...is that it implies there is something "wrong" with you in the first place. I've had a shift in perspective recently when it comes to self help, mental illness and shadow work. It's not something that always made sense to me, that truly bringing about positive change starts with radical acceptance of where we are… Continue reading The Problem With “Getting Better”…
Category: counselling
Thoughts On…The First Week Without Therapy
I was going to publish a post today that I wrote earlier about the concept of "getting better" and how that can be problematic in itself; but it doesn't feel true to how I feel right now. I don't feel like I have any supposed "truth bombs" I can drop and feel self-satisfied about right… Continue reading Thoughts On…The First Week Without Therapy
Another Ending
I'm not going to have everything wrapped up with a neat little bow for you. Because first of all, I don't even know what to say. You're able to articulate everything you're feeling and bring it into the room. I smile to acknowledge your experience, then go through my routine of looking at the cracks… Continue reading Another Ending
A Dreamless Codeine Sleep
I watched a brilliant film last night called "Call Me By Your Name" about a seventeen-year-old boy and a man in his twenties who fall in love over the course of a summer. It's one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever seen. It captures the headiness, the intoxication, the tenderness, the pain, the… Continue reading A Dreamless Codeine Sleep
Counselling, Validation + Childhood Fantasy
I don't really know what to write about today specifically, so I suppose I'll just write about how I feel and what's on my mind. After last week's outburst post, I knew that my next counselling session would feel different. I told him today that it felt like a month since our last session. He… Continue reading Counselling, Validation + Childhood Fantasy
I Wanted To Share With You
I wanted to share with you. I had a list, in fact, of topics and prompts which would set this room aglow with pure connection. We would talk about boundaries and how well I'm setting and maintaining them, we'd talk about anger and grief and how well I'm navigating and managing them, we'd talk about… Continue reading I Wanted To Share With You
Bliss, Despair, Terror – Meditation + The Importance Of The Spiritual Community
I mentioned to a colleague at work the other day about going to a Buddhist class one night and she said that she didn't think she'd have it in her to meditate and "sit there with no thoughts". I rushed to say to her what I say to anyone who has similar apprehensions about meditative… Continue reading Bliss, Despair, Terror – Meditation + The Importance Of The Spiritual Community
On Feeling Unwanted
So this has been the main complex rearing its head for me over the past few weeks. Something happens, I experience emotional overwhelm and when I drill right down into it - I feel unwanted. Disposed of. Refused. Rejected. It doesn't matter if it's to do with the timeframe in which someone has or hasn't… Continue reading On Feeling Unwanted
Exaltation + Indifference: Both Are Okay
On Saturday evening, I finished work after a fairly busy day (it's always busier towards the end of the day, too, because of all the cleaning that needs done, so we typically end it feeling a bit frenzied) and felt somewhat at a loss. Mothers talk about "empty nest syndrome", when they are forced to… Continue reading Exaltation + Indifference: Both Are Okay
An Honest Talk About Attention + Validation
An unexpected insight came up in a therapy session a few weeks back. I was talking about the attention that naturally comes with performing and showcasing my essence and vulnerability on a stage. People take notice, approach you to talk about your set - buy you a drink, even. Mostly guys. I said to my… Continue reading An Honest Talk About Attention + Validation
philomenah's safe space 