What are the opening hours?

Monday 11am - 8pm Tuesday 11am - 8pm Wednesday 11am - 5pm Thursday 11am - 5pm Friday 11am - 5pm

https://ramblingpsychotherapist.co.uk/, https://ramblingpsychotherapist.co.uk/index.php/courses/

The Rambling Psychotherapist, Leeds (2026)

05/03/2026

Reading is something I was encouraged to do as a kid, and I am eternally grateful for this. It's one thing that my parents did which has really served me well.

I still read now, in fact, it rates as one of my favourite ways to occupy my spare time. In the past, my primary focus would have been non-fiction. A book was a little place of sanctuary to retreat to when I wanted downtime from the real world.

Now, however, I indulge my permanently curious brain with all sorts of interesting reads.

Over the last eighteen months, there have been three stand-out books that I have read that I recommend regularly to people on a healing journey:

📘For the people pleasers out there - Too Much by Terri Cole is a must read. Aimed primarily at women, but lots of relevant info for men too, if you can gloss over the female-oriented language.

📙For anyone who finds that talking hasn't fixed anything, or indeed finds it has made it a bit worse - Body First Healing by Brittany Piper. This book is a really accessible introduction to a somatic approach which can be really supportive as part of your healing journey.

📗And finally, last but by no means least, for anyone that finds themselves thinking "I don't know why I feel this way, it's not like I was beaten as a child" and for those that experienced more obvious abuse and neglect during their developmental years - Complex PTSD from surviving to thriving by Pete Walker his choc full of great insights, information and strategies to try that can be really supportive.

What self-help books have you read and would recommend?

Join me in the comments to share 🔽

03/03/2026

World Wildlife Day (WWD) is marked on 3rd March and recognises the unique roles and contributions of wildlife (plants & animals) to people and the planet.

When we talk about wildlife, most people's minds turn immediately to animals, and the other forms of wild-life that we are surrounded by in this world rarely get a look in.

But this year, WWD is focused on plants and their contribution to life on Earth.

When we recognise that we live in an interconnected world, we can start to see the relationships we have with other beings around us.

When we breathe out, we exhale carbon dioxide, which plants use and, in return, supply us with fresh oxygen to fill our lungs (this is a very simplified version of what actually happens). The chemicals that plants emit also support us with our mental and physical wellbeing as well as acting as a form of communication with other plants and animals. Some plants are food, and some medicine, so our relationship with them is of huge importance.

When a plant or an animal stops being an object and becomes something with which we are in relationship, our attitude towards it changes. We treat them better. And that is why WWD is so important.

How well do you know the plants that support your life?

If the answer is 'not very well' spring is a great opportunity to change that.

Take a walk every day and see what you notice; see if you can identify the different shoots, buds, and flowers that start to emerge at a rate of knots at this time of year. The time spent outside and the exercise will be beneficial, and you will also start to establish a better relationship with the world around you. You will be able to greet these beings year after year, like welcoming an old friend back into your life. It's a very rewarding feeling.

I have recently moved, so I am starting this process anew in my Welsh surroundings. So far, I have met snowdrop, daisy, nettle, cleavers, cherry, daffodil, bluebell and ramsons. And, there are new connections to be made each and every day. I greet them, and I thank them for the role they play in my life. This feeling of gratitude reminds me that the world can be a wonderful place to be.

02/03/2026

Becoming triggered is frequently not a sign of regression; it's just your nervous system working in exactly the way that it is supposed to.

If you found a way to do anything different throughout the whole experience, including having more awareness of what was happening for you in your mind/body and awareness of your role in the situation (during or in the immediate aftermath), if you reached for tools and strategies, could muster self-compassion and safe space for yourself, if you paused before responding, if you asked for help, if you sught repair, then you are doing amazing!

All of these are signs of change and progress. A trigger still feels cr*p, but something different is happening which means you are heading in the direction of healing.

Well done, you just made or strengthened a new neural pathway, and each time you can manage this, your healing deepens.

