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Edited and first published by Elephant Journal. “They fuck you up, your mum and dad.They may not mean to, but they doThey fill you with the faults they hadAnd add some extra, just for you.” ~ Philip Larkin, “This Be The Verse”   Some clients arrive for their first therapy session skeptical, worried, or downright […]

First published and edited by Elephant Journal.   “How will I know if he really loves me?” The late Whitney Houston sings in the background. The couple is looking at the floor, glum and stuck. They’ve been in the same situation of “not knowing” for two years. The relationship is not moving forward and yet […]

First published in Elephant Journal “There’s something wrong with me”, my client says, “inherently wrong with me. Everyone else is hooking up, settling down or having children. I’m being left on the fence, passed by. I don’t know why. Perhaps I’m too ugly, or too boring, or too closed. I’ve always felt left out, I […]

Internal Family Systems is a therapeutic approach created by Richard. C. Schwartz that works well with both EMDR and Gestalt Therapy. It explains that we all have different parts, for example a happy part, an anxious part, a sad part. Jacob Moreno, the founder of psychodrama first refers to the ‘parts’ of us. Sometimes our […]

What is EMDR? EMDR is a way to change unhelpful core beliefs which we develop in our early family environment, such as ‘I’m not good enough, ‘I’m unworthy’ or ‘I’m powerless.’ These unhelpful core beliefs affect our thinking patterns, feelings, behaviour and physiology.   EMDR was invented by psychologist Dr Francine Shapiro. In 1987 as she […]

Edited and first published by Elephant Journal. The young woman sat on the worn suede sofa in her living room, alone. It was a hot Summer’s night. Her legs tucked under her, she wore a white cotton mini skirt and a dusty pink camisole top. She ran her fingers through her shoulder length highlighted hair and […]