Latest Blog Posts
The Brain and Trauma
Swollen Amygdala A child living under traumatic conditions will develop a brain that is very biased to danger. This will last into adulthood. This is done through the amygdala which is the ‘smoke alarm’ and emotional centre of the brain. Brain
The Anger Iceberg
The Anger Iceberg reminds us that when we are feeling angry we are often protecting ourselves from other emotions. Anger is a useful tool as it is full of energy which helps us to act and it keeps others away from
Defence Mechanisms
There are many types of defence mechanisms which we utilise when feeling the need to protect ourselves. There are primitive and sophisticated methods of defence for the psyche. Some are so well hidden from our conscious mind we may have no
Structural Dissociation
The Structural Dissociation Model Dissociation is on a spectrum ranging from daydreaming to DID – Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly Multiple Personality Disorder). Normal dissociation means to go onto automatic pilot when doing an activity (for example, when driving a car and
Healing from a Difficult Childhood
It can be hard to heal from a difficult childhood but it can be done. Healing is possible and takes place through: 1. Knowledge – read everything you can about psychological subjects which are relevant to you. Learning leads to: 2. Understanding – you
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experiences A study was published in 1998 as a collaboration between the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente (a health care service provider) and was one of the first studies to look at the relationship
Panic Disorders
A person with a panic disorder will often have overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety which will at times become full blown panic attacks. This is when a person hyperventilates, can feel as though they are out of body and looking
Depression
Depression can occur for a variety of reasons and can range from mild to severe. It may be caused by a specific event such as a bereavement, a loss of a relationship, a divorce, illness, career worries or a redundancy. Some
Person Centred Therapy
It has been proven through studies that clients get the best results from therapy when certain conditions are met in the relationship between the counsellor and the client. The counsellor needs to be warm, genuine, non-judgmental and empathic and the client