Give yourself a massive pat on the back, breathe and recenter.

You're doing ace!!!

26/02/2026

I talk a lot about stories and how they can both help and hinder us.

A good story strikes a balance between acknowledging that all may not necessarily be well in the world, and that salvation is also available.

No story does this as well as a fairytale.

They introduce us to some pretty gruesome and brutal material - death, murder, abandonment, bullying, abuse (the list goes on).

But, no fairytale ends with the protagonist being murdered by the evil step-mother and her dancing on a grave with everyone agreeing that the child deserved it really, the witch never gets her tasty meal, and even the wolf does not get to stay full for long.

There is always a point at which the fortune of the suffering changes. There is a moment of clarity and creativity, which allows for escape, or an outside intervention arrives and leads to freedom. The weak, the naive, and the vulnerable always get to carry on with life, which leaves us with a sense of hope.

We tell ourselves stories (frequently unconsciously) about the way the world works. Oftentimes, these stories look like a fairytale at the outset, but no reprieve ever comes. We feel like our fortunes will never ever change; no reprieve is available to us.

Therapy helps us to examine those stories and learn how to become the shining light of salvation for ourselves, so that we too can live 'happily ever after'. That is, if by 'happily' we mean being at peace with experiencing a whole spectrum of human emotions, not feeling stuck in them, and being able to recognise and mobilise our own agency to give to ourselves the care and resources needed to change our experience.

23/02/2026

Regulation is not the process of getting rid of 'bad' feelings. It is the process of teaching your nervous system how to move through different states and not get stuck in them.

This grows your capacity to sit with things that are uncomfortable, without necessarily having to react to them in a way which is fueled by survival energy.

There are so many ways of teaching your nervous system how to not get stuck in survival mode constantly, but it is a common misconception that you can just breathe or meditate yourself into a different way of feeling.

Trying to ricochet from anxious flight or angry fight energy, straight into a peaceful rest and digest state without having done something to move the energy that is telling you that action is needed, can result in an amplifying of the existing state and even move you into a feeling of being stuck (freeze). In these moments, sometimes we need to move, before we can come back to rest and digest.

Similarly, if you feel trapped in a freeze state, or shut down with no energy, movement can also facilitate a shift in state here too.

That is not to say that breathwork and meditation are ineffective; they definitely have their place in bringing a nervous system into a harmonious way of functioning (think homeostasis here, not peace, love and light). They are just 'part' of what is needed to facilitate healing.

Movement practices you can try when your body feels agitated by a fight or flight response: Running on the spot, foot stomping, jumping, shaking, body tapping (open handed, not on specific points), air punching, brisk walking, pushing against a wall, heel drops. All of these can then be followed by a down-regulating activity such as breathwork or mindfulness/meditation and are super effective when used in combination.

For when you are in freeze or flop: Moving the eyes (not the head) slowly from left to right, similar but with the head, notice where feels particularly tense or still and bring small movement to those areas, butterfly taps, gentle walking, rocking (either seated or standing), heel drops. Similarly, here, you can follow this with the breath; a physiological sigh can really help reset your system.

22/02/2026

Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves get in the way of us having the experience of life that we really want.

To move past this, we need to raise our awareness of our internal narratives. But awareness alone cannot always shift us towards what would feel satisfying.

Sometimes we also need to take action, which often feels counter-intuitive, as it is not directly related to what we want, to offer a counterbalance to the story before we can mobilise towards our true desire.

I explore this a little in my latest blog. If you're curious, grab yourself a cuppa and immerse yourself for a short while here https://ramblingpsychotherapist.co.uk/index.php/2026/02/13/the-procrastination-demon/

20/02/2026

People often get disheartened when learning to regulate their nervous systems because of some common misunderstandings. so let's set the record straight:

☀️ Calm and relaxed is not the goal! - Being able to navigate the spectrum of feeling and not get stuck is. Being Calm and relaxed all the time is just as much a sign of a dysregulated nervous system as being anxious all the time is.

