Biannka Brannigan Psychotherapy & Counselling

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Biannka Brannigan Psychotherapy & Counselling

As a Gestalt Psychotherapist, it is my passion to support you to explore and develop a greater under

24/12/2025

There was a time when my life felt like a roller coaster of high-highs and low-lows.

How I felt about myself depended on things outside of me, how other people felt about me, how I performed at uni, whether I’d done “good-enough”. If someone was angry with me, I’d feel awful and do everything I could to make things better. If I received a less-than-great mark, the self-flagellation would kick in.

At that time, how I felt about myself was dependent on the world around me and it was very un-fun.
This way of being is known as outside-in self-esteem. So, I went about building esteem from the inside-out.

23/12/2025

Good, healthy self-esteem is kind of a big deal.

I know this because I know what it feels like when mine is healthy, and I’m also very familiar with what it feels like when it’s out-of-whack. When my self-esteem is good, I feel grounded in my decisions.

My body feels relaxed and at ease. I’m kind and loving to myself and others. I can accept feedback without spiralling into shame and I stand up for myself with love. Good, healthy self-esteem isn’t just about feeling good, it’s about knowing your worth regardless of what’s happening around you. You are no worse or better than anyone else.

No matter who you are, who you’ve been, or what you’ve done, you are worthy.

Healthy self-esteem changes the relationship we have with ourselves, with others and the world around us!

18/12/2025

Many couples come to therapy saying,
“We keep arguing about the same thing.”

But repeated conflict is rarely about the topic itself. It’s a sign that something deeper hasn’t felt seen, soothed, or repaired yet.

When stress is high, the brain defaults to familiar protective patterns, pursuing, withdrawing, controlling, over-explaining, shutting down. These responses are protective, not intentional, but they can keep couples stuck in the same loop for years.

Nothing changes because the wound keeps showing up, not because either partner is failing.

Recognising the pattern is the beginning of change.
From here, conversations can move from reactive to relational, and repair becomes possible.

17/12/2025

Most arguments aren’t really about the dishes, parenting styles, money, or how the house runs.
They’re about what gets activated underneath.

Under stress, old emotional wounds can surface, times we felt unheard, dismissed, criticised, or alone. When that happens, the nervous system moves into protection, and the conversation quickly shifts from problem-solving to self-defence.

So what sounds like “You never help” may actually mean
“I don’t feel supported” or “I’m carrying too much on my own.”

When couples understand this, blame softens and curiosity becomes possible.
The goal isn’t to win the argument, it’s to understand what the moment is really asking

12/12/2025

We’re often told that if a relationship is “right,” it will feel easy.
No raised voices. No misunderstandings. No hurt.

But real life doesn’t work like that.

Even the healthiest couples bump into each other’s wounds, histories and limits. The difference isn’t whether conflict happens… it’s what you do next.

True intimacy isn’t love without conflict.
It’s two people who are willing to slow down, listen, take responsibility, and find their way back to each other, again and again.

You don’t need a perfect relationship.
You need a relationship that can repair.

If this landed for you, save this for a day you need the reminder and comment “repair” so I know you’re here. 🤍

11/12/2025

If love feels heavier than it used to, it’s so easy to spiral into
“Did I choose wrong?”
“Have we changed too much?”
“Is this a sign it’s over?”

But often, what’s actually happening is that the relationship has moved out of the fantasy and into real life, real stress, real histories, real needs.

That shift can feel confronting, but it’s also where deeper intimacy becomes possible.

Hard seasons don’t automatically mean you’re in the wrong relationship.
Sometimes they mean the relationship is asking for different skills, more awareness, and a gentler way of holding each other.

If this resonates with you, comment “phase 2” so I know I’m not speaking into a void. 🤍

04/12/2025

If your relationship feels hard right now, here’s some gentle relief:
Sometimes it’s not a sign that something is broken. Sometimes it’s a sign you’ve entered a real phase of long-term love.

