I’m very lucky to live just a short walk from my local beach which is where you will find me most evenings unwinding from my working day. Little did I know that I was benefiting from ‘Blue Space’ therapy. I was quite familiar with the mental health benefits of ‘Green Space’ and some of you … Read more
On my desk I have a framed postcard of a quote from one of my favourite authors, Tove Jansson (creator of the Moomins), which reads “All things are so very uncertain, and that’s exactly what makes me feel reassured”. I’m not always sure I agree with this, especially over the past few years when there … Read more
I’m getting to that time in my life where I’m finding myself having more and more conversations about ‘the menopause’. Then towards the end of last year the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) proposed an update to their guidelines to include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as a treatment which can help during menopause. … Read more
Since the start of the year I’ve been sharing blogs with you which explore ‘The Compassion Focused Therapy Model’. We started off with an introduction to the model, then we focused in on ‘Drive’, followed by ‘Threat/Protection’. Today I’ll be focusing on the third system which is called ‘Soothing’. The Soothing System is all about … Read more
Back in January I wrote an introduction to the Compassion Focused Model (if you’ve not read that one then it might make sense to do that before you carry on!). Last month I looked at the Drive system in more depth and now it is the turn of the Threat system. The Threat system is … Read more
This blog post is a follow up to my previous one titled ‘The Compassion Focused Therapy Model’ so please read that first then hop back over here to learn more about the Drive system. The Drive System is all about acquiring things, focusing on a goal and getting jobs done. We may experience feelings of … Read more
Compassion Focused Therapy, or CFT for short, is a branch of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which I’ve become really interested in over the past few years. People who come to Forrest Talking Therapies find it a really powerful way of working through all sorts of difficulties, and I often use the tools in my personal day … Read more
People often talk to me about anti-depressants, and whilst I am not a doctor or medical prescriber I thought a blog addressing the basics would be useful. Please bear in mind as you read this blog that I am not intending this as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any questions or … Read more
I’ve been practising yoga for many years. When I’m ‘on the mat’ I feel centred, it’s space away from everything else in my life and a rare chance to pay attention to my body instead of my mind. Recently I’ve been attending classes led by Liz Walker. Liz is an experienced yoga teacher who specialises … Read more
