The problem is not the problem!

 

Life can be challenging. Work pressures, relationship problems, life’s defeats and failures, losses, loneliness, illnesses, smaller hurts and bigger traumas...the list goes on and on. But it’s not always the initial or most obvious problem that can be causing you to suffer.

 

True, psychotherapy techniques can’t fix these external difficulties you are facing.

 

But - and it’s a big ‘but’ - psychotherapy can help you with the internal reactions you are having to those external challenges. It’s usually our internal reactions - the unhelpful thoughts, feelings, beliefs, behaviours, and our 'meaning maps' of the world (encoded at the deeper brain levels) - that lie at the heart of our suffering. Pain may be inevitable, but suffering is optional.

 

We can work together to strengthen your mental muscles, helping you undo negative internal states. Then, once you’re not caught in the loop of your own negative internal functioning, your mind will be much clearer and calmer to tackle the external problems. 

 

The more work you do on your mental wellbeing, the more you’ll have a sense of sustainable resilience, feel more at ease within yourself and find your external relationships are smoother. Mental wellbeing ensures your emotional functioning is in good shape even when times are tough, and enhances your cognitive functioning so you can perform well in your life.