Mind healing cbt

19/02/2024

menopause or peri-menopause is on my mind today.
Its been a while since I've written but ive noticed recently that my peri-menopausal symptoms are getting worse, the weight gain, the hot flushes, the feelings of self doubt, and don't get me started on the brain fog!
Luckily I have a very understanding partner that fans me when I have a hot flush in the supermarket and literally want to rip my clothes off, who just puts extra clothes on at night when i've flung the duvet into next year, who doesn't roll his eyes when I suddenly realise I should have turned off the motorway 20 minutes ago and im not really sure where we are and who's simply chuckles when I can't remember a word or what ive even been doing this morning!
Not everyone is lucky enough to have someone like this in their life, hormones are a bitch and don't they know it!!
Recently the media has been promoting the effects of CBT for menopause.
This is not a cure! oh no, as if!.. however, recent research suggests that cognitive behavioural therapy can be effective for hot flushes, insomnia, anxiety, depression and mood swings. By creating healthy coping mechanisms and building positive lifestyle habits it is possible to learn to manage and ultimately change the thought patterns that lead to overwhelming feelings of anxiety.
Even simply understanding and accepting what is happening to your body at that moment, realising that you are not crazy/ depressed/ have a brain tumor/ or someone is pranking you by turning the heating up to max can straightaway relax the brain and allow you to think rationally.
Contact me for more info on living with the menopause and CBT.

19/07/2023

Emotional dependency.......
A certain amount of emotional dependency is normal. Support from a partner or loved one is vital for many people and can help you to feel content, safe and stable in a relationship.
Is it support or dependency??
Dependency suggests that we are unable to adequately validate ourselves when we don't feel sufficiently secure in a relationship, our love for our partner becomes destructive, feelings of self doubt arise, we may become insecure, they may abandon us, reject us or replace us. The longer we rely on another persons reassurance to validate ourselves, the more we will remain dependent on them, this can lead to a breakdown of the relationship in many areas.
Where do these feelings of insecurity arise from??
More often than not from our childhoods or previous destructive relationships, however, regarding the 'nature/nurture' debate we must also recognise that these feelings of insecurity may also simply be part of someones character.
Emotional dependency can be very destructive to both sides of a relationship. In one aspect it could give the stronger partner a sense of self worth, a heightened superiority complex which could later on lead to inadvertent emotional or physical abuse. Another possibility is that the same person could have feelings of inadequacy, impatience and frustration, How can one person within a relationship provide all of the reassurance, confidence and emotional support for their partner?
This behaviour is typically draining to all relationships, be they sibling, marriage, partnership, friends, business or parent/child.
From my own experience of this type of emotional dependency within friendships and relationships it has at times left me feeling completely exhausted, debilitated and emotionally vacant with a strong desire to escape.
So whats the cure??
Early psychological wounds can be healed, it can take some time and is usually recommended working with a professional therapist to facilitate this healing process.
Ultimately however, it is we, us, ourselves who must acknowledge and accept our actions and behaviour towards other people and ourselves, this way we can begin to repair from within, from whichever part of us that was broken or failed to develop properly.

03/06/2023

Let's talk about s*x!!
Excerpts of an article I read today, by Ella dove;

We need to get rid of the idea that s*x is either 'good' or 'bad'.
Part of a role as a s*x therapist is to remove this unhelpful binary by looking at how any of our ideas about s*x come to be the way they are.
Often with roots of CBT, psychos*xual therapy encourages us to explore how our thoughts are formed when it comes to s*x. We think our feelings and we feel our thoughts, if we're thinking about what's for dinner during s*x for example, we'll never tune into our bodies- our thoughts have taken over our feelings!

Issues and worries around s*x are more common than you may think and psychos*xual therapy can be helpful to everyone.
S*x is one of the only areas of our lives where we form an idea that everyone should just know exactly what they're doing, but we rarely ask questions or have open conversations about how to know what we're doing.
One factor that therapists look at is longevity of the relationship, spontaneous desire is over- represented in films, TV and social media, the reality is that many people, particularly in long term relationships have a more responsive desire style, as therapists we don't like the idea of ' scheduling s*x' but we do recommend scheduling time to be physically intimate.
Additionally, how we feel in our own bodies can have a major impact on our s*x lives, becoming more body confident and understanding that your partner may also feel the same is important, particularly with women and or**sm. Or**sm can only happen when there is a certain point of tension and relaxation, like opposing forces, we have to be aroused but we also have to be relaxed and allow the body to overcome the mind.

Psychos*xual therapy can help most couples find their way back to a more connected and satisfying relationship with their partners.

