Psychotherapy is a supportive talk therapy that assists you to transform your way of thinking, and how you approach various situations. It can support you to shift unhealthy behavioural patterns, in a gentle yet powerful way.

It could be considered more strategic than counselling, as it targets the behaviours that you are unhappy with, and that may be causing discomfort and stress in your life, and then gives you tools to makes the changes needed towards transforming your pain.

Psychotherapy will also help you to address your emotions, and how you are reacting to particular people, and events. This allows you to open to a deeper sense of calm, and confidence.

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Cognitive distortions are a way that we perceive and process the world around us and within us, based on past trauma, and subsequent decisions we have made about ourselves, others, and the world. 


All cognitive distortions are:

• Tendencies or faulty patterns of thinking, believing and/or behaving,

• Are false or inaccurate, but treated as true; and

• Have the potential to cause psychological damage.

It's important to note, that more than one cognitive distortion can be running at the same time.

One example of a cognitive distortion is 'globalisation' where a person believes one thing and applies this belief across the board to other areas of their life. These views are formed from a global perspective, and are often about a collective or group, i.e. 'all men cheat'. Obviously this is an untruth that may be based on a past hurt, and used to justify why the person holding this globalised view of men, can't move on to other healthy relationships.

Some other distortions are:

• Black and White Thinking

• Under Compartmentalisation

• Magical Thinking

• Stable Attribution Style

• External Locus of Control

• Perfectionism

• Low Tolerance for Ambiguity

• Catastrophising

• Personalisation

• Mind Reading

• Self Referencing

These can be unravelled and new healthier perceptions created.

From a philosophical perspective, holism is the theory that ascribes the parts of a whole are in intimate interconnection, such that they cannot exist independently of the whole, or cannot be understood without reference to the whole, which is thus regarded as greater than the sum of its parts. 

Holism is often applied to mental states, language, and ecology. From a medical perspective is it the treating of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease.

Strategic Psychotherapy therefore, considers, acknowledges, and brings all aspects of the human experience together to give you a more well rounded understanding of what's going on for you.

Talk therapy can be a very simple, and useful way to unlock the unconscious parts of you, and to bring awareness to your behavioural patterns. We don't know, what we don't know, and so it can be very healing to have a compassionate, and non-judgemental person to create a safe space in which you can be fully self-expressed, leading you to self-realisation and understanding. This safe space will allow you to deepen your self-awareness, knowing there is nothing intrinsically wrong with you, and nor are you broken. You simply hold some beliefs and behavioural patterns that are causing you stress, and discomfort. Talking these through can be a huge relief, and in fact, creates a healing experience.