Why somatic work needs to be supported by relational therapy.

There is a conventional wisdom about anger, perhaps out of date today but still believed by many. This says that anger needs to be released explosively but safely. In this post I consider an alternative approach.

The main challenge that I struggled with in creating my new website was to find images that reflected something of the work that I do. I came across a set of mysterious images that arrested my attention.

I have never been a fan of working online, but like many others, I have been surprised by the power and intimacy of sessions since lockdown began.

In creating my new website, I worked on making a symbol that would represent the work. I thought of it as a sigil (Latin sigillum, ‘seal’). This term, from alchemy and magic, means ‘a pictorial representation of intention’.

Every religion has its particular quality, its gift to the world and, whatever else it has done for good or ill, Christianity is about this moment: Christ on the cross, God suffering.

I’ve been reading a wonderful book given to me by a friend, Caroline Spurgeon’s Shakespeare’s Imagery and What It Tells Us.

Often in the early stages of counselling work with a client, I’ll hear something like this. Or, “I want to make the most of this. What should I do during the week? Give me some homework.”

Much of a counsellor’s work is concerned with supporting the client to feel his or her emotions. When we can find the strength to feel, we can begin to heal.

There is a great deal of pain in life and perhaps the only pain that can be avoided is the pain that comes from trying to avoid pain.

‘Waiting’ is a song that’s been in my head for weeks. It’s about longing for a lost love, but for me it’s had a different meaning than simply missing someone.

I found that problems manifested as pains and blockages in my body, which made dancing difficult, but when I ‘moved’ the problem, it transformed into something else.

Only if we know that the thing which truly matters is the infinite can we avoid fixing our interest upon futilities, and upon all kinds of goals which are not of real importance.

On 26th November I organised an event at All Saints Church, Hove with the title Psychedelic Healing: the Therapeutic Use of Psychedelic Substances.

Most commonly we hear that love conquers fear. No: safety conquers fear. Love is one of the ways to be safe, by building social connection with each other. It’s not the only way to be safe, but it’s the best way.

If you have relationship issues, you’re not unusual.  More than half of my clients want to work on their relationships.

Depression is a growing problem in our society, and there is no clear answer to how it should be treated and healed. While medication can play a part, it is extremely overused.

So, this is a very worthwhile 7 minutes of your time. I would recommend watching this to anyone whose life has been affected by mental health issues.

What unfolded over a course of 12 weeks or so turned out to be something far more profound than I’d anticipated (yet also simple in its truths).

First, the bad news: you can’t change your parents .And now, the good news: it doesn’t matter as much as you think.