About the therapeutic approach
Core Process Psychotherapy is the original mindfulness-based psychotherapy in the UK and the training is fully accredited by the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). Western psychotherapeutic approaches are integrated with a Buddhist understanding that the power of non-judgmental awareness and mindful attention is transformative. Being mindful involves paying attention to what is there in the present moment, leaving judgments and preconceived ideas behind, allowing thoughts to come and go without engaging in conclusions, noticing how everything is constantly changing. By cultivating mindfulness, we extend our awareness to how we live our lives and we begin to see how our past affects our present. Rather than trying to forcefully change things, Core Process Psychotherapy emphasizes how healing and transformation can arise naturally through bringing kindness and compassion to meet difficult experiences. We can explore our feelings and emotions just as they are, free from the judgments of a critical mind. As these healing qualities are experienced, greater space and freedom around issues can naturally emerge. The assumption that there is inherent health at the core of all of us is intrinsic to my work.
What happens in a session
We would explore together whatever feels most important to you in relation to what you would like to bring to any session. I won’t give you advice or try and fix anything for you, instead I may ask questions and offer my reflections so that you may experience greater insight into your own experience. I may invite you to reflect holistically on your experience by paying attention to thoughts, body sensations, feelings and perceptions. The body holds memories of stressful situations and so issues may show up through physical discomfort or tension. Our work could therefore include becoming more aware of the mind-body connection and how physical constriction may be linked to particular thought patterns, unexpressed emotions or unresolved issues from the past. There can be much learning and growth from listening to the body and following its natural impulse towards healing.
"You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf"
- Jon Kabat-Zinn
