LNTherapy

What if everything you have been searching for - love, confidence, wholeness - is already within you? You’re not too much. You’re not too broken. Hi, I’m Lesley.

You’re just carrying things that were never yours to hold. I’m a relationship focused counsellor, EMDR practitioner and spiritual coach — and I help people who feel stuck, lost, anxious, or just plain exhausted come back to themselves. Maybe you’re tired of second-guessing everything. Maybe your relationships feel hard, and you’re wondering if it’s something you’re doing. Maybe anxiety, trauma or burnout are running the show. Or maybe you just don’t feel like you anymore. I offer a grounded, spiritual approach to therapy that blends deep inner work with proven psychological tools — including EMDR, when it’s needed. Together, we’ll get curious about the patterns you’re in, what’s been weighing you down, and how you can feel safe, clear, and connected again. This isn’t about fixing you — because I don’t believe you’re broken. It’s about helping you uncover the version of you that’s always been there, underneath the survival mode. I work with warmth, honesty, and the occasional bit of humour — because healing doesn’t have to feel clinical. It just has to feel real. Free phone consultation available

If you’re ready for change — even if you’re scared — I’d love to walk beside you.

25/08/2025

Folks, spider season is upon us!😲

I hate to be the bearer of such news but i found two... TWO in the bath this morning!

Now... this also means that summer is leaving fast, but it also means that for some of us, this is a terrifying couple of months.

I spent 40+ years in that camp!

For me, I knew it meant I couldn't relax or even sleep properly until Oct, and dont even get me started if it was still warm by then!😱

Luckily,i was able to shift that phobia,and for the last 5 years, ive been able to enjoy the beauty of autumn!

Which camp are you in?

24/08/2025

Ever felt like your self-esteem was on the floor and you had no idea where to start? I’ve been there, and I know how lonely it can feel.

I’m Lesley, a relationship-focused counsellor, EMDR practitioner and spiritual coach.

I created Confessions of a Crazy Manifestor to share my own journey of rebuilding self-worth - including the awkward and embarrassing moments - in the hope that you don't feel alone.

In each episode, I talk about self-esteem, relationships, and spiritual concepts, (including manifesting a better life experience)- and how it all connects.

I keep it real, with honesty, warmth, and a bit of humour.

Listen now on -

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xs49WZG94kluecKzvZ2wM?si=L319j-M8QLaKWvbMbx7RTg

or YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU-iGmBR8PKFe7IckUEniLQ

12/07/2025

☀️ Did you know your body stops making Vitamin D after a certain point?

Yeah, once your stores are topped up, your skin stops producing more, no matter how long you stay in the sun.
So while it’s tempting to soak up all the rays on a day like today, more sun doesn’t equal more Vitamin D — and overexposure just puts you at risk of burning and dehydration, - as well as being miserable!

You only need around 10–30 minutes of sunlight on your skin, a few times a week to make what you need.

✨ Vitamin D is so important for mood, energy, and mental clarity — but soaking smart is better than soaking endlessly.

(As always, if you're unsure about your Vitamin D levels, a simple blood test or chat with your GP can help.)

29/06/2025

🌟 Lesson 7: Living From Worth — Embodying Your New Self-Concept 🌿

Hopefully you’ve been doing some powerful work — noticing old beliefs, practicing self-compassion, and choosing kinder stories about yourself.
Now, it’s time to bring that new self-concept into your daily life.

What does it mean to live from worth?
Living from worth means deciding, acting, and relating to yourself and others from a place that says:
“I am enough just as I am.”
It means choosing boundaries, speaking your truth, and treating yourself with respect — because you know your value doesn’t depend on external approval.

How do you embody your new self-concept?
1️⃣ Practice small daily acts of self-respect.
This might be saying no without guilt, taking time to rest, or speaking kindly to yourself when things get tough.
2️⃣ Notice how your energy shifts when you believe in your worth.
Confidence isn’t about being perfect or fearless — it’s about trusting you can handle whatever comes your way, and even when you don’t, knowing that’s okay.
3️⃣ Surround yourself with people and environments that reflect your worth back to you.
Healthy relationships and spaces that honour you help reinforce your new story.
I’m not saying you have to abandon relationships that don’t, but maybe notice those that don’t honour your worth, and if possible, spend more time with those that do.
4️⃣ Be patient and gentle with yourself.
Embodying a new self-concept takes time. Expect setbacks, but celebrate every step forward.

