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Cognitive Dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling of anxiety that comes when we hold two conflicting thoughts at the same time. The level of this tension varies depending on how important the subject is. It also depends on the strength the opposing thoughts are and how able we are to rationalize the conflict. Carl Rogers referred to…

What is CBT? Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, otherwise known as CBT, is a form of counselling. It is an evidence based approach to helping emotional and physical health conditions. It’s an approach that looks at not only what we think, how we think, and how that affects how we act, and how that affects how we…

There are many different types of supervision. A few examples would be clinical, managerial, consultative, educational, coaching, organisational and so on. Historically, clinical supervision covered counselling and psychotherapy. Later as supervision developed it began to cover managerial and other professional disciplines. Different models of supervision have been developed over the years. The Cyclical model, the…

I believe there are two things you need to bring to any relationship, whether it’s with your partner, your neighbour, your employer or whoever. The first is self-respect. I think that self-respect is a good place to start and a good healthy thing to bring to any relationship. The second is communication. I have noticed…

Gas lighting is an unusual term for what is possibly one of the most insidious forms of emotional manipulation and abuse. The term comes from an old black and white movie where one of the characters manipulates the lighting in the house and when his wife comments on it he tells her it’s only her…

There are many different types and degrees of night terrors, sometimes referred to as sleep terrors. These are a form of parasomnia which can have some sufferers thrashing around in their sleep, shouting, crying out, screaming or performing violent acts on those next to them. Some may even move about or get up and walk…

Often when struggling with anxiety issues such as phobias or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), many people feel challenged and even trapped by intense feelings of fear and uncertainty. I believe that in many cases it is the intense fear that people try to avoid by performing a rituals of some kind or trying to preempt…

Trauma Bonding Trauma bonding refers to the attachment victims of abuse or neglect form with their abuser. Sometimes that attachment takes the form of obsessive thoughts of hatred or revenge. More commonly though it refers to a fear of, and loyalty towards the perpetrator. Because of that loyalty the victim may sometimes confuse this fear…

Trauma bonding was a term first used by Patrick Carnes. Also referred to sometimes as Stockholm Syndrome, it is commonly associated with the submissive and loyal relationship that can sometimes develop between a hostage and their kidnapper. However the term actually refers to a wide range of emotions and reactions in any relationship where there…