15/04/2023

ANGER......
Anger is a natural human emotion, everyone experiences it at some point in their lives but living with anger issues on a daily or weekly basis can seriously affect your well being, some common side effects of unresolved anger are:
digestive disorders
heart attack
stroke
hypertension
There is a complex series of physiological events that occur as we become angry and often we act before we consider the consequences, with practice, this compulsive behaviour can be controlled.
as we become angry the muscles in the body tense up and neurotransmitter chemicals are released, giving a burst of energy lasting several minutes, this burst of energy is behind the desire to act immediately. the heart accelerates, blood pressure rises, the face flushes, attention locks to the focus of the anger and adrenaline is released which triggers a lasting state of arousal, beginning the 'fight' mode.
Adrenaline can last for hours or days and lowers the anger threshold, therefore easier for us to become angry during adrenaline comedown and there starts the process again.
Anger is a serious issue which can respond very well to CBT in the long term. We start with ABC,
A:the activating event (the trigger)
B: the beliefs (thoughts)
C: consequences (reactions)
Call or message me if you would like to know some more about how CBT can help.

10/04/2023

My theme this morning is anxiety and phobias. A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder. Often you’ll feel the symptoms when you come into contact with the phobia, but for some people, the symptoms can come on simply from thinking about it. When you come across the source of your phobia, you’re likely to feel incredibly scared, nervous and anxious. You may also feel physical symptoms of fear and anxiety, such as:

dizziness/lightheadedness
sweating
fast heartbeat and/or palpitations
nausea
shaking
an upset stomach

Hypnotherapy is the perfect solution for you if you suffer from any of the symptoms mentioned above.
Just one session can make an amazing difference to your life, infact I've found in some cases only one session has been needed.
Call or pm me for more information 😊

09/04/2023

Pure beauty❤️

09/04/2023

I'm currently watching a documentary on body image. Body image is a very personal and emotional topic. The pressure to adhere to a certain beauty/body standard is not a new phenomenon but with the rise of social media in the last decade or so, the messaging has become even more in your face.

On the other hand, there are also rising voices in culture and social media today that advocate for body positivity and yet, it’s still hard at times to look past the years of conditioning when it comes to truly accepting our bodies, especially if they do look different from what has for years been touted as ideal or desirable.

Is it any wonder that many of us still suffer from body image issues! My own relationship with my weight and body image is complicated. It’s something of an ongoing journey – learning to accept my body for what it is, and at the same time, working to get physically fitter and stronger. There are days I look in the mirror and embrace my new peri-menopausal curves and other days when I hide behind baggy clothes, however, thinking back to 5 years ago at 48 kilos I actually felt exactly the same, the truth is, your confidence comes from within and THAT'S what changes on a daily basis, not the scales but your reaction to those jeans feeling a little tighter than they did yesterday.

There’s no magic pill that can make you instantly go from ‘I hate how I look’ to ‘I love my body unquestionably’, but as I am learning myself, practicing self-love and self-compassion can make the process a lot more easier.

08/04/2023

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of therapy that involves learning to identify negative thought patterns so you can work to change them. This treatment is based on the fundamental premise that by learning to cope with your negative thoughts and behaviors, you can relieve symptoms and live a healthier, more productive life day to day. If you are looking for a more action oriented, you can search for therapists specifically trained in CBT. CBT has been proven in study after study to be one form of therapy that results in substantial improvement in quality of life. It’s actually even as, if not more, effective than several other types of therapy.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for grief works by helping you become aware of your negative thought patterns. These patterns can lead to behaviors that make it difficult to process grief. During CBT sessions, a therapist might ask you to discuss what you’re thinking about or feeling in terms of your grief. Identifying these negative thought patterns can help you understand how they’re affecting your behavior

07/04/2023

The Team continues to grow! 😃💖

Tamara Haliwell is joining us to offer her professional expertise in the field of Counselling, CBT and Hypnotherapy.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is known to effectively treat:
~Bipolar disorders
~Eating disorders
~Obsessive compulsive disorder
~Panic
~Post traumatic stress
~Sleep problems

Hypnotherapy is known to effectively help with:
~Smoking cessation
~Weight loss
~Anxiety
~Depression
~Phobias
~Obsessive compulsive disorder
~Post traumatic stress

If you suffer from any of the above, or feel you could benefit from some sessions of counselling (either alone or couples) and would like to book an appointment with Tamara… contact us on 952530122 (voicemail service) or WhatsApp on 651956284

Welcome to the team, Tamara ! 😊🎊

31/03/2023

Quote of the day

29/03/2023

29/03/2023

QUOTE OF THE DAY
The way you speak to yourself matters