Blog

Acceptance of what we don’t want is never easy.  ACT can help us handle the difficult feelings that get in the way of a meaningful life.

Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy group coming soon in the Milton Room please contact for more details.

Passengers on the bus – an ACT metaphor to show what gets in the way of committed action.

My actions are my only true belongings

Thich Nhat Hanh

I recently attended Mastering ACT Advanced Skills workshop with Dr Robyn Walser.  She talked about committed action as a process and used the above phrase to emphasise  this.

A short video that helps show the way out of the Black Hole !

Managing Stress

Simple tips to look after yourself

Rhod Gilbert: Stand Up to Shyness

Rhod Gilbert looking through family photographs

The label Social Anxiety (rather than shyness) is often used in CBT and this can sometimes be helpful or throw up more questions for people.  Rhod Gilbert takes a very personnel look at his own life and journey from struggling with shyness to feeling more confident.  My experience of offering CBT and counselling is that it can make a difference to self confidence.

A therapist is not someone who has conquered all their demons, its just that they have climbed up their mountain a bit higher than the person they are trying to help.  Having this extra height enables the therapist  to see a little further ahead and so they are able to guide the client away from the unhelpful actions that keep the shyness going.

At Manchester Central Convention Complex Windmill Street M2 3GX.  Perhaps try Tim  Duerden Main Stage 11.20 Friday “Starting where you are-integrating mindfulness into your life”

Walk With Me, Documentary PG Dir: Marc J. Francis, Max Pugh 94 mins

Slow down and breathe.  Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, this intimate documentary takes us deep inside the monastery of world-famous Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hann: a pioneer in bringing mindfulness to the West.  The dignity of the Monks and Nuns is an inspiration, a must watch!

For more information about Thich Nhat Hann please check out the Plum Village web site.

Making the most of body and mind

“I have been influenced by Prof Kelly G Wilson, particularly his work on self care”http://www.kellygwilson.com/Home.html

His phrase “seeing people as sunsets, rather than maths problems” says something to me.