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Understanding Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) and Gentle Ways to Support Recovery
Functional Neurological Disorder, or FND, is a condition where the brain and body struggle to communicate in the usual way. This can lead to real and often challenging symptoms—difficulty moving parts of the body, tremors, fatigue, or episodes that feel overwhelming. For some people, symptoms appear after stressful experiences, trauma, or alongside anxiety or other emotional challenges. For others, there may be no clear trigger. FND is complex, and every person experiences it
kirstielouise12
Feb 241 min read


Learning to Listen to Yourself
Today, I had to take a step back. Lately, I’ve been putting too much on my plate, expecting myself to do it all—and to do it all fast . Tonight, I had plans, but my body was telling me no. My brain kept arguing—“You can push through, it’s fine, just go!”—but my gut was saying something different. So I listened. It wasn’t easy. We live in a culture that glorifies doing more, going faster, and always being “on.” If you’re anything like me, you probably push through more than yo
kirstielouise12
Feb 241 min read


Understanding Anger: What Lies Beneath
Anger is often described as a secondary emotion. That means it’s rarely the first feeling we experience—it’s usually covering something deeper. Beneath the surface, there’s often hurt, fear, feeling misunderstood, or a sense that we’re not safe. In many ways, anger can feel easier to express than those more vulnerable emotions. It can act as a kind of protection, a shield that helps us cope when we’re feeling exposed or uncertain. That doesn’t make anger “bad” or “wrong.” In
kirstielouise12
Feb 241 min read


Therapy Isn’t About the Diagnosis—It’s About You
I often hear people say they don’t know how to find the “right” therapist. It can feel overwhelming—there are so many approaches, labels, and specializations out there. Should you go for CBT? Someone who works specifically with autism? Trauma specialists? Here’s the thing: therapy isn’t about the label. It’s about you . A diagnosis or condition doesn’t define your experience. Two people can have the same label and live entirely different emotional lives—different struggles, f
kirstielouise12
Feb 241 min read


How to Rest Without Feeling Guilty
I really struggle to give myself permission to rest. I work, come home, do chores, cook dinner, exercise, and work on my lifelong to-do list. My mind is in constant “doing” mode, and I rarely allow it time to truly rest. So, what is rest? Rest is any activity that reduces strain on your system and helps your mind and body recover, leaving you feeling refreshed. Without rest, we eventually burn out. Before that happens, as our brain becomes exhausted, it turns negative, more j
kirstielouise12
Feb 241 min read


why I do what I do
One of my clients recently asked to move to fortnightly sessions after seeing me every week—and I can’t tell you how happy that made me. When she first came to me, she was really struggling. In her own words, she “used our sessions as a crutch.” Hearing that now feels like such a profound shift. Through our work together—and, importantly, through the work she’s done for herself—she has become more grounded, more confident, and more empowered to trust her own judgment. She’s n
kirstielouise12
Feb 242 min read


Focus on What You Can Control—and Find More Peace
It’s amazing how much stress and frustration comes from spending our energy on things we simply cannot change. Traffic, the weather, other people’s opinions, or events from the past—trying to control these is like trying to hold water in your hands. The harder you squeeze, the more it slips away, leaving you tense, anxious, and exhausted. On the flip side, when we focus on what we can control—our choices, our responses, our mindset—we start to feel lighter, calmer, and more
kirstielouise12
Feb 242 min read


Why we all deserve therapy
Therapy can be scary It means letting down your walls, being vulnerable, and facing things you may have avoided — and that isn’t easy. I’ve had clients say: “What if I can’t be fixed?” “What if things get worse?” “What if I uncover something that turns my world upside down and I don’t know what to do next?” First of all: you are not broken. Life is a work in progress, full of ups and downs. It can be uncomfortable, scary, or just simply shit sometimes. But therapy is about gi
kirstielouise12
Feb 241 min read


Negative Thoughts
Negative thoughts creep in quietly, hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to whisper everything that’s wrong with us—how our new job, relationship, or hobby is bound to fail. They tell us people don’t like us. They convince us we’re stupid when others don’t understand what we say. They insist that if things are going well, something bad is just around the corner. This is, in part, a defence mechanism. We’re hardwired to focus more on negatives than positives—i
kirstielouise12
Feb 241 min read


What you need to hear when you are struggling to help a loved one
Healing happens when we’re ready. We all have people in our lives we want to help—and sometimes, we’re the ones others are trying to help. As humans, we care deeply. We don’t want to see our loved ones suffer. We’re natural fixers; we want to make things better, to rescue those we love. But the truth is—people don’t need to be rescued, and often, they can’t be. The more we try to push someone in a direction they’re not ready to go, the more they’ll resist—and the longer the h
kirstielouise12
Feb 241 min read


Positive intentions
It might sound a little surprising at first, but every behaviour—even the ones we label as “negative” or “harmful”—actually carries a positive intention. That doesn’t mean the behaviour itself is good or acceptable, but rather that behind it, there’s a reason—a benefit that our mind, whether consciously or unconsciously, is trying to achieve. Think about it: when someone lashes out in anger, when we procrastinate, or when we self-sabotage, it often feels frustrating or even d
kirstielouise12
Feb 242 min read


What is NLP
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a therapy that supports people to change their thoughts and behaviours. NLP uses various mental and emotional strategies that lead to higher performance in a range of areas. With a person -centred approach, it aims to help people identify and change their negative thoughts and behaviour patterns. NLP focuses on the idea that people respond to their experience as they have perceived it, not the reality itself. NLP is based on the understan
kirstielouise12
Feb 241 min read
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