The Polyvagal Theory helps explain how our body reacts to stress, connection, and safety. Developed by neuroscientist Dr Stephen Porges in the 1990s, it’s now widely used in counselling and psychotherapy to understand why people sometimes feel anxious, disconnected, or overwhelmed — even when they… Read More »How Our Body and Mind Work Together: Understanding the Polyvagal Theory
In recent months, headlines about artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots being used for mental health support have become more and more common. These tools can seem appealing: they’re available 24/7, inexpensive, and easy to access. Some people find comfort in being able to “talk” through their… Read More »Can AI Replace a Therapist? Understanding the Risks and Realities
Addiction can feel overwhelming—not just for the person directly affected, but for their friends, family, and wider support network. It’s a word that often carries shame, fear, or stigma, and yet it’s far more common than most people realise. Whether you’re concerned about your own… Read More »Addiction: Finding a Way Forward, Understanding it and Supporting Recovery
How Have You Been Feeling Lately?Take a moment—really pause—and think about the past few months. How have you truly been feeling?Life can often feel like an emotional rollercoaster. Research shows that our feelings and our emotional intelligence play a crucial role in nearly every aspect… Read More »Emotional intelligence: what it is and how to develop it
Change is never just a moment; it’s a movement — often slow, often unclear — and always meaningful. Life transitions come in many forms: the birth of a child, the end of a relationship, a move across countries, retirement, loss, illness, graduation, career shifts, or… Read More »Life transitions: a gentle companion for the inbetween time
Adverse situations leave people with strong emotions and an intense sense of uncertainty. However, people tend to adapt well over time to life-changing events and stressful situations. What enables them to do this is resilience, an ongoing process that takes time and effort. Resilience is the… Read More »Resilience: is it really achievable for everyone?
Attachment is usually generated from our very early childhood. It is an innate biological driven behaviour which is found in humans, especially infants, who attach to those people who care for them. In the attachment dynamic, illness, threat and exhaustion all trigger care-seeking behaviours, and… Read More »How our attachment styles can affect our everyday lives
We keep seeing in the media reports on the benefits of nature and being outdoors for us, for our physical and mental wellbeing. People often tell you to go for a walk if you have a problem or that they feel better when they are… Read More »The benefits of nature for our wellbeing
In this post we’re going to look at some issues related to being a woman in mid-life. A lot of women feel that they become gradually more invisible despite their being fundamental in our everyday lives. We’ll talk about the perimenopause, the menopause, empty nest… Read More »Being a woman in mid-life and how to get through it
In this blog post we’re going to talk about eating difficulties (also known as disorders), what they are, how they occur and how we can heal them. An eating difficulty is a mental health concern that is characterised by marked distress expressed in relation to… Read More »Eating difficulties, what they are, how they come about and how we heal them