My Perfect Mind

31/01/2022

Meditation teaches us to shift the focus of our attention to the very substance of the thing. Substance is manifested in form – but form is not substance.

28/01/2022

Every day we struggle to find answers in our minds, but, in reality, there are no questions.

12/10/2021

Our early life experiences can dictate what ‘MOTORWAY’ we use most often in our thinking! These ‘MOTORWAYS’ are known as ‘NEURAL PATHWAYS’ in the brain. Our ‘thinking’ is dictated by HABIT, because ‘neural pathways’ are formed in the brain through repetition.
If we struggle to keep our thoughts engaged in the PRESENT moment, or find that our thoughts often wander into PAST MEMORIES or FUTURE IMAGINATION - then our brain will always AUTOMATICALLY use this ‘faster motorway’ of thought, until we learn to habitually travel on a different route.

08/10/2021

I work closely with what is known as the 'polyvagal theory' of how we experience trauma. I've produced this diagram to explain this principle and the BIG difference we experience between feeling 'threat' in our lives - to feeling 'connected' to others. Do we look 'inward' - focussed on ourselves - or do we look 'outward' - focussed on the needs and lives of others?

16/07/2021

So me and my ‘Reset-21’ Team have just completed our first Trauma Informed Care Training Programme – for parents who have suffered early life trauma! I’m really excited because this approach has been written and delivered purely ‘in the language of trauma’ – the right hemisphere of the brain – the language of ‘feelings’ impressions’ and ‘automatic responses’. It is aimed at parents who spend every day feeling overwhelmed through their own life experiences and the demands of each day. This approach is SO EMPOWERING for parents!! I’ve just GOT TO GET THIS APPROACH OUT THERE!!!!!

12/05/2021

We are very excited to be working with the 'Caring Hands in the Community' Outreach Team in the Medway Towns ......... its great to share our work with these like-minded practitioners who share the same vision of delivering and embedding trauma informed practice and care with the most vulnerable in society.......

Caring Hands is delighted to welcome Reset-21 to our premises. Reset-21 provides comprehensive training to practitioners and organisations alike, in the complexities of trauma-informed care, practice and understanding in every level of service delivery for those working with the most vulnerable in our society. Check out http://www.reset-21.org/

08/02/2021

I’ve been quiet on FB for a while now as, in addition to ‘My Perfect Mind’ 1:1 therapeutic support, I’ve been working through lockdown on an additional collaborative project which I believe to be most important for all of us, and particularly during these troubling times! I would like to introduce you to a new website www.reset-21.org.
The vision for ‘Reset-21’ is to teach trauma informed care, practice and understanding, to both organisations; practitioners, and directly to those who may struggle with periodically feeling overwhelmed by life challenges.
Please do take a look at the website and invite others to who you feel may benefit from it?
‘Reset-21’ offers understanding around the common experiences of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), and Developmental Trauma Disorder.
It delivers a wide range of Programmes around the confusion that currently surrounds some of these ideas and diagnoses, and also gives clarity around some of the common coping strategies that are often used to manage the toxic effects of early life trauma.
Please help me make this service as widely available as possible by sharing this post?

29/05/2020

This is to introduce a new free downloadable Powerpoint presentation ‘Introduction To Adverse Childhood Experiences’. It outlines key consequences of ACE’s (psychological; behavioural; physiological and pharmacological), and illustrates representative statistics. It can be downloaded from www.myperfectmind.com from the 'ACE's section.

21/04/2020

Using the recovery concept of ‘CHIME’ to support you through the stress-related effects of COVID-19 pandemic (Leamy M. et al, 2011). ‘CHIME’ stands for:

• Connectedness,
• Hope and optimism,
• Identity,
• Meaning in life
• Empowerment.

Please download the free leaflet which explains and elaborates on how these key factors central to chronic stress and mental illness may support you through this difficult time:

www.myperfectmind.com/freedownloads

(under heading 'Using CHIME to Counter Stress')

Stay safe, people.

‘My Perfect Mind’ has been created to support people suffering from mental distress, who have not yet found the professional support that they so desperately need. The cost of sessions has been realistically set to make this service affordable and most widely accessible. At ‘My Perfect Mind’...

05/04/2020

Hi Folks, - My last post highlighted a 5 page document explaining the role of chronic stress in the immune system with Covid-19, and some suggestions to help you manage this awful risk.

I've now produced another leaflet explaining BREATHING EXERCISES TO MANAGE ANXIETY AND STRESS. I believe this to be IMPORTANT at this time if you should begin to suffer respiratory problems in the coming days or weeks. Please do take time to look and pass to loved ones if you feel it may be useful.

It can be downloaded free from:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d7f7507ee384b490015cfff/t/5e8a3a8179e6836f5fc5f6fb/1586117251612/Breathing+Exercises.pdf

Be safe, people.

‘My Perfect Mind’ has been created to support people suffering from mental distress, who have not yet found the professional support that they so desperately need. The cost of sessions has been realistically set to make this service affordable and most widely accessible. At ‘My Perfect Mind’...

23/03/2020

Hi Folks, - having submitted a number of posts regarding stress and its role in the immune system with Covid-19, I've now produced a 5 page document, 'Understanding and Managing Chronic Stress" which explains:

• WHY we may constantly feel CHRONIC STRESS
• HOW this feeling is created in both our minds and bodies
• HOW we can learn to manage and control this.

I figure this is pretty important right now to help us understand how this virus works, and how we can change it's toxic effects on the immune and respiratory systems.

Facebook won't let me post a pdf document here, but if you feel that this document may be useful to you, please message me with "send leaflet", and I'll attach a copy of it to my reply to you free of charge. I really just want to get this information out there!

Take care people.

‘My Perfect Mind’ has been created to support people suffering from mental distress, who have not yet found the professional support that they so desperately need. The cost of sessions has been realistically set to make this service affordable and most widely accessible. At ‘My Perfect Mind’...

19/03/2020

Coronavirus compromises two body systems: the respiratory and immune systems.

The immune system is commonly compromised by sustained STRESS. When we have to cope with stressful situations - it involves us managing perceived THREAT - what the mind interprets as feeling UNSAFE. This can result in a weakened immune system, and heightened vulnerability to infection and disease.

It’s important, however, to understand that there are TWO principle kinds of stress.

ACUTE stress is the first kind, and it can actually be a GOOD thing – in fact periodic stressful experiences are ESSENTIAL to help us survive and learn from difficult life experiences, like bereavement and loss. ACUTE stress is not continuous, - the body and mind are able to recover, and learn, and grow.

CHRONIC stress is the second kind, and unlike ACUTE stress, it is sustained, constant, - giving the body and mind no opportunity to recover. This is a prolonged and overwhelming feeling of being UNSAFE. This is the kind of stress that weakens the immune system rendering us particularly vulnerable to infection and disease (like the current coronavirus).

Although the current measures to contain the coronavirus are good and following sound scientific principles, they are also being applied in such a way that ensures that much of the country is now beginning to suffer the devastating effects of CHRONIC stress. This is seen in the current panic buying (toilet rolls, for goodness sake!!); job losses; inability to pay mortgages and rent; insecurity over the future.

This kind of sustained and overwhelming stress renders us all considerably less able to fight this coronavirus.

Just saying…….

‘My Perfect Mind’ has been created to support people suffering from mental distress, who have not yet found the professional support that they so desperately need. The cost of sessions has been realistically set to make this service affordable and most widely accessible. At ‘My Perfect Mind’...