Can I Help?
Are you struggling with depression?
Sadness and feeling low sometimes are part of the human condition and are feelings that come and go throughout our lives. However, sometimes these feelings can become constant, overwhelming and debilitating to everyday life. You may feel anxious, irritable or angry and fixate on the past or things that have gone wrong. You may be very judgmental about yourself. You may even feel that life is not worth the trouble.
Depression also has a strong physical component with symptoms like sleeping too much or too little; feeling tired all the time; under or over eating leading to weight loss or gain; aches and pain and difficulty concentrating. It is sometimes described as “wading through mud”.
What can help?
Taking therapy can help lift depression. You may also choose to take anti-depressant medication from your GP if this is advised. In some studies having psychotherapy was found to have a significantly lower rate of relapse than medication. There is no single cause of depression but working together with me you can unravel some of the reasons you are feeling low and depressed at the moment.
Are you suffering from a bereavement?
Bereavement is the experience of losing someone important to us whether it is a partner, family member, friend or pet. We can also experience a great sense of loss at the end of a relationship, job, moving location or a decline in the health of someone we care about. Feelings of grief and loss include a range of emotions such as disbelief, sadness, anger, despair and hopelessness as we move towards slow recovery in our own time.
What can help?
Recovering from a bereavement is a healing process that takes time. Everyone grieves in their own way at their own pace. Sometimes people get ‘stuck’ and feel overwhelmed with pain and distress. Working with me, you will have an opportunity to express your feelings around your loss in a safe and quiet place and allow the natural process of healing to take place. Emotional Freedom (or Tapping) Technique can soothe and calm your distress.
Are you feeling anxious?
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It is normal, for example, to feel anxious if attending a job interview. It is a natural feeling of fear or apprehension about what is to come. However, sometimes this stress response becomes out of balance leading you to feel fear and anxiety a great deal of the time. Symptoms can include a racing heart; rapid breathing, restlessness; trouble concentrating or difficulty sleeping. Anxiety can manifest itself in different ways through panic attacks; phobias, fear of social situations; obsessive-compulsive behaviours; fear of being away from home or loved ones or anxiety about your health. It is all part of the same jigsaw that can have a huge impact on your life.
What can help?
I can help you learn tools and strategies to cope with anxiety. This includes caring for your body and mind in a new way and de-escalating stress. Emotional Freedom (or Tapping) Technique is also a helpful alternative therapy for calming anxious thoughts. You may also want to talk to your GP and see if medication would be appropriate alongside therapy.
Have you had significant trauma in your life?
Trauma is the response to distressing or disturbing events that overwhelm your ability to cope. Sometimes these are very large and powerful events such as war, accidents, abuse and illness. However, through life you can experience many meaningful life events or difficult relationships that traumatize you as an individual. This is particularly so in the years of childhood. Emotional signs include sadness, anger, fear, shame and confusion and physical symptoms like nausea, sleeping difficulties, changes in appetite, headaches and stomach problems.
What can help?
There is no quick fix to trauma or its distress but a number of therapies have been found to be helpful. Usually a combination is the best option. Medication can lessen the symptoms and talking therapy gives an opportunity to bring your thoughts and feelings into the light. Other alternative therapies include hypnosis, acupuncture, mindfulness and creative therapy. I can offer Emotional Freedom (or Tapping) Technique and trauma release exercises which are a series of simple exercises that proven to release trauma held in the body.
