Whether it’s the transition from youth into adulthood, switching to remote work because of the pandemic, or moving house, change is an unavoidable part of life. But that doesn’t make it easy! In fact, many of us expend significant amounts of energy trying to avoid change at all costs because it’s so uncomfortable… Thankfully, the…
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Setting Healthy Boundaries This Holiday Season It’s the most wonderful time of the year – or at least it should be. The holidays are all about spending time with the ones you love. However, if you don’t have healthy boundaries, you’re setting yourself up for nothing but stress and unhappiness. Boundaries define who we…
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Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP): What is it? Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) was developed in the 1970s and even if you’re not familiar with the therapy itself, some of its practices have seeped into popular culture. Ever seen a TV show where the protagonist spots a liar because of their eye movements? Or when body-language experts advise you…
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The Dysfunctionality of Guilt Have you ever called someone by the wrong name? Broken something that wasn’t yours? Spilt a drink on someone, irreparably staining their favourite shirt? If so, you’ve likely experienced guilt. Guilt describes the sense of regret, responsibility, and self-consciousness we experience after we have done something we consider wrong. Typically,…
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The Unconscious Mind The Three Levels of Consciousness The concept of the three ‘levels’ of consciousness is attributed to Freud (1915) and is often depicted by an iceberg, with three layers representing each level, namely: The conscious mind, portrayed by the tip of the iceberg, the uppermost part above water that is easily visible…
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What is Free Association? Free association is a therapeutic method developed by Sigmund Freud as a technique used in psychoanalysis (read about this here!) to explore the unconscious mind by providing patients with the complete freedom to express their thoughts. In this article, we explore what exactly free association is, how the idea came about and…
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Psychoanalysis and the Benefits of Psychodynamic Therapy What is Psychoanalysis? Psychoanalysis refers to a set of psychological theories and therapeutic methods which fundamentally view psychological issues as rooted in the unconscious mind. Accordingly, manifest symptoms (i.e., undesirable or dysfunctional thoughts, behaviours, and other defensive mechanisms) are the result of hidden factors, such as unresolved…
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Inner Child Work: How it Can Help You Our experiences in childhood can have long-lasting effects that span all the way into our adult lives. Each of us has a child version of ourselves hidden within our psyche. Learning how our inner child affects our attitudes and behaviors is the key to healing past…
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Migration Trauma As of 2020, there are an estimated 281 million migrants worldwide – with 7.6 million of those currently residing in Australia. Migration refers to the movement of individuals from one world region to another, with intent of settling temporarily or permanently. While some people may choose to migrate as a means of…
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Does Social Media Help or Hinder Your Therapy Process? Whether you are struggling with a recent life event or have been working through mental health issues for a long period, therapy can play a major role in your healing process. Social media has become more than just a place to share random photos and…
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