Mind
Counselling |
Stress Management |
Mindfulness
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People come to counselling for a variety of reasons. Some may be looking for help to resolve a current difficulty, others may be wishing to look more deeply into themselves. For some it may be a case of needing a bit more support at a certain time of their lives to overcome a crisis, for others it may be part of a spiritual journey.
Although I do offer one-off stress management sessions in which to talk through a situation and look at ways of reducing anxiety and learning relaxation techniques, regular weekly counselling sessions would be recommended where there is an ongoing issue or personal problem that needs to be worked through in greater depth. I work as an Integrative Counsellor, which means that I draw upon various approaches according to what seems appropriate for that particular person at the time. With a background in both Humanistic and Person Centred Counselling, this forms the base from which I work, with an empathic understanding of where my client is coming from, and working alongside them to facilitate their journey. I also completed many years of training in The Hakomi Method (a type of mindfulness based body centred psychotherapy involving assisted self discovery), and a shorter course in Body Listening, and my main interest is in mindfulness and in the possibility of change through the medium of the therapeutic relationship. For shorter-term work with clients, and working within the framework of an Employee Assistance Programme, I tend to use a Solution Focused approach, which works on the client's own inner strengths and ability to create a more positive future. I hold an honours degree in Psychology and I have been working in the field of self awareness and personal development for many years. I am registered with the UKCP, and adhere to the UKCP code of conduct. Everything that is said to me is completely confidential. I do have regular supervision, and have ongoing training as part of my continual professional development. |
A lot of people lead very busy lives at this present time, which is fine, but when we are so busy that we do not have time for ourselves then we can become tense and irritable, tired and low in energy, and can eventually become ill. Becoming ill means that we have to stop what we are doing and look after ourselves - eventually. But it is better to deal with the stress before it makes us ill. I believe, however that it is only when we stop, or when we slow down enough to just be with ourselves, that we can become mindful enough to see the patterns we have got caught up in and enable them to change and we can also start to become more aware of the body and what it is trying to say to us. So often we try to push our bodies too far, relying on the power of the mind to get us through the day - but it doesn't always work. We store conflicts in our bodies on an unconscious level and sometimes these conflicts need to come to the surface in order to be seen and dealt with.
I am happy to give one to one sessions to individuals who want some support in finding constructive ways of dealing with the stress in their lives. Some people may wish to just have one session in which they are able to express what is really going on for them and to learn simple ways of managing their stress levels. Others may want to learn how to relax or how to go about making the necessary changes in order to bring more joy and less stress into their lives, and they may need more support over time to change some of their habit patterns and learn new and more life-enhancing ways of being. |
I am trained in various methods of using mindfulness as therapy and in working with the body. Through paying attention to the unconscious processes as revealed in the body, we start to learn more about our implicit beliefs through our automatic behaviour patterns. We learn that, although a certain amount of suffering is inevitable, much suffering is self created through our own conditioned thought patterns.
I trained for several years in the Hakomi Method, and more recently in Body Listening, which enables clients to get in touch with different levels of their being and contact emotions that need to be felt and expressed in a safe and holding environment. I have also trained to put on Dances of Awareness, which help to facilitate the awareness of and release of old patterns held in the body in order to reach a greater state of wellbeing and aliveness. I have many years' experience of various meditation practices, particularly Buddhist meditation (see below under 'Spirit'), which has played a major part in how I work with individuals and groups. |
Body
Dance of Awareness
Dance of Awareness™ (DoA) is a new approach to working with movement, dance and awareness, and aims to increase self-awareness and self- acceptance. There are no steps to learn, it is simply about allowing yourself to follow the movements that are waiting to happen. The DoA cycle - sensing, grounding, expressing, releasing, connecting and completing - follows an energetic wave, and is similar in structure to the 5 Rhythms wave developed by Gabrielle Roth, but has been adapted to take account of psychodynamic theory and developmental psychology. The phases of the cycle follow themes of human development from pre-birth through to around five years, which is the time period associated with the growing sense of self which becomes embodied through early experience, and which sets the patterns for adulthood. The mover has the opportunity to become aware of old patterns, and to explore new ways of moving and relating.
Music and gentle instruction help guide you through the phases which are: Sensing the body directly – arriving into ‘being’ with a focus on sensation; Grounding our bodies in connection to the earth, receiving support; Expressing the shapes, patterns and movements that are ready to take form; Releasing the energy that is ready to move in the body; Connecting deeper with ourselves and with others; Completing the journey and returning to our true nature. Throughout the process there is strong emphasis on body awareness which provides the ground for our experience.
I have started running dances in the Carmarthen area. The dances are suitable for anyone who is interested in self awareness and self development but anyone is welcome! Participants may feel a greater sense of aliveness and vitality, whilst releasing tensions and blocks to freedom of expression. My next dance is likely to be in January 2024 but I will provide details nearer the time Please contact me if you are interested and I can put you on the mailing list and send you more information.
