Living By Intentions – What’s It All About For You?

What’s the point of you coming to psychotherapy? Why bother coming to couples counselling? Here’s my premise: it’s easy to start both activities and forget why you started in the first place. This is a reflection of how we live our lives. You fall into autopilot and do things because you’ve always done them, never…

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Are You An Autopilot Zombie Sleepwalking To Your Doom?

Autopilot behaviour happens to us all.  It’s all of those behaviours you do without even thinking.   Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is particularly interested in this behaviour because it often gets in the way of you having a rich, fulfilling life. Sometimes it’s like you’ve morphed into a zombie and you are sleepwalking yourself into Hell.…

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Why New Year Resolutions Suck and What To Do Instead

Over this Christmas holiday, I have spent a higher that usual percentage of my week sitting on the sofa and force feeding myself.  It’s tradition. Like a rather rotund hamster, I have shovelled the Quality Street and honey roasted peanuts down my gob in a way that would suggest they could be taken away from my at any…

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The Magical Power Of “So What?”

committed action in acceptance and commitment therapy

Committed Action In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy I cringe at myself every time I ask a client to “tell me about your childhood. ” As a psychotherapist, it’s a legitimate question, but it’s so bloody stereotyped! It reminds me of one of my favourite tracks as a kid – “Hyperactive” – by Thomas Dolby. Now,…

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How Funkadelic Saved My Sanity

Acceptance and commitment therapy loops

Sometimes I get stuck. This information may come as a surprise to you. Even though I’m a therapist and have spent years studying the art of avoiding holes, I still fall into some deep pits when I’m on autopilot. When I got stuck last week, Funkadelic threw down a rope and pulled me out. Here’s…

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