Why does embodying worth matter?

Because your self-concept isn’t just an idea — it’s a lens through which you experience life.
When you live from worth, you stop seeking validation from others and start trusting your own inner guidance.

This shift ripples out into your relationships, your work, and your peace of mind.

💬 Reflection prompts:
– What’s one way you can show yourself respect today?
– How does it feel when you act from a place of worth?
– Who or what in your life supports you in living this new story?

By rewriting your story, you’re becoming it.

And that’s the most beautiful kind of healing. 💖

28/06/2025

📖 Lesson 6: Rewriting the Story — Shifting Beliefs & Choosing a New Narrative ✨

By now, you might be starting to recognise some of the beliefs and stories that have been shaping how you see yourself.

And maybe you’ve had that moment of:

“This doesn’t feel good anymore.”

That moment is powerful, because it means you’re waking up to choice.
You may have started to realise that many of these beliefs — especially the painful ones — were born from fear, pain, rejection, or misunderstanding.

When a belief is rooted in pain, it usually doesn’t show the whole truth.

So, what makes a belief “true”?

A belief feels true when it helps you grow, and it’s who you genuinely are beneath all of the self-talk.
When I say “back to who you really are,” I mean the part of you that isn’t defined by mistakes, fears, or what others may have told you, but who you were, or may have been, before all of the early programming.

This isn’t about being perfect.

It’s about recognising that underneath all the doubts and judgments, there is a solid sense of self that deserves respect and kindness.

How do we step into that kind of love — especially if we’ve never really felt it before?

This is where self-compassion comes in.

Self-compassion means treating yourself the way you would treat a close friend — with kindness, patience, and understanding, especially when those old painful beliefs show up.

Instead of saying:
“I shouldn’t feel this way.”
Try:
“It’s okay to feel this. I’m doing the best I can.”
Instead of:
“I’m not good enough.”
Try:
“I’m struggling right now, but that doesn’t define my worth.”

Choosing love is a daily practice, not a one-time decision.

Each day, you get to choose:
-Will I listen to the voice that disempowers, or the one that encourages me?
-Will I respond with harshness, or with kindness?
-Will I keep carrying old stories, or tell a new one?

You don’t have to force this.

Just start small — notice how you talk to yourself.

When the critical voice shows up, pause and say gently, “Thank you, but I choose kindness now.”
Over time, these small choices build new pathways in your brain.
You’ll find yourself turning more and more toward love, compassion, and truth.

💬 Reflection prompts for today:
– What’s one belief that doesn’t feel good to believe anymore?
– Can you imagine what it might feel like to treat yourself with kindness in that moment?
– What would it mean, or how would it feel, to choose love when talking to yourself?

Remember that every step forward is leading to freedom and peace. 💖

27/06/2025

🧸 Lesson 5: Healing the Inner Child — Where Self-Concept Begins 🌱

Let’s go a little deeper now.

So far, we have explored the voice in your head.

Now let’s meet the part of you that helped shape it.

Your inner child is the younger part of you that still lives inside — the one who first started forming beliefs about the world, love, safety, and who they had to be to survive.

This part of you isn’t imaginary.

It’s real, stored in your nervous system, your body, your emotional memory.
And if your self-concept feels heavy or full of doubt, chances are your inner child is still carrying something unhealed.

Why is this important?
Because so many of our current beliefs — especially around worth — were formed before we even had the language to question them.

Things like:
– Being ignored when you needed comfort
– Being praised only when you achieved
– Being told you were “too sensitive” or “too loud”
– Feeling like love had to be earned or performed

As children, we don’t say, “This adult is emotionally unavailable.”
We say, “There must be something wrong with me.”
And that belief gets woven into your self-concept — quietly running in the background for years.