Spirit
HealingHealing, which is usually performed a short distance away from the body, balances the subtle energies and can go where it is needed to bring about a sense of peace and well-being on many levels, not only the physical. It is a channelling of healing energies through the healer to the client, and some people describe the healer as being like a battery charger - the healer is not using his or her own energies, although it is important to have an open heart and a calm mind, but becomes a channel for the highest energies to flow through the hands to the client. The healer seeks to attune to the client's higher self, with positive motivation for the best outcome for the client, and then simply allows the healing to flow to wherever it is needed. Healing tends to recharge depleted energy and enables the body's own recuperative abilities to be strengthened, as well as working on stress levels to enable the client to deal with whatever problems they have in their life in the most effective way possible.
People may come for just one session of healing, or regular sessions - it is up to the individual to choose what they would like to do. Sometimes one session is enough for a significant change to occur, but sometimes the benefits of having healing may build up gradually over a period of time. Healing is suitable for anyone, old or young, also animals, people with terminal illness as well as those with mild stress-related complaints. We do not claim to be able to 'cure' anyone, but at the very least the client is generally left with a greater sense of wellbeing and an improved quality of life. I am a member of the Healing Trust (NFSH) and I have been practising healing for several years. I offer individual sessions, in combination with relaxation, either in one of the clinics where I work or at your own home if this is easier for you. |
MeditationThere are various different types of meditation, often used to calm and focus the mind. Meditation is different from relaxation as, in a way, it requires more effort. Whereas in relaxation the person may drift off in their mind to a pleasant place, or they may even fall asleep, meditation is more about allowing the mind to get into a place of stillness. This may be achieved by concentrating on an object, such as a candle flame for instance, or repeating a sound such as a mantra, or it may happen of its own accord by simply witnessing what is going on when we sit quietly and watch our minds. Generally it is useful, for whatever form of meditation we practise, to have some kind of focus, and the breath is a useful tool to use as our focus, because the breath is always with us, and also by focusing on the breath we can become more aware of our bodies and on what is happening within us in the present moment. Some people may wish to count the breaths, especially when the mind is very busy and it is very difficult to be with ourselves. When the mind has quietened down a little it may then be possible to simply follow the breathing, by feeling the rising and falling of the abdomen as we breathe in and out. The benefits of meditation, besides becoming more calm in ourselves, and generally healthier in both body and mind, are that we will find that we begin to have some space, not only in our meditation, but also in our lives, we start to become more aware of what is going on inside and outside of ourselves, and this allows us to become free of our habitual patterns of reacting to situations through our past conditioning.
Metta bhavana practice is another type of meditation which helps us to develop loving kindness, compassion and forgiveness - first for ourselves, and then for others. It is very important when we meditate to have an open heart and a spirit of acceptance, centering ourselves whilst also paying attention to whatever arises and passes in each moment and not judging our experience. The practice of loving kindness can help us to become more accepting and less judgmental in our lives, and to understand what causes suffering. I offer individual sessions of meditation instruction and am currently running an online group, which is open to beginners as well as more experienced meditators. I hope to also start a small group locally in the near future. |
RelaxationRelaxation is essential for both a healthy body and mind. In everyday life, we may find ourselves as if we are on a treadmill, working, eating, sleeping, and not allowing ourselves to have the real rest that we need. We may find that we feel unrefreshed after sleep, and this may be because the mind is still working even in our sleep. Some people even find that they fall asleep and then a few hours later wake up and find it hard to get back to sleep - something in their subconscious has woken them, claiming their attention. If we are able to relax for some part of the day, we will generally find that we sleep better at night, wake refreshed and with plenty of energy, and have less physical problems. Relaxation allows better energy flow, improving the circulation, and this has a knock-on effect on the digestion and on all the organs of the body, including the brain. When we are stressed, our bodies are continually in a state of being hyper-alert - ready for action. The blood will be diverted away away from the organs of digestion, which are seen as being inessential in an emergency situation, and towards the muscles, readying them for action in terms of flight or fight. We will start to suffer from muscle tension, headaches, and if the condition persists we may start to develop other problems such as high blood pressure. Learning to relax, or just creating some time for ourselves in the day, to step off the treadmill, is so important for our well-being.
I have experience of various methods of relaxation, which I generally use in preparation for a healing session, but I can also lead a guided relaxation session on its own, or in combination with gentle breathing exercises such as Chi Kung exercises to help improve the flow of energy through the body and relax the mind. I may talk a person through a guided visualisation in order to help relax the mind and increase a sense of peace and positivity, often by encouraging them to imagine a scene in nature where they would like to be, and imagining the feelings and sensations they would feel if they were in that place. This helps to disperse negative thought patterns or to lift the mood and is often very useful for people who are ill or who are weighed down by a lot of problems and are unable to free themselves from trying to find a way out of their difficulties. I may also work to relax the body by talking the person through a guided physical relaxation, gradually getting them to relax the body from toe to head by asking them to visualise breathing light into the body and allowing tensions to be released as they breathe out. I also work with the breath and with gentle exercises to help the client to breathe deeper and to encourage the energy to circulate more freely through the body. |