Self-Care

How to overcome Social Anxiety Disorder.

by John Nolan
24th December 202428th March 2025

Overcoming social anxiety disorder (SAD) involves a multifaceted approach that combines understanding the condition, challenging negative thought patterns, and actively engaging in feared social situations. Here’s a breakdown of how someone can address SAD: Understanding Social Anxiety Disorder It’s More Than Shyness: Social anxiety disorder is not simply being shy; it’s a persistent and intense… Read More »How to overcome Social Anxiety Disorder.

how to overcome social anxiety disorder

by John Nolan
17th December 202426th December 2024

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a mental health condition where individuals experience intense fear and anxiety in social situations. Understanding and Challenging Anxiety Normalising Anxiety: One of the first steps is understanding that anxiety is a normal human emotion. It’s the brain’s natural response to perceived threats. Individuals with SAD often misinterpret social situations as… Read More »how to overcome social anxiety disorder

The Damaging Impact of Anger

by John Nolan
13th January 20204th March 2025

Names, and details of people and organisations have been changed to maintain their privacy. The case studies below will will go into details of how these transformations occurred. Tim (not client’s real name) was an unusual client in that from the very first contact they were clear that anger was the issue (typically clients have… Read More »The Damaging Impact of Anger

How to Help Yourself When you’re triggered

by John Nolan
12th August 20194th March 2025

You can probably think of an occasion where the feelings you were experiencing at a particular moment were stronger, more intense than the situation really deserved. Something from your past had been awakened or ‘triggered’. Sometimes people are aware of what these memories are; sometimes they just experience the emotional charge from the past event.… Read More »How to Help Yourself When you’re triggered

Stress Relief – This May Be All You Need To Know

by John Nolan
15th June 20194th March 2025

I’m going to skip the usual explanations about stress in the body, and all of the science stuff, and all of the problems that stress can cause you. There’s plenty of information out there if you want to read about this. I am going to focus on some practical suggestions that you can implement right… Read More »Stress Relief – This May Be All You Need To Know

Control of Your Attention Influences Your Success

by John Nolan
4th May 20194th March 2025

The human brain is prone to distraction; our ancient ancestors gained a distinct survival advantage by being able to quickly switch the focus of their attention. Our modern lifestyle of push notifications, open-plan offices and constant calls for our attention make it far easier for our brain to be distracted. We can even get hooked… Read More »Control of Your Attention Influences Your Success

Mental Freedom16th May 2025
Mental freedom involves liberation from the dictation of your thoughts, allowing you to choose how to respond to your inner experience and the world. It is achieved not by controlling or eliminating unwanted thoughts and feelings, but by learning to relate to them differently through practices like mindfulness and acceptance. Key strategies include paying non-judgemental attention to the present moment, seeing thoughts as separate from reality, accepting and making space for difficult emotions, challenging unhelpful thinking patterns, and committing to actions aligned with your values. Cultivating self-awareness, self-compassion, and a supportive inner voice are also vital. The benefits are extensive, including reduced suffering, increased positive emotions, clarity on values, greater control over your actions (rather than your feelings), reduced stress, enhanced mental flexibility, improved relationships with yourself and your inner experience, and ultimately, a happier and more vital life where you are not defined by your challenges but are empowered to move towards what matters.
ACT or CBT for anxiety?15th May 2025
ACT and CBT offer distinct approaches to addressing anxiety. CBT often focuses on identifying and challenging maladaptive thoughts and reducing symptoms by altering thought content and structure. It also utilises exposure to counter avoidance. ACT, conversely, views avoidance and control efforts as key problems that paradoxically worsen suffering. Its goal is not symptom reduction but helping clients live a full, valued life by fostering psychological flexibility. ACT employs defusion to change the relationship with thoughts rather than disputing them and promotes acceptance and willingness to experience internal sensations and emotions fully, often using mindfulness and exposure techniques reframed within an acceptance context. While CBT is seen as a traditional behavioural/cognitive approach, ACT is considered a newer wave that integrates some CBT techniques within a broader framework centred on acceptance, mindfulness, values, and committed action.
Rewiring the Anxious Brain: Techniques and the Role of the Havening Therapist14th May 2025
Rewiring the anxious brain leverages the brain's capacity for neuroplasticity to change its responses to anxiety. Anxiety is understood to involve the amygdala and cortex pathways. Techniques targeting the amygdala, such as exposure therapy, relaxation, exercise, and Havening, aim to modify emotional memories and threat responses through experience and direct neurological intervention. Techniques targeting the cortex, like cognitive restructuring and mindfulness, focus on changing anxious thoughts, interpretations, and awareness. Other approaches such as NLP, SFBT, Hypnotherapy, and Neurofeedback also contribute to this process by addressing subconscious factors, promoting solution-focused thinking, conditioning relaxation responses, or directly altering brainwave patterns. A Havening therapist is particularly integral to this process by facilitating amygdala depotentiation through techniques like Havening and guiding clients in self-practices such as CPR for the Amygdala, enabling effective and controlled healing of trauma and building resilience. The goal is to build new neural pathways that resist anxiety and allow individuals to live more fully according to their values.
Reasons for Professionals and Senior Management Seeking Private Anxiety Treatment13th May 2025
Many professional people and senior management seek anxiety treatment, often in private settings, due to the severe impact anxiety has on their careers, performance, and relationships. They may seek effective and tailored solutions beyond temporary symptom relief, favouring approaches that focus on performance, well-being, and client control. Stigma, embarrassment, and the need for privacy to address what can feel like a secret problem are significant motivators for choosing private treatment. They may also be looking for alternative approaches if previous attempts at managing anxiety, particularly through avoidance, have proven costly and ineffective.
An Exploration of Havening Techniques for Anxiety12th May 2025
Havening Techniques for anxiety are a psychosensory treatment using touch to generate delta waves in the brain, which is understood to depotentiate distress encoded in the amygdala. Practitioners guide clients through Havening Touch or Self-Havening, working with issues like panic attacks, phobias, stress, and trauma. A key benefit is the ability to work content-free, meaning clients do not need to verbally disclose details of distressing events. Havening acts as a valuable addition to existing therapeutic toolkits, potentially enhancing the effectiveness of other modalities. It is seen as surpassing traditional anxiety treatments in its described speed, efficacy, and gentleness, allowing clients to process difficult experiences without re-traumatisation. The real-time results and focus on underlying neurological processes are highlighted as particular strengths. While still gaining wider recognition, practitioners find it transforms their practise and provides a powerful self-care tool.