☀️ Regulation takes time! - It often took repeated experiences for your nervous system to learn to be extra vigilant. It also takes small and repeated experiences for it to learn to be regulated.

☀️ Regulation is not necessarily comfortable! - Regulation gives you the capacity to stay present with discomfort and not be overwhelmed by it, or hijacked by unnecessary survival behaviours.

☀️ An intense reaction is not a failure or regression! - An intense reaction is just a sign that your system needs support. It’s an opportunity to further your healing, not a failure to regulate.

17/02/2026

Our world is full of sources of inspiration, wisdom and guidance that we can tap into, from spiritual sources (religious figures, alternative spirituality gurus, astrology, tarot and other divination sources, the universe etc) to dispensers of 'truth' (scientists, coaches, therapists, doctors etc).

People want to have somewhere to turn when they feel uncertain, and that is why these avenues of support and wisdom exist. The reality is though, that each dispenser of wisdom is only offering the perspective which they personally feel most aligned with, and rarely is their approach the only way of looking at something. The ideas of right and wrong are a bit of a grey area and highly perspective/context specific.

Now, most of us will have a preference in where we will turn, as our first port of call, when we are facing a conundrum (this can also be context-specific). But how often do we question the wisdom dispensed and consider other alternatives before deciding on what our own position will be?

In a world where opinion is available to us at the scroll of a social media feed or search engine results page, I think it's a good skill to be learned.

Questions to ask yourself when deciding on your position in relation to someone else's wisdom:

❓Why does this particular perspective appeal to me/ not appeal to me? What about it feels safe or familiar, or scary and unfamiliar?
❓Are there other perspectives that I could consider before working out where I am in relation to these opinions?
❓What authority does the opinion giver hold, and is their opinion backed up elsewhere by other people in authority?
❓If I choose to align myself with this opinion, how might it serve me, and how might it disadvantage me?

It is the Lunar / Chinese New Year. Does this way of thinking about the world hold some value for you?

14/02/2026

As a therapist it is surprising how often people expect me to dispense some words of advice and for that to be the thing that makes everything feel okay.

But, that's actually not how therapy works. Advice is always heavily influenced by the giver's perspective, so any advice that I could give would be what I believe might work for me, or what I have seen work for other people. But that might not be right for you.

So, instead, we explore together your position, and then we line that up alongside some alternative perspectives, and then I support you to work out what might feel best for you, given the information you have available at the time.

This way, you get something bespoke and not just a one-size-fits-all formula, which may be limited in its effect.

It's book-giving day today, and, as a therapist, I'm often asked what books I would recommend. But I can only ever make suggestions about the books that I have found some value in, which might offer you a perspective which you haven't yet considered. Again, you would have to absorb the information and see how it sits with you.

I am currently enjoying The Wild Within, by

It's introducing me to some alternative ways to be in relationship with the natural world. I am learning new things and finding value in considering the author's perspectives. If you're curious about plants and your relationship with them, this might also be of interest to you.

What book would you recommend, to who, and why?

13/02/2026

This week it is Galentine's Day, Malentine's Day and Valentine's Day. All celebration days that are built around the idea of belonging, and true belonging is something very worthy of celebration (although it won't surprise you to hear that I believe this can happen regularly, at any time of year, and not just when marketeers would like us to believe is the right time).

Let's talk about tribe...

There have been a number of studies whose conclusions suggest that being connected with and part of a community(ies) in which you are accepted, supported, and even celebrated for being who you are has myriad benefits for your mental, emotional, and physical health.

So, finding your tribe(s), the people you can just relax and be yourself around, is really important when you are striving to have a fulfilling life.

I'm not talking faux-connection here, not the places you can belong, but the cost is that you have to leave parts of yourself behind / censor yourself in order to be considered acceptable. This kind of connection causes more problems, which often outweigh any benefits the contact may offer.

And yet, it's surprisingly common that the people I work with believe that this is the only kind of connection they will ever be able to access. If this is how you find yourself feeling, spoiler... It's not true!

