Exercise is a natural anti-depressant – by Wendy Bramham
Our modern western lifestyle, and particularly following industrialisation over 100 years ago, means that we have become much less physically active. Our great grandparents had to be active just to carry out their everyday life. Exercise shouldn't be a…
Is the goal of life to be happy? by Wendy Bramham
Why is it so hard to be happy? I have been giving much thought to this question lately. Is the goal of life to be happy, or is there a better way of looking at things? What affects our ability…
The invisible barrier – communication issues in relationships. By Jo Turner
Jo Turner, our relationship therapist , writes about the communication challenges that can block our intimate relationships: We communicate with others in many ways, and in intimate relationships we often use many non-verbal actions to express how we feel. Subtle…
Self-harm: ‘When I hurt, I cut…’ by Annabel Murray
Self-harm accounts for over 24,000 hospital admissions every year¹ and it is estimated that 1 in 12 children self-harm². Rates in the UK are some of the highest in Europe³ but - because self-harm is, by its very nature, a…
Is Therapy Selfish? More perspectives on ‘healthy selfishness’
"When someone is in therapy it can seem like self-absorption to those around them, but this is a necessary and temporary state. Regular, well-boundaried therapy ideally leads to people developing clearer awareness of themselves and how they relate to others.…
Is Therapy Selfish? – day five: Healthy selfishness – good for us and those we care about
This week we have been tackling the question of whether, by encouraging us to focus on ourselves, therapy can make us selfish. We have suggested that in fact therapy promotes a ‘healthy selfishness’ which enables us to take better care…
Is Therapy Selfish? – Day four: What happens when someone isn’t healthily selfish enough?
Jane* had been married for 18 years, and came to therapy with marital difficulties. She had always tried to please her husband, but recently he had become frustrated and withdrawn. The more she tried to please him, the more distant…
Day three: What is ‘good-enough’ parenting?
Donald Winnicott, the famous paediatrician and psychoanalyst, coined the term ‘good-enough mother’ in 1953, and his thinking went on to become pivotal in understanding child development. If we are lucky as infants we will have had good-enough parenting; our primary…
Day two: Narcissism – is therapy just ‘all about me’?
Yesterday we introduced the idea of 'healthy selfishness'; but isn’t this a narcissistic way of thinking, believing that life is ‘all about me’? In fact, selfishness, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “…concerned primarily with one's own interests, benefits,…
Day one: Can therapy make you selfish?
Do you worry that having counselling might be indulgent or selfish? Do you fear that focusing on your own desires and needs might result in neglecting or hurting others? Lots of people who go into therapy have these fears. And the fear of selfishness is understandable given…
Counselling for children, adolescents and teenagers
Bramham Therapy - with practices in Newbury and Marlborough - provides counselling to children, adolescents and teenagers, as well as adults of all ages. Helping people when they are young can help prevent mental health issues from developing or worsening…
Psycho-neuro-immunology (PNI) – exploring the link between mind and body. By Jo Morgan
By Jo Morgan MA, UKCP, MBACP (reg) Integrative Psychotherapist and Yoga Therapist If the body system's capacity to maintain stability is undermined during stress, and what is known as the allostatic load is reached, the system will begin to break down, which is what occurs…