Useful cognitive behavioural therapy articles

Emotional flashbacks can be incredibly intense and overwhelming. They are often associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but anyone who has had a traumatic experience can potentially have them. Understanding the signs of an emotional flashback can help you manage them better and seek help when needed.Intrusive MemoriesOne of the most common signs of an emotional... [read more]

A survey conducted on behalf of The British Menopause Society in 2016 revealed that half of women between the ages of 45-65 who had gone through the menopause in the preceding 10 years had done so without consulting their GP or other healthcare professional even though 42% of women described feeling their menopause symptoms were worse... [read more]

Almost 1 in 5 women experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or in the first year after birth. Poor mental health in the mother is associated with higher risks of obstetric complications such as pre-eclampsia, premature delivery, and stillbirth, among others, including suicide. Studies have also shown that untreated maternal mental health problems can result in poorer... [read more]

THE SKY'S NO LONGER THE LIMIT! Imagine not being able to fly to the sun, city or ski slope for an annual holiday, short break, or business trip. Imagine thinking you're the only one suffering from a fear of flying and either not talking about the problem, or if you do, feeling that friends and family will only... [read more]

Developing good mental health and overcoming issues and difficulties has many aspects. Often there are things that work on a very personal level but I also believe there are some things that are core to developing and maintaining our mental well being. The following are my nine core basics that are, what I would consider, essentials to... [read more]

I would like to share some ideas around how we perceive difficulties and a formula for managing and coping with adversity. There are many aspects that go to make up good mental health. In my work with many clients over the year I have found two key things that often stand out when it comes to... [read more]

If you have negative thoughts, and have tried unsuccessfully to suppress them, congratulations: you’re human! To varying degrees, we all have negative thoughts, and we all share an inability to suppress them. Research confirms that the more we try to push a thought down, the more prominent it becomes. Remember that well-known mind trap, “Don’t think of... [read more]

Did you know that acute stress is good for you? Yes, you read that right. We generally flinch at the sheer mention of stress – gasping at the thought of the frightful concepts we associate with it: high blood pressure, heart disease, weight gain and obesity, depression, weak immune system… frightful indeed. Yet, these are consequences of... [read more]

The time you’ve been looking forward to for so long is finally here: you’re booking a holiday, and as you really want to treat yourself, you book two weeks instead of your customary one. Holidays make you happy, and surely a holiday that lasts twice as long is going to make you twice as happy! Isn’t... [read more]

Since I can remember I have loved reading, however once I had children then this went away for some time just due to time and other things had become a priority in my life. However, as I had started to suffer from some health issues mental and physical I turned to many avenues for support and... [read more]

I have learned a lot about effective communication from assertive training. Learning to be assertive is not about making sure that you always get your own way: that is the road to a lonely life!  Assertiveness is quite the opposite: an assertive person takes heed of other people’s feelings and opinions.  The way I think about assertiveness... [read more]

On anger and its effects on us and our relationships One way or the other, we’ve all been there with our partner, child, family member, coworker, neighbour  or even a stranger. There comes a moment in which logic disappears and before you know it you’ve gone into a tirade, you’re shouting a bitter comment, or you’re... [read more]

Statistics show us that struggles with life issues affect far more people (now) than many of us would guess. Many of us will try to get by, maybe share with a friend, partner, spouse. However a lot of folks prefer to keep these issues private. Maybe they worry what others might think of them. A few brave souls... [read more]

It is well known that when in distress we can not retain information and that our ability to learn, reflect and make sensible decisions is impaired. Distress is a complex phenomenon that hijacks a whole bunch of psychological processes, from attention and memory to interpretation and expectation. This is an important topic not only for the ones... [read more]

In a slight case of acronym overkill, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) is a form of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) that takes a simple-yet-cunning approach to mental wellness, where activating events (A) trigger beliefs (B) that cause consequences (C). To find out more, read on… Pioneered and developed in the mid-1950s by a New York psychotherapist called... [read more]

Are you a distressed diabetic? Are you diabetic and feeling down about it? Do you ask “why me”? You could be suffering from diabetic distress. A recent survey, led by Dr. Barbara Anderson, a professor of pediatrics and psychology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, shows that diabetics are more prone to distress and... [read more]

