Therapy, also known as psychotherapy or counseling, is a collaborative process between a trained mental health professional and an individual, couple, family, or group. The goal of therapy is to address and overcome emotional or psychological challenges, improve mental well-being, and facilitate personal growth and development. Therapists use various therapeutic approaches and techniques to help clients explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, ultimately leading to positive changes in their lives.
There are several evidence-based approaches to treating trauma. The most appropriate treatment depends on the type of trauma, whether the danger has ended, the person’s symptoms, and whether the trauma was single-event or prolonged/complex. Main treatments for trauma Helps identify and change trauma-related thoughts, beliefs and behaviours. Often used for PTSD, anxiety and avoidance. Uses bilateral… Read More Main treatments for trauma
Trauma is not defined only by what happened; it also involves how the nervous system and mind respond to what happened. Different types of trauma Results from a single, overwhelming event. Examples: assault, serious accident, sudden bereavement, natural disaster, violent attack. Develops from repeated or ongoing exposure to threatening or harmful experiences. Examples: prolonged domestic… Read More Trauma is not defined only by what happened
Recovery often begins long before a person leaves a difficult relationship. It begins with a change in perspective. Many survivors describe a moment when years of confusion suddenly start to make sense. It may happen after a conversation with a trusted friend, reading an article, speaking with a counsellor, or simply noticing that the same… Read More When Recovery Begins: The Moment the Pattern Becomes Clear
One of the questions people often ask after leaving a difficult relationship is: “Why did everyone else seem to notice long before I did?” It is surprisingly common to hear family members, friends, colleagues or even previous partners say, “We saw it years ago.” While this can be painful to hear, psychology offers several explanations for why… Read More Why Do Friends and Family Sometimes Notice a Vindictive Personality Before You Do? The Psychology and Neuroscience Behind Chronic Vindictiveness
As therapists, much of our work focuses on helping people heal from pain. We support survivors of abuse, betrayal, neglect, and trauma as they learn to rebuild their lives and move forward. While this work is challenging, there is often a willingness on the part of the client to understand their experiences and seek change.… Read More When the Person Inflicting Pain Is Someone You Love
Many people come to therapy asking a simple question: “Why did I stay so long?”“Why did I not see it sooner?”“Why did I doubt myself?” These questions often carry shame, confusion, or frustration. But over time, therapy rarely delivers a dramatic single answer. Instead, it reveals something quieter — and more accurate. Understanding begins to… Read More Understanding Why It Took So Long: What 18 Months of Therapy Can Reveal
In both Psychology and Neuroscience, it is well understood that human beings are shaped by experience—not just emotionally, but biologically. When difficult experiences such as trauma, neglect, chronic stress, or unsafe relationships are not fully processed, they do not simply fade away. Instead, they can become embedded in how the brain learns to interpret and… Read More Unprocessed Experiences and the Brain: How Survival Becomes Pattern—and How Healing Becomes Possible
Human behaviour is shaped by a complex interaction between our brain, our life experiences, our environment, and our relationships. In both psychology and neuroscience, we understand that many of our emotional and behavioural patterns are governed by core systems in the brain—systems responsible for emotional processing, reward sensitivity, impulse control, social processing, and stress regulation.… Read More When Brain and Behaviour Become Dysregulated: Understanding the Signs, the Science, and the Path to Healing
When these systems are distorted, underdeveloped, overactive, or impaired, it can affect how a person thinks, feels, behaves, and relates to others. In Neuroscience this can happen because of genetics, development, injury, chronic stress, trauma, or learned patterns. In Psychology it shows up as patterns in personality and behavior. Important: “missing” is usually not literal—these systems… Read More Distorted, underdeveloped, overactive, or impaired
1. The threat system starts to settle At the beginning of therapy—especially if someone is anxious or traumatised—the brain often has a more active: amygdala (alarm system) stress hormones like cortisol As you speak in a safe, structured environment, something important happens: the brain starts to detect “this is not danger” This reduces hypervigilance over time.… Read More What’s happening in your brain during therapy