Healing the inner child isn’t about blaming the past.
It’s about understanding the impact of it and gently tending to what was never fully seen or heard.

It’s about giving yourself now what you didn’t get then:
🌷 Compassion
🌷 Validation
🌷 Protection
🌷 Unconditional love

So how do we begin to reconnect?

Start small. Healing isn’t forced — it’s built on safety and taking it slowly.
👣 Step 1: Notice when you're triggered. That strong emotional reaction is often your inner child saying, "This feels familiar and it hurt last time."
👣 Step 2: Listen with kindness. You might ask, “What does this younger part of me need right now?” It can be surprising what comes up with practice.
👣 Step 3: Offer what you never received. Whether it’s reassurance, rest, or permission to just be, try giving that to yourself now.

You don’t have to carry shame or pain that was never yours to begin with.
Your inner child was always worthy of love — even when they were told otherwise. 💖

💬 Today’s prompts:
-Can you remember a moment from childhood when you felt unseen or misunderstood?
-What did you need at that moment?

Try asking yourself: “How can I give that to myself?”

26/06/2025

🗣️ Lesson 4: Inner Critic vs. Inner Ally — Who’s Running the Show? 🕊️

Let’s talk about the voice inside your head.

You know the one — the one that gives a running commentary on your life.
Sometimes it cheers you on, but a lot of the time, it might sound more like this:
– “You’re not doing enough.”
– “You should’ve known better.”
– “No one’s really interested in what you have to say.”
– “Why can’t you just get it right?”

That voice is your inner critic.
And when your self-concept has been shaped by old wounds, criticism, or unrealistic standards, that voice can be loud.

So, who is the inner critic?
Psychologically speaking, the inner critic is part of your psyche that took shape early on — often trying to protect you from rejection, failure, or disappointment.

It mimics voices you may have heard growing up: teachers, parents, peers — and it wants to keep you safe by keeping you small.

But here’s the thing:

That voice is just one part of you.
It’s not the full truth, and it doesn’t get to be in charge anymore.

Now meet your inner ally. 💖

The inner ally is the wise, grounded, compassionate part of you.
It doesn’t ignore your flaws, but it sees you through eyes of truth and love.

It says things like:
– “You’re doing your best.”
– “It’s only human.”
– “You’re allowed.”
– “Let’s try again.”
The inner ally helps build a stronger, kinder self-concept — one that’s rooted in your inherent worth, not old conditioning.

So how do you shift from inner critic to inner ally?
🔁 1 - Awareness. Catch the critical voice when it shows up. Don’t judge it, just notice it.
💬 2 - Respond. What would a loving inner ally say instead? Even if it feels awkward or unfamiliar — say it. Write it. Practice it.
🧠 3 - Repetition. The more you choose your inner ally, the stronger that voice becomes. You’re literally rewiring your brain to support your worth instead of undermining it.

💬 Questions for today:
-What’s one thing your inner critic often says to you?
-And what could your inner ally say in response?

Remember: you’re not broken for having an inner critic.

But you’re also not bound to listen to it forever.

25/06/2025

🌑 Lesson 3: Signs Your Self-Concept Might Be Holding You Back 🌑

We’ve talked about what self-concept is, and how it forms.

Now let’s see how it actually shows up in day-to-day life.

Because sometimes, your self-concept is quietly steering your life and choices — and you don’t even realise it’s happening.

It can sound like:
– “I don’t want to get my hopes up…”
– “Who am I to think I could do that?”
– “It’s easier not to try.”
– “I’ll probably mess it up anyway.”
These may be subtle, but so powerful.

So how do you know if your self-concept is holding you back?

