Mind-body therapy
in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Mind-body approaches in therapy are informed by the recent research in neuroscience and are rooted in the holistic notion of human beings. This notion recognises that physical mental and emotional processes are not separate but closely interlinked. They can never exist in isolation and constantly impact on each other.
Consider the old saying that we carry any burden on our shoulders. You have probably noticed how tense your shoulders can get when you go through a stressful time. This is a simple example to illustrate how the emotional is converted into the physical.
Our brain is wired to keep us safe. Therefore when we are confronted with a situation that our brain registers as potentially dangerous, it comes up with a strategy devised to keep us safe. Our nervous system remembers this strategy and gears up for an appropriate response every time we are confronted with a similar situation. These responses generally fall into three main categories: fight, flight or freeze.
It often happens, however, that once-useful strategies can become outdated because the danger has passed and/or we have acquired more skills and maturity to deal with it. Yet we ‘forget’ to inform our nervous system about it, so it continues to function in a state of high alert generating anxiety and not allowing us to relax and to function at our best ability.
Our body stores in it a lot of residue from past traumas – major as well as minor ones. This backlog of stress, fear, feelings of failure, grief and disappointment which have accumulated in our system can give rise to a pervasive sense of shame, anxiety, depression and can prevent us from living a happy fulfilling life.
Mind-body approaches complement talking therapy by addressing the residual negative energy held in the body and helping the body to release it. They comprise a variety of techniques, including guided relaxation and body scan, EFT tapping, creative visualisation and other methods. I have worked successfully using these techniques for many years and am still amazed at how effective they are. In conjunction with a talking therapy they allow creating a tangible shift and can make a substantial difference in a short space of time.
You are welcome to book a free consultation or a taster session to find out whether this type of work would be right for you.
Related reading:
Body-mind healing practices
Emotions in the body
Freeing inner child
Recognising childhood trauma
EFT tapping as a self-help technique
