- Keeping safe in LockdownThe rapid changes of the last week are challenging, and we need to actively support our mental health during the lockdown. Both the threat from the virus and the changes in how we live are stressful, so you really have to look after yourself right now. Many of the things you regularly do to support … Read more
- Coronavirus and mental health
Below is a link to a BBC article on basic mental health, including protecting yourself from what I would call the ‘stress virus’ associated with the news. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51873799 - Guidance for Psychological Therapists: Enabling conversations with clients taking or withdrawing from prescribed psychiatric drugs
New guidance gives psychological therapists information to help clients struggling with side effects and withdrawal issues which have resulted from an increase in the prescription of psychiatric drugs. While this guidance is aimed at therapists, if you are interested in reading the guidance, you can find it here. - Overcome trauma with yoga
Trauma and distress become lodged in the body, so often it is useful to combine physical movement with a talking therapy to support recovery. Yoga is one way to do this, and in the video below Bessell van der Kolk talks about this. When considering taking a yoga class or creating your own practice as … Read more - Magic Mushrooms and depression
Below is a link to a Guardian article about current research surrounding psilocybin (the active ingredient in ‘magic mushrooms’) and depression. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/10/magic-mushrooms-treatment-depression-aztecs-psilocybin-mental-health-medicine If you have had any difficulty integrating psychedelic experiences, I can offer a confidential space to explore those experiences. - Self-Care
Often I hear self-care described in terms of what we can do. We can balance work with rest and play. We can care for ourselves through nutrition, exercise, socialising and getting support when things are difficult. Acting to manage life in this way is important, but I believe there are other aspects of self-care not … Read more - Narcissism
For a good article on what narcissism is, and ‘healthy narcissism’, read Dale Kushner’s article on Revisiting the Myth of Narcissus and “Healthy Narcissism” . - How the Modern World Makes Us Mentally Ill
This is a video from the School of Life that points to some of the challenges modern life hands us. Whether you agree with what it says or not, it’s worth looking at to get you thinking about your lifestyle and what you believe. - Coming off prescribed medicationMedication prescribed to help people through mental health issues may itself become a difficulty, especially when taken long term. For anyone who wants to know more about medication, how it works and about the potential withdrawal effects of coming off medication I recommend coming off.com Medication can be helpful in supporting people during difficult times … Read more
- The Guest House
Translated by Coleman Barks This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest … Read more - Suffering
“Many people think that the point in life is to solve their problems and be happy. But happiness is usually a fleeting sensation, and you never get rid of problems. Your purpose in life may be to become more who you are and more engaged with the people and the life around you, to … Read more - New Year’s Resolutions
Happy New Year! I’m posting this a day or so early as most of us, myself included, make resolutions on the New Year. I’m not normally a big fan of New Year resolutions, as while about 60% of us make them, only about 10% of the resolutions we make stick. Partly this is because it’s something … Read more - The trouble with happiness
Happiness is something we all pursue, especially over the Christmas season. The modern fount of all wisdom, Wikipedia, defines happiness as “a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy”. If I was looking for a picture to illustrate this then Jessica the cat lying … Read more - Christmas Holidays
I’m taking a break over Christmas, from December 24th through to January 2nd. Apologies if you try to contact me during that time and I am slow to respond. Wishing you all a good Christmas season and, hopefully, some calm and restful time. - Stress, fatigue and burnout
Modern life can often be stressful. If it is stressful over a long period it can lead to fatigue, burnout, health and relationship problems. Without proper self-care, rest, relaxation and time, even the most resilient of us will reach a stage where we fall apart. The most common cause of long term stress is working … Read more - Thinking about killing myself
Suicidal thoughts don’t have to be acted on – they are common and you can get past them. In this article I provide a different perspective on these thoughts and urges. If you are thinking about killing yourself today the call the Samaritans on 116 123. - Open day raises £358 for The Brooke
On Saturday had a brilliant day doing a fundraiser for The Brooke charity for working horses and donkeys, while showcasing the new premises in Chisbury. Thanks to everyone who came along! http://quiescencewellbeing.co.uk/open-day-raises-358-for-the-brooke/ - Early WoundingTalking with Greg Donaldson about the impact of early childhood and trauma. https://youtu.be/gKz4CFKUj08
- Narcissism: A Psychospiritual Perspective | The Psychosynthesis Trust
An article discussing narcissism from a psychospiritual perspective Source: Narcissism: A Psychospiritual Perspective | The Psychosynthesis Trust - Letting Life Flow Through You
Video about the need to remain open to emotions and let them flow through you - Meditation Group break
The Saturday meditation group won’t be meeting on the 16th and 23rd of April, but will be back on the 30th April. On the 30th we’ll hopefully be in our new premises, snug and warm whatever the weather! - Purpose and Meaning
- Building WorksBuilding work has started on the premises I share with Lorna of Quiescence Wellbeing. The builders should be done by mid April, when the building will be better insulated, heated and generally more comfortable. It’s going to be a great location for counselling and life coaching in the area. More news as the building work … Read more
- Meditation and Awarness of Self – dates
The Saturday meditation group is not meeting on Saturday 12th and 19th of March. We are meeting 26th March during Easter, but in Hungerford rather than Chisbury. This is because of the building works on our premises, which are expected to run for 4 weeks from 21st March. During that time we will hold the group … Read more - New Premises
Together with Lorna Benbow of Quiescence Wellbeing I have just signed the lease for a long term let on some offices on Lower Farm in Chisbury. The building needs some work done, so we will have builders in from late March through to mid-late April. We are both very excited to be developing our own … Read more - Unconsciousness
This passage from Thomas Moore’s book “Dark Nights of the Soul” states very eloquently how it is. Unconsciousness is like junk food. It’s an easy way to go through life, but it doesn’t give you the nourishment you need. You don’t have to bother with sorting things out or with thinking at all. In small … Read more - Empathy
A lovely video where Brene Brown explains the difference between Empathy and Sympathy. - Ash WednesdayPart of ‘Ash Wednesday’ by T.S. Eliot, that I find useful during meditation: “I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith, but the faith and the love … Read more
- Blue Monday
The media tells us that ‘Blue Monday’, the third Monday of January, is the most depressing day of the year. The fact that this was originally proposed and popularised by a travel company back in 2005 causes me to take this idea with a pinch of salt. They even used an equation to calculate it … Read more - Madness and Transformation
We live at a time that above all values ‘sanity’. If we examine what we mean by sanity, often what we really mean is reason. Definitions also include sound judgement, or soundness of mind, which are not the same as reason but still its close neighbour. Modern scientific method further values reason, measurement and the … Read more - Christmas Break
I will be “closed” for Christmas from 24th December to 4th January. Merry Christmas!
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