Most couples move through 3 phases. These stages are not linear, rather, they can overlap or repeat in various ways within a relationship.

Having awareness of these phases can support couples to more confidently navigate the changing dynamics of their relationship.

1. Harmony—love feels light and easy.
2. Disharmony — stress, differences, and old wounds start surfacing.
3. True Intimacy — love deepens through awareness, repair, and new skills.

Phase 2 is the one that makes people wonder:
“Are we okay?”
“Have we changed?”
“Shouldn’t this be easier?”
“Maybe we’re just not right for each other”

But often… this is the growth phase, not the ending.

If phase 2 feels like you right now…
comment “2”
Let’s navigate this journey together. 🤍

02/12/2025

Most people don’t come to therapy because something is “small.”
They come because they’re tired.
Tired of the same fights.
Tired of feeling alone in the same house.
Tired of trying harder and somehow getting further apart.

If that’s you, I want you to know:
there are approaches to therapy that don’t shame you, rush you, or try to “fix” you.

The one I come back to again and again is Gestalt therapy.
In simple language, it means we don’t only talk about what happened,
we notice how it’s still happening in you and between you, right now.

Because that’s where we actually have power.
In the present moment.
In the pattern.
In what your body is protecting.
In what your heart is longing for.

This space is for couples on the brink…
and for individuals who want to stop abandoning themselves inside love.

If you’re new here, welcome.
If you’ve been here before, thank you for staying close. 🤍

Tell me, what’s one pattern you’re tired of repeating?
(You can say it gently. You’re safe here.)

30/06/2025

I have just finished 2 and a bit days at the first Inner Health Coalition (IHC) conference here in sunny San Diego with 200 other health care professionals from all over the world (who are also part of the IHC) learning from Dr Joe Dispenza, Dr. Carla Stanton M.D., Dr Michelle A. Poirier, Ph.D., Dr Hemal Patel, Ph.D., Dr Sierra Simpson, Ph.D. and Ruth Waterman, M.D. and of course learning from each other!

The weekend was jam-packed with lots of juicy presentations on the science of change and transformation!

All of those in attendance, in some way or another, believe that the power of our mind can create health and feelings of wholeness or lead us to become imbalanced physically, chemically and emotionally.

The growing body of evidence-based research was a big topic of discussion over the weekend, as was the undeniable impact of a particular type of meditation on returning us back to homeostasis and transforming our lives.

It has been a cracking weekend that has left me feeling full of hope, gratitude and love ❤️.

If you want to know more, we can chat or check out some of Dr. Hemal’s podcast episodes where he discusses the research.

30/03/2024

RELATIONAL LIVING - A MOVEMENT TOWARDS A KINDER, MORE TOLERABLE WORLD - I’m looking forward to exploring how meta themes of capitalism and individualism influence our relationships and cause a “me vs you” way of being and how to find greater connection and intimacy happening next weekend in Chiltern, Victoria. Together, we will look at the myth of the individual, how we get lost in competitive stances, dysfunctional ways of being that we are all prone to, and the way back to connection, finding safety within, fierce intimacy and how we become the movement for creating a kinder, more tolerable world.

16/09/2023

Loving up our practice space up this morning with some scrumptious roses from They’re seconds straight from the farm and they’re ooooh so beautiful and smell divine ❤️

22/02/2023

Here I am! Together with so many others who are totally inspired by the work of Bessel van der Kolk who wrote the book, The Body Keeps the Score. Bess talks a lot about the body and it’s necessary role in moving through trauma - one of the reason why I’m always banging on about getting out of our heads and into our bodies! One of the amazing things about Bessel’s work is that he not only tells the story of how trauma affects so many of us, but also how we can put words to it, be in our bodies, learn to trust others, anchor ourselves in our social fabric, integrate our experiences and live happier, healthier and more spontaneous lives for ourselves and in our relationships ❤️❤️❤️

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Sydney, NSW

Website

http://biannkabrannigan.com/

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