Here are a few signs to gently notice:
🌀 You may second-guess yourself constantly
Even with small things, you find it hard to trust your choices or your voice. You overthink, you apologise too much, and you keep looking to others for reassurance.
🌀 You may settle in relationships, work, or how you’re treated
Deep down, you’re not sure if you really deserve more. So you stay where it’s safe… even if that is also small or painful.
🌀 You fear being ‘too much’ or ‘not enough’
So you either shrink or perform. You hide your truth to avoid judgment, or you over-give and over-do in hopes of finally feeling ‘okay’.
🌀 You resist receiving
Compliments, kindness, support can make you feel uncomfortable. The thing is, a part of you wants it, but another part doesn’t believe you’ve earned it.
🌀 You talk to yourself in ways you’d never speak to a friend

There’s a critical voice running the show, always pointing out flaws, downplaying wins, and reminding you of what you “should” be doing better.

It may be helpful to see these as clues, rather than flaws.
They show you where your self-concept might still be shaped by old wounds or outdated beliefs.
And I want you to know: you are not alone in any of this.

Most people carry quiet, hidden self-doubt, even the ones who seem confident on the outside.
But here’s something really powerful:

-When you see these patterns clearly, you can start changing them.
-Awareness is always the first step.

💬 Gentle reflection for today:

- Do you recognise yourself in any of these signs?
-Which one feels most familiar and where might that belief have come from?

Try seeing these with curiosity, rather than criticism.
This isn’t about judging yourself — it’s about finally seeing the old story you’ve been holding, and gently starting to let it go. 💖

24/06/2025

🌿 Lesson 2: How Self-Concept Forms — The Stories We Tell Ourselves 🌿

Now that we know what self-concept is…
Let’s talk about where it actually comes from.

Because here’s the thing, no one is born thinking:

– “I’m too much.”
– “I always mess things up.”
– “I don’t deserve good things.”

Those are stories we pick up along the way. And over time, they become the background noise of our inner world, and sometimes the only things we hear ourselves say.

So, how does self-concept start forming?

Psychologists have studied this for decades, and while everyone’s journey is unique, most self-concepts start taking shape in early childhood.

We learn who we are by how we’re treated.

We internalise all of our experiences, often misinterpreting them.

Maybe you were praised for being “the good girl,” so you learned that love comes from pleasing others.
Or maybe you were criticised a lot, and somewhere inside, you decided, “I must not be good enough.”
Sometimes it’s not what was said, but what wasn’t said. A lack of emotional attunement can quietly become, “My feelings don’t matter.”

Carl Rogers believed this too.
He said that from a young age, we develop what’s called a “conditions of worth” or programming, basically, the idea that we are only lovable if we behave a certain way.

-If we’re quiet.
-If we’re helpful.
-If we don’t make a fuss.

And those “conditions” form the foundation of our self-concept.

As we grow, we keep collecting evidence to support those beliefs, not because they’re true, but because that’s how the mind works. It filters reality through the lens of what we already believe.

-So the girl who believes she’s not worthy of love might ignore every compliment but remember every rejection.

-The person who thinks they always get it wrong will keep seeing failure, even in the middle of success.

That’s the power of a self-concept: it shapes how we see the world — and how we see ourselves in it.

But here’s what I want you to remember today:
These stories were never the full truth.
They were interpretations, often made by a younger version of you trying to make sense of life.

And now, as an adult, you have the power to pause, and ask:

👉 “What stories am I still carrying?”
👉 “Where did they come from?”
👉 “Are they really mine — or were they given to me?”

Because once you start hearing those old narratives, you can begin the work of rewriting them and choosing a new one.💖

23/06/2025

🌟 Lesson 1: What Is Self-Concept — and Why It Matters 🌟

Let’s start right at the beginning.

When I say self-concept, what I mean is the way you see yourself — the beliefs you hold about who you are, what you think you’re worth, and what you believe you’re capable of.

It’s not just one single thought. It’s the story running in the background of your mind, shaping how you feel, how you show up, and what you believe is possible for you.

This story often starts early on, in childhood. It’s shaped by how we were treated, what we were told (directly or indirectly), and the things we made up to make sense of the world.

While all of this is completely normal, it is mostly out of our control.

Sometimes it sounds like:
– “I’m not enough.”
– “I always get it wrong.”
– “I have to be perfect to be loved.”
– “Other people are better than I am.”

