Populi Therapy

And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about. ~Haruki Murakami

(Book: Kafka on the Shore https://amzn.to/3VmttUt)

Building on what 'works' for you is a great way to enter the new year.

Into the new A counsellor explores what can happen when we let go and trust ourselves.

Need support? Here are UK helplines that are available over the festive break:
📞 Samaritans are available 24/7 for free on 116 123.
📱 Crisis Text Line are available 24/7, simply text SHOUT to 85258.
☎️ The CALMzone are available from 5pm - midnight 365 days of the year on 0800 58 58 58.

This...

We talk so casually about healing that we often forget to take the time to describe it.

As if that single word, healing, meant something universal. As if healing were static or finite. As if healing were a goal rather than a constellation of countless intense and subtle experiences.

It can be clarifying to turn inward and be curious with ourselves about what healing means to us: today. To ask what healing feels like in our bodies, in our relationships, and in our dreams? To listen for our response.

How do we know what we know about healing? Where in our being does that knowledge live? What more do we seek to discover about our own healing? Can we valorize the constellation of healing experiences our psyche and soma have encoded thus far?

Healing is ours to define, and still, that word might simply be too small to truly describe what the journey of reclaiming the self after trauma encompasses - what it requires of us, what it reveals, and importantly, what it generates.

Sometimes healing is the door to something that feels like infinitely more. Sometimes infinitely more is the simplest, most *seemingly* mundane experience of recognizing we are in a body - our body - and we are consciously choosing to inhabit this humble and magnificent home.

How does the word healing land for you? What does healing actually mean to you? Has you relationship to the word changed over time? Where does healing live in your experience?

If healing is nonlinear, it makes sense that our relationship with it might be nonlinear as well.

*This post was inspired by a beautiful conversation and interview with trauma healer and teacher who always reminds me of the ever-expansive nature of living. Thank you, sage.*

[I.D. A photo from of the Butterfly Nebula which is part of the Scorpius constellation. It has multicolored colored gasses that branch out from the center like butterfly wings. Behind the nebula is dark space speckled with red colored stars.]

Anxiety isn't new! A counsellor discusses the history of anxiety and what can help.

A long term relationship has natural stages and transitions: casual to serious, dating to engagement, engagement to marriage, partner to parent. Just like the processes found in nature, we must prepare to change with each stage, knowing that our former relationship is still with us as we move forward.

Modern life and the fluidity of once very strict gender roles has changed the codes of relationship transitions that were once fixed. In other words, we are making up today’s rules in real time. One necessity? Adaptability.

Adaptability in couples is about responding to life’s changing circumstances with good communication and a lot of flexibility -- it's the point between rigidness and extreme compromise. How do you adapt in relationship? Read my October blog about adaptability in relationship transitions, where I also suggest questions to support these inevitable shifts. Follow the link below.

https://bit.ly/2Zehm4M

Useful summary... I'm often asked about this.

Talking to a therapist vs talking to a friend A counsellor highlights the differences between talking to a friend and talking to a therapist.

“In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two.”
-Erich Fromm

A favourite word from my favourite

Heids Together: A Wellbeing & Youth Work Resource A free, online resource to reduce the impact of the Covid-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of young people in Scotland.

Therapy with horses A counsellor explains how equine assisted therapy can help.

✏️On A-level results day, remind students that whatever happens, they are enough!💬What do you wish someone had said to you on your results day? Leave a supportive message below...

🏅They have been a student through unprecedented times - so kindnesss and compassion are essential.

Do you know a young person that is struggling with their results❓ Then let them know about Student Space run by Student Minds. It provides a platform of support for students, with resources dedicated
specifically to ensure they are supported throughout the exam
results period: https://studentspace.org.uk/

☎️Need further support? Check out The Mix and YoungMinds. You can get in touch via their support lines, web-chat or read through their online resources all dedicated at supporting young people 💚

MentalHealth

How stress affects your brain Stress isn't always a bad thing; it can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus, like when you're playing a competitive sport or have to speak in public. But when it's continuous, it actually begins to change your brain. Madhumita Murgia shows how chronic stress can affect brain size, its str...

I like this ! Describes the outcome sometimes....

A different approach to therapy with children. If you are struggling with your child's behaviour find out more http://ow.ly/bkis50EnntK

Therapy
-assisted Therapy


Cumbria