
Useful Contacts
Asking for support is not always easy. In fact sometimes it can feel daunting and even overwhelming for some. There are services out there which are available to everyone however. Below is a list of contact numbers and websites that you may find useful. Talking really does help. […] Read more »
Confused about therapy?
When deciding on a therapist there is a lot to take into account, or at least it can feel that way. Like most things these days there is a lot of variety out there and sometimes it can be confusing and hard to know where to begin. What do you look for? What […] Read more »
The Doodle Chronicles
Mental Illness can be tough, even impossible, for some to talk about. It can also be challenging to understand if you have never experienced it yourself and, a lot of the time, even those close to us can struggle to grasp what is going on, no matter how hard we try and explain. This […] Read more »