When you’ve thought something about yourself for a long time, it can feel like truth.
But it’s not…It’s just a story.

And for that reason, ✏️You Can Rewrite it.

Your self-concept is like a lens that determines how you interpret everything.
When it’s harsh or full of doubt, it’s easy to misread things:

For example —
A friend doesn’t reply, and your mind immediately thinks: “I’ve done something wrong.”
You make a mistake, and you hear: “See? Told you this would happen.”

But when your self-concept is solid and kind, you bounce back quicker.
-You believe in yourself more.
-You treat yourself with care.

Psychologist Carl Rogers believed that your self-concept is central to your emotional wellbeing.
He said that growth comes when we learn to accept ourselves — not just the best bits, but the complicated, vulnerable parts too.

It’s not about pretending you’re perfect.
It’s about recognising you’re already worthy — just as you are.

So if you’ve ever felt stuck, small, or unworthy, this mini-series is for you.

We’re going to look at where these old stories came from — and, more importantly, how to change them.

Because there isn’t something wrong with you — you’ve just been carrying a story that was never really yours.

And it’s time to write a new one. ✨

22/06/2025

🌟 Welcome to your Self-Concept Mini-Series! 🌟

Self-concept is such a big and important topic, so I’ve decided to share 7 daily lessons with you.

Over the next week, I’ll be sharing insights, signs, and practical tips to help you understand and nurture your self-concept — because when this foundation is strong, everything else in life can start to shift.

Have you ever wondered why you see yourself the way you do?

Why sometimes your inner voice lifts you up, and other times it pulls you down?

That’s all about your self-concept, the story you hold in your mind about who you are, what you think you’re worth, and what you believe you’re capable of.

Whether you’re feeling stuck, unworthy, or just curious about how your inner world shapes your experience, this mini-series is for you.

✨ Here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming:

-The stories that shaped your self-view

-How to spot when your self-concept needs healing

-Tools to nurture and rebuild your inner belief system

-And practical guidance to make empowered change

I’m so excited to share this journey with you!
Let’s rewrite the story you tell yourself — together. 💖

16/06/2025

"I Dont Want This To Be My Story!!!"

I heard this recently, and while it wasn't the first time, it resonated with me in a way that hadn’t before.

I’ve been a therapist for almost 10 years, and while i’ve always felt confident in my work, putting myself out there felt completely different. I felt really vulnerable and exposed.
In all honesty, I was scared of being judged, and I just accepted that I wasn’t the kind of person to do that.

“Who do you think you are?” would spring to mind!
And do you know what? For a long time, I believed it.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.”
(Yep… tried that! But let me tell you — my nervous system did not thank me for it!)

It wasn’t until I realised something important:
It’s not that I couldn’t do it — it’s that I believed the thoughts that told me I couldn’t.

And that’s what fear does.
It doesn’t always shout to make itself known.
Sometimes it’s barely audible — but it feels true.

Fear can show up as procrastination, overthinking, or inconsistency

We tell ourselves we’ll start tomorrow — or when we feel more ready.

So now I want to ask you:
👉 How does fear show up in your life?
👉 Is it avoiding things you care about?
👉 Is it not speaking up?
👉 Is it hiding parts of yourself?
👉 Is it convincing you that you’re not good enough?

We all have these stories.
But the good news is, they’re just that — stories.
And you get to choose whether to keep believing them.

And here’s the thing — when you do something despite the fear, you’re growing.
You’re expanding beyond that story.
You’re showing yourself that you get to decide what narrative you live by.
And that’s where everything starts to change.

So today, just notice —
Where is fear showing up for you?
In your thoughts? Your body? Your habits?

And ask yourself gently:
“What would I do if fear wasn’t an issue?”
“What do you want your story to be?”

💬 I’d love to hear from you...

What belief, or story have you been carrying that you’re ready to question or let go of?
Or how does fear tend to show up for you?

And if you’re curious about how I can support you through it, drop me a message.

Address

Manchester
M251

Website

http://LNTherapy.co.uk/

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