I have written in a previous blog about relapse prevention plans. Once a person is feeling better, no longer unduly anxious or clinically depressed, it is important to look at ways of keeping well. This can include how to respond if the anxiety re-emerges or the mood dips again, but hopefully we can go further than this and consider what for us constitutes living well. Continue reading “Staying Well”
Happiness will come when it comes
Dorothy Rowe, well known for her books on depression, says ‘If you make happiness your goal, then you’re not going to get to it. Philosophers have been saying it for thousands of years. The goal should be an interesting life.” Continue reading “Happiness will come when it comes”
Some tips for facing our fears
The idea of facing our fears has always been with us and has been much written about in ancient and modern scripts. Jim Morrison, of The Doors, said “Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.” I like this quote as it acknowledges the existential fear of freedom and is in keeping with a CBT approach to facing fears. Continue reading “Some tips for facing our fears”
Will my therapist talk to other people about me?
We all want to know that when we choose to speak with a therapist about intimate aspects of ourselves this will be treated with confidentiality. But if our therapist is unable to talk about us then how can we be assured that the therapy is going as well as possible? Continue reading “Will my therapist talk to other people about me?”
Is it always best to face our anxiety?
A strong principle for the practice of CBT is the facing of our fears. There is good reason for this, and avoidances can certainly cause us more trouble in the long run, but is there a place for avoidance too? Continue reading “Is it always best to face our anxiety?”
Mindfulness
Mindfulness, the practice of being present in this moment with openness and acceptance to what this moment offers, is becoming increasingly popular in our busy world. It is not actually a therapy in itself, but can be used for therapeutic purposes. Continue reading “Mindfulness”
Group analytic therapy
When we feel out of sorts in relation to other people, whether that is with our family and / or wider community, we feel out of sorts with ourselves. Joining an analytic therapy group can be a powerful way of addressing this. Continue reading “Group analytic therapy”
Couple therapy
Our intimate partnerships have a major and profound impact on us. They influence our emotional lives, the expression of our sexual desires, our social lives, the wellbeing of any children and our finances. Continue reading “Couple therapy”
Different types of therapy
Psychotherapy is a huge field. There are many different types of psychotherapy. One way of trying to categorise psychotherapy is by the theory underlying each approach. Continue reading “Different types of therapy”
Cognitive Analytic (CAT)
Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is a form of brief psychotherapy that is useful for a wide range of problems. As its name suggests, it brings together understandings from cognitive psychotherapies (such as CBT) and from psychoanalytic approaches into one integrated, user-friendly therapy. Continue reading “Cognitive Analytic (CAT)”
Psychoanalytic
The types of psychotherapy that have their origins in psychoanalytic theory are called either ‘psychoanalytic’ or ‘psychodynamic’ in type. Continue reading “Psychoanalytic”