I, for one, would not have been here today if it hadn’t been for my patrons along life’s way: these special people who noticed me, singled me out, took a risk and cheered me on. Some of them opened doors to undreamt of opportunities, for me develop, find my way and earn my keep. Read this post on being a patron of the Creative Mind in 2015.
Read MoreThere is a 60-year old Los Angeles architect who has managed his thriving and successful creative journey for several decades. People have turned to him for years to have their living spaces designed and embellished.
How did he do it?
Read MoreCreativity needs consistency and focus to flourish and manifest itself.
Too often the person with the creative mind isn’t even recognised under the clamour of stress, anxiety, depression, anger or other drama of daily life.
Today I discuss 3 vital pieces you need as a foundation upon which to start building your future success.
Read MoreHuman Givens teaches us about the central role of creativity in human existence, how to nurture it and rescue it. When creativity is well harnessed, it is one of our greatest resources!
Find out what a creative person can expect from Human Givens therapy.
Image: melanmagrippan 3 People Talking
Read MoreOld habits die hard and some of them can keep us trapped. They affect our communication and connection to others, they hamper our ability to learn and grow, and they keep our horizon narrow.
Good psychotherapy helps break those shackles; it frees up physical and emotional energy and lifts us out of this confinement. Good therapy gives us the power to steer our own passage more accurately.
Here we look at behaviour patterns that stop people from developing and learning.
Read MoreWe all stumble somewhere on life’s journey or find ourselves going round in circles, rather than moving on.
Exhaustion, worry, negative rumination, poor sleep, sadness, irritability, loneliness - these are all signs that life is out of balance. It may be that you are wondering what it’s all about or ‘why bother?’ - that you feel undervalued or out of control of important things in your life.
Do you indulge in addictive behaviours, feel bored, or are you worried that ‘this is all there is’?
If this resonates with you, then this post is for you!
Read MoreA client and HSP, documented her shifting sense of self. When I first asked her to tell me about her strengths and weaknesses she imploded right in front of my eyes. She captured the pain I saw and what it felt like to think about herself.
See how the model of herself transformed over the week we spent together...
Read MoreHave you ever turned the radio on, determined to listen to the news or weather forecast, and next thing you know it’s over - and you didn’t take in a word. A nuisance maybe, but quite painless otherwise.
Creative people - think dyslexia, AD(H)D, autism - are known to struggle with the written language: reading and writing.
We are less aware of quite how sound sensitive they can be. This they have in common with HSP (Highly Sensitive People) and strongly affects how they process sound.
Read MoreRecent research findings by leading experts in the field show that HPSs - or highly sensitive people - manifest more neurological brain activity when exposed to other people’s feelings, or pictures of emotions in others, than the average person.
About 20% of the population 'suffers' - and often quietly so - from these high levels of sensitivity. Growing up as an HSP can be difficult and confusing. Over-sensitivity and the fussing that can go with it, is seen as a flaw in western culture.
Find out more about Highly Sensitive People, tips and further reading in this post.
Read MoreIn my practice, I see children who struggle academically or emotionally. I am never surprised when they tell me that their sleep is bad too or that they wake tired in the morning. Bedtime itself can be a bone of contention between parent and child.
Working on ‘sleep hygiene’ with child and parent immediately makes other issues easier to deal with. We explore how things can be improved between them - how each has a responsibility - and in my practice, I teach the child or teenager what he can do immediately to improve the quality of his sleep. Giving them this responsibility can be very empowering and effective.
Here’s my sleep guide, which sums up what can be done.
Read MoreParents often tell me how stressful bedtime is. They talk about the difficulties they have getting their children to bed, about their children who have trouble falling asleep or about children whom they just can’t get up in the morning.
In spite of our best intentions, we can find ourselves muddling on for ages, trying to get sleep right for our children.
Let's start with the nuts and bolts - the different types of sleep our children need.
Read MoreMillie’s Mum was devastated that her 12-year old daughter would throw a tantrum at the drop of a hat and terrorise the household. She had even started having her volcanic outbursts in public. Her Mum equated this relentless anger to a deep lack of gratitude and appreciation. By the time they came to me, Millie’s Mum was in a constant state of sadness.
Read MoreIt really isn’t easy to handle our children’s rage. Particularly if it recurs, hurts others and breaks things. Perhaps we never learned to deal with our own angry feelings in childhood and fell into the habit of pushing them away; leaving us to feel guilty in the aftermath.
As I often get asked the question: How can I support my angry child?
Each child and scenario is different but here are five tips that will help us to give our children a better opportunity to acknowledge and deal with their angry feelings constructively.
Read MoreEffective communication is at the heart of therapy. Our voice is the vehicle for our intention. Recently, I spoke to musician Professor Derek Barnes about how he teaches therapists and other healthcare professionals to play their vocal instrument to maximum effect. Watch the interview here to understand how you can learn to affect positive change in the other, by honouring and enhancing the uniqueness of our own voice.
Read MoreTraining for adult vitality and resilience starts in childhood. Keeping stress at bay successfully means learning to deal with life as it is. So, chuck out the 'if only's', the 'oughts', as well as the blame game and learn how to say "No" elegantly.
Read MoreStress has a way of creeping in, silently, slowly and sometimes quite unnoticed until you’re in deep.
School did it for my son. Every day a little more, like water whittling away at a stone. And all the while I had been so busy trying to help him succeed...
Read MoreHave you ever asked yourself how stress-resilient you are?
What are the things you do when the pressure rises? Do you nail bite, over-eat or –drink, become anxious or irritable? And do you spot the signs early enough to take action and avert the symptoms that herald more serious stuff ahead? We all need to stay informed about the many faces of stress-related symptoms.
Join me and hear what my Human Givens colleague, stress expert Emily Gajewski, has to say about self-harming and how to deal with it.
Read MoreAcross the globe the December month stands for giving. It invites us to be generous and mindful of others. Are Black Friday and Cyber Monday proof of this generosity or indications that we have lost the heart of what makes this season so special?
Christmas invites us to engage in the wishes of our friends and family and to reach out to those less fortunate, suffering from loneliness, illness or poverty.
The question is whether our gifts need to be material. Are there other ways for our presents to be meaningful and lasting? If you too, are eager to have a more loving, compassionate Christmas then read on…
Read MoreIt may be writing, drawing or even mathematical problem-solving but we all have our own sacred, solitary activities that give us a sense of feeling fully present. We are more connected, focussed and more ourselves when engaged in these pastimes.
In this post we hear what Andrew Marr has to say on the matter, we look at the creative mind and how drawing can improve our happiness.
Read MoreOne in four homeless people is a former member of the armed services. Over 20,000 veterans are in jail or on probation.*
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is very real - and something we cannot begin to imagine. We are unable to comprehend the trauma but we can support those who are suffering.
I went to visit Tom, who was in Northern Ireland and the first Gulf War, and he told me his story. In this short video, we hear of the outstanding transformation his life took once he sought the help of PTSD Resolution.
Read MoreRenée van der Vloodt is a leading psychotherapist and dyslexia and AD(H)D specialist working with children and adults in Woodchurch, Kent which is close to Tenterden, Ashford, Canterbury, Rye and easily reached by the M20. There are direct trains from London to Ashford International Station.
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