Behind the Mind

Therapy can help us to know ourselves better and understand what's 'behind the mind' to make choices and changes that are meaningful and healing. Every experience in our lives affects us in some way - who we are, who we become. Life events, relationships, trauma, poor health, loss and everything in between, all have an impact on us as individuals, those close to us and our wider networks. When our minds are busy or if they are too exhausted to function as we need them to, we feel less in control. We are more likely to feel anxious, panicky, depressed, scared and worried. The spectrum of human emotion can be lived and felt many times over, even in just one day. Travelling thoughts often whizz around our minds, sometimes taking a rest when they find something familiar to stick to, such as a memory, or perhaps flitting off in a different direction completely. New feelings and behaviours can arise out of all this activity, and sometimes old ones resurface - they may be helpful but there is always the chance that they’re not. We adapt to expecting the unexpected and accepting that life can be predictably unpredictable. We develop ways of coping and managing, often without a second thought for how this really makes us feel. How can we slow these processes down, give ourselves time to properly think and therefore feel more in control of our lives? Being kind to ourselves and believing that we matter is a good place to start. My name is Jo Lawrance and I am a registered Integrative Therapist with a background in specialist nursing, managing clinical services and providing short and long term therapy. I have worked extensively in the NHS, the charitable sector and project consultancy, always with patients and clients at the heart of what I do. I am also a qualified Mental Health First Aid Trainer and a Therapeutic Group Facilitator for a national support charity. As a parent I have a particular interest in working with children and young people, as a previous Macmillan Nurse I have a passion for working with people affected by life-changing illness and as a therapist I welcome YOU. We are all unique and our experience of life is too - we all have a story to tell and a time to share it. I believe that small steps can turn into big strides and that fulfillment, acceptance and happiness are within us all, even if they are just a glimmer on the horizon and in the moment. We can't change the past but we can be present in the here and now with more understanding and compassion for ourselves. Please give me a call, or send a message or email for more information. I look forward to hearing from you.