  An interesting and somewhat amusing insight came from a very innocent statement. My partner, Trudy, and I arrived on her driveway and before we got out of the car she spotted something of concern in the garden. She said “I really must cut those saplings”. There were 3 saplings from two to three feet high, weedy... [read more]

We know that in order to solve a problem we need problem-solving skills. Intuitively most people are aware of the steps that they need to take when facing a problem. How do we recognise a problem in its early stage and before it is too late? 1. Even if a problem is not in our awareness, our body... [read more]

If stress is a non intended consequence of how we function psychologically, how do we go about it in order to live less stressful lives? From looking after our children to meeting deadlines at work, from sitting exams to developing and maintaining relationships, life in general is accompanied by stress due to the demands placed upon us... [read more]

Is there such a recipe that we can follow to increase the likelihood of being satisfied in life generally? Also known as happiness or being happy, or state of contentment, satisfaction in life is something we all strive to achieve or experience. These notes will focus on activities as a primary source of contentment. Initially understood as a... [read more]

Being responsible, accountable are qualities that we teach and nurture in our children. A responsible person is a great employee, highly valued by managers and colleagues. Friends, family are likely to seek to rely on ones who are responsible. One might think that there are no reasons to suspect that responsibility is not a great psychological... [read more]

Millions of adults and children struggle to break through the nail biting habit. These notes take a closer look at the available literature and treatment recommendations. In addition information is provided to parents to support their children in overcoming this unhelpful habit. When it comes to understanding nail biting, the literature is rather confusing as nail biting... [read more]

Many people who come to therapy set themselves the goal of feeling better and many disappointingly re-negotiate the goal of getting better at feeling. What does this mean and why? What do we have emotions for? An evolutionary perspective on emotions views them as signals, signalling that there is something in our environment we need to attend... [read more]

Betrayal is a sense of being harmed by the intentional actions of a person who is assumed to be trusted and loyal. This could be a family member, a friend, a colleague or work environment. Most common types of betrayal are dishonesty, infidelity, disloyalty, abandonment, disclosure of confidential information or failure to offer expected assistance during... [read more]

It has become common knowledge that being judged and labelled is harmful. Schools have recognised this as being an issue and have developed a no tolerance approach to bullying or any other forms of judgements or labels. We are less aware of the impact that labels and judgements have on the person that actually makes the... [read more]

When feelings are denied or brushed aside people become increasingly conflictual with each other and themselves. What can we do to lower the likelihood of this happening? When our feelings are denied, the fight and flight response or defence mechanisms become the main vehicle of communication and expression of ourselves. In this way, as psychological individuals we... [read more]

When someone responds to us in a certain way (with upset, anger or avoidance), it says more about them than us. Equally, our responses say more about us than the others. This is particularly important when we hold others responsible or blame them for how we feel or when others blame us for how we made... [read more]

Do you find yourself thinking that you ‘hate’ not knowing or not being sure?  These notes are concerned with getting to know this part of ourselves and learn to cope better with uncertainty. When using strong words there isn’t much scope for opening up to possibilities. We therefore recommend replacing ‘hate’ and ‘dislike’ with ‘it makes me feel... [read more]

Worrying too much? How to develop from an amateur worrier into a professional worrier. Do you find yourself worrying excessively about a variety of issues? The bad news is that there isn’t such thing as a cure for worry if you are looking for one. The good news is that you do not need one. Without predicting... [read more]

Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, tops the list of most common phobias everywhere in the world.  And yet here in the U.K. you are more likely by far to be injured by the fear of the spider, by jumping and hitting your head on a shelf for example, or tripping over while running away, than by... [read more]

What is it about flying that causes so many people to develop a fear of it? From my research I was able to find that it falls into just two categories. Rather than fears of height, terrorism, water, crashing, panic attacks, agoraphobia, or claustrophobia, when you go down to what it is about that fear, then there... [read more]

Do you want to add fuel to your passion? Add zest, zing and excitement to that special feeling inside when you feel so motivated everything seems easier? In the media there is an endless list of New Year resolutions, including dry January, stopping smoking, starting new careers, dieting and going to the gym. Well there is a common... [read more]