Would Freud have blogged?

Having started this blog just a couple of days ago, I've thought about what I might write as a counsellor - what was OK to write. Then the thought occurred to me today as to whether Freud would be a blogger if he was still around.

As a psychodynamic counsellor I've been taught that in the counselling room I should be pretty much like a blank screen - it's not about my stuff, the focus has to be my client. But then while Freud and those coming after him may have advocated a blank screen or tabula rasa stance for the therapist, that did not mean they didn't publish a variety of papers and books concerning their theories and therapeutic work. I'm not about to publish some marvellous new theory, nothing that grand I'm afraid! I just wanted to have a space to talk about topics that interest me concerning my work.

Mindfulness was the first topic that came to me to write about, perhaps because there has been a fair amount written about it recently from a cognitive behavioural, (CBT), point of view. As a psychodynamic counsellor I wanted to say that while the CBT approach is fine, it's not the only way to do it. Psychodynamic counsellors, therapists and analysts have used mindfulness in their work for many years.

Dreams are another topic that interests me. I find them fascinating! I guess these are two quite different topics and how this blog will develop, I'm not sure. I hope though to make it about subjects related to therapy or counselling and the approach I use myself - particularly the psychodynamic approach.

Ways of communicating have became increasingly sophisticated since Freud's time. We can use different media and connect with others worldwide in an instant. I wonder where this will lead us in terms of therapy?

Lin Travis Counselling Services

Dreams - are they worth investigating?

Dreams have always fascinated me. Sigmund Freud saw them as the 'royal road to the unconscious'. How interesting is that? The unconscious, a part of us that we cannot know directly, is there to be explored by looking at our dreams. Freud saw the unconscious as being populated by repressed parts of ourselves, bits we have found difficult to face.

Carl Jung on the other hand has had a broader view of the unconscious. For him, the unconscious contains a 'shadow' side; but is also the source of our spirituality and creativity. The unconscious in this view is a vital and creative part of our selves and our personalities. Doesn't that make our dreams worth investigating?

There are books where you can look up dream objects and find out what they mean. This may be interesting and a starting point; yet it may tell you little about yourself. The objects in our dreams are our own creations and so may have meanings particular to ourselves. These individual, idiosyncratic, particular meanings can give clues to previously undiscovered, unexplored parts of ourselves.

This view of dreams seems to me to open a door to not so much another world as to another side of ourselves, another perspective that can be useful for us in our everyday lives. Therefore, while fascinating in itself, looking at our dreams can broaden our perspective, unblock our creativity and help us out there in the everyday world.

Lin Travis Counselling Services

Mindfulness and Counselling

I haven't had a go at blogging before, so it may take me a while to get the hang of it! I'm not brilliant at IT, but I wanted a space to chat about counselling and related issues. Right now I'm thinking about #mindfulness and how useful it can be in counselling, wellbeing... and life!



Stepping stones across the water

I feel that there are many ways in which mindfulness can be used to good effect. There are some useful CBT techniques for instance, but that doesn't necessarily tell the full story. Mindfulness has been around for thousands of years - it's certainly stood the test of time. People can use it in so many ways - to help relax, to improve focus and concentration, to meditate, to relieve stress, anxiety or depression. It can be used to help people with long term pain problems. It can be quite a powerful tool. You can see that I'm a fan!
I've used it myself personally for over forty years; and in recent years with clients / patients in therapy. It's not everyone's cup of tea but in my experience it has real therapeutic value both for those in distress and also to increase wellbeing.

There are many ways of learning to be more mindful. Perhaps the most important thing to say though is that it's not about doing it 'perfectly' but about having a go. You can read about it and think about it, but it's the actual doing that's the most important.Wrestling with what makes it difficult is being mindful.

In a way it's so simple and yet so difficult at the same time. Perhaps that sounds really vague. Here's an example...go for a short walk and try to focus on just walking, your body and how it feels, putting one foot in front of the other. You'll notice that your mind soon begins to wander. That's OK but just gently notice what thoughts come into your mind and then go back to focusing on the walking. That's it!

What that exercise does is to begin to train your mind to focus rather darting about - as minds usually do. It's a gentle kind of control not forced  In doing this you can learn to take a step back from your thoughts rather than getting tangled up in them as is so easily done.....Kind of coming out of tunnel vision and seeing the broader view. This can be very therapeutic.

Another way I find useful to approach mindfulness is through #gardening. Seeing the colours, smelling the scents, doing something physical can all help us focus in the present moment, How many people have found themselves 'lost' in the moment while pottering around the garden. We're involved in using our senses and that helps us keep in the present moment, rather than being bothered by the past or worrying about the future.

Just smelling a favourite flower or herb can have that effect - getting us out of our thoughts and aware of ourselves in our physical surroundings - the smell of honeysuckle after the rain, a favourite rose, a pot of jasmine on the windowsill. These are some of my own examples, others will have their own....what are yours?

By Lin Travis

www.lintravis.co.uk