As adults, we have the freedom to choose, to a large extent, where and with whom we invest our time, energy and emotions, and it is often our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and what we feel we deserve which get in the way of us accessing something more nourishing than faux-connection.

These beliefs don't appear out of nowhere. They form because of the conditioning you have experienced at times when you felt you had no choice about where your connection came from (early family/community life, school etc). This way of belonging became so much of your norm that you probably never even questioned if something else was available.

The good news is that (certainly here in the UK) it is possible to change this. With new stories, new experiences and a f*ck ton of support for your nervous system, you can have something different.

10/02/2026

She looks alright doesn't she. The kid in the photo - clean, dressed well, smiling.

This was me. I was not alright. I wish someone had spotted the signs and intervened. I had to wait until I was an adult and get help to resolve the turmoil which was the legacy of my early experiences.

The kids who endure adverse experiences, the kids that are subtly told that their emotions are not welcome, the kids whose nervous systems are not regulated by a caring adult when they are really small, the kids who are squashed and supressed and required to be something which they aren't, the kids who are asked to grow up far too quickly in order to look after the grown-ups around them (emotionally and/or physically) - they do not shout about their experience, because for them, it is the only one they know. They don't know that it leads them to feel the way they do. They don't even necessarily know that help is needed.

This means that their struggle can go unnoticed. These people then go on to be the ones who come and see me, years later, because they feel fundamentally flawed. They still don't know that it is what they endured which was wrong, not them.

The world could be a whole heap better if we learned what it takes to properly support a growing child and delivered on that. But not only that, also educating ourselves on the signs that something might be going awry in a child or young person's life and learning strategies to offer support.

It's Children's Mental Health Week. This is as good a time as any to get more clued up.

There are some amazing resources at www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk

08/02/2026

Snowdrops are one of my all-time favourite flowers, so I can't let National Snowdrop Day go past unmarked.

These gorgeous little flowers not only bring a little warmth and cheer to my soul at the back end of winter, but they have some seriously impressive qualities that I take a little inspiration from.

Snowdrops are seriously adept at navigating some pretty hostile conditions. They create their own heat so as to be able to push through frozen ground, or melt patches of snow, and they create a natural antifreeze to stop them from perishing when the world around them gets really hostile.

This reminds me of the human ability to adapt to their environment and to resource self when times get tough.

But that's not the end of the story.

Snowdrops have also gotten really clever at reproducing. They flower at a time of year when insect pollination is far from being guaranteed. So they have learned to propagate underground instead. Not only this, though, but in years where we have a milder winter, and the snowdrop flowers get fertilised, a seed is then produced, and to ensure maximum success in reproduction, they have developed a reciprocal relationship with another of our six-legged community - ants.

The snowdrop produces an oil and protein-rich sack attached to its seed, which ants love to eat. The ants gather the seeds and carry them off to their nests to eat later. They are not interested in the actual seed, though, so the result is that the snowdrop seed gets carried over a distance overground and then gets planted in the ant's nest.

I see this as a very important reminder that we live in an interconnected world, and sometimes, to thrive, we have to get our needs met in relationship, too.

This is a skill that is really challenging for some people, having been told they need to be independent and self-reliant, and not to be a burden to others (this story is not all that helpful by the way).

If you are one of these people (I was, so you're not alone), ask yourself, how can I be more snowdrop?

How do I look after myself well, how do I develop relationships which are mutually beneficial, and how do I ask for my needs to be met in those relationships?

The Rambling Psychotherapist

05/03/2026

03/03/2026

02/03/2026

26/02/2026

23/02/2026

22/02/2026

20/02/2026

17/02/2026

14/02/2026

13/02/2026

10/02/2026

08/02/2026

Address

Opening Hours

Website

Alerts

Contact The Practice

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Monday	11am - 8pm
Tuesday	11am - 8pm
Wednesday	11am - 5pm
Thursday	11am - 5pm
Friday	11am - 5pm