The MYTH of Mental Illness: Was Thomas Szasz Right?
/
Is mental illness real?
No - at least, not in the way we think.
Because according to psychiatrist Thomas Szasz, the problem lies in the question…
Read More
DB’s Coaching, Counselling & Cognitive Hypnotherapy Blog for Leighton Buzzard & Milton Keynes
Here's where I post what I write. Some may be useful. Some even entertaining. And if we're lucky, it's both.
The Ideal Worker Fantasy: Failing at Work? Or is Work Failing You?
/
Ever feel like no matter how many hoops you jump through, it's never enough?
It may not be you…
Read MoreLying About Santa: Innocent family magic? Or an illusion of deceit and betrayal?
/
A conversation I've had numerous times with various people is, "don’t you think telling kids Santa exists is lying to them?". And it can quickly turn to justification. "It's not lying", they say. And then begin to explain how it's something different…
Read MoreCapacity Arrogance: When Getting Ahead Actually Means Backing Down
/
Facing challenges makes you grow. But when is real growth backing out?
I had a social work client once upon a time. I turned up and he was angry. "They're screwing me over" he kept saying…
Read MoreWhy Do We Get Anxious? 10 Root Causes of Anxiety Explained
/
Ever find yourself asking 'why am I anxious?'.
Anxiety might feel random and unexplainable at times - but it isn’t. It's your nervous system firing off to protect you.
Read MoreHow Does Anxiety Show Up? (Anxiety Symptoms)
/
Anxiety is more than just 'worry'. It can affect every part of your experience - how you think, feel, move, and act. And sometimes in ways that don't immediately seem connected with fear…
Read MoreWhat Is Anxiety?
/
Anxiety is dread about a future you can't cope with.
It’s not fear of what’s happening now - but what might happen, what could go wrong, and whether you'll survive it…
Read MoreHow to BOSS Social Interaction with Confidence [VIDEO]
/![How to BOSS Social Interaction with Confidence [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/587289343a0411b6dbcf0549/1742033997006-THJI34GHLX1X7B8HXXR6/yt+thumbnail.PNG)
People, eh?
They can be hard work. (I see you nodding).
But what if the problem isn't them per se, but their role….
Perfectionism: How Fear of Looking Stupid Will Hold You Back [VIDEO]
/![Perfectionism: How Fear of Looking Stupid Will Hold You Back [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/587289343a0411b6dbcf0549/1741156939260-VB46VI6UDOVTFZ7DABKQ/CaptureDB04032005.PNG)
Perfectionism.
Ye Olde Creator-and-Preventer of Flops and Failures…
Why Your New Years' Resolutions Fail Miserably (And 4 Steps To Achieve Them)
/
Hate New Years' Resolutions?
Me too. It's not that I hate them, per se. But I never really saw the point.
"I'm FINALLY going to start doing that thing I've been putting off for years!" No. No, you're probably not.
So why do we keep doing it to ourselves then…?
Read MoreOn Being Most EXCELLENTLY Wrong: How Mental Breakdowns Can Work In Your Favour
/
A single, year-old photo popped up on my memories recently. It's all smiles and silliness. But from that snapshot, you'd never suspect my mental health and business had both come crashing down over the previous six months.
Read MoreBe More Laurence: Knowing How To Be More Loving, Open, And A Better Person For Everyone
/
I found out someone I knew died recently.
I didn't know him well. In fact, we only met once on a four-day retreat. But the effect he had on me was profound…
Read MoreRunning In Circles: Trust Issues? The MOST Important Thing To Know
/
Trust issues?
I found a new running route recently.
I took a last-minute detour, thinking "I wonder what's down that way".
Now, that might seem trivial. But it wasn't some years ago…
Read MoreConfidence: Why It Isn't Real (And How You Build Confidence Anyway) [VIDEO]
/![Confidence: Why It Isn't Real (And How You Build Confidence Anyway) [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/587289343a0411b6dbcf0549/1614024483598-J959PU85YVWBUH7TWOK4/Confident.PNG)
"You're very brave"
A client said this to me recently as I recounted the time I jumped out of a plane. And I laughed to myself.
But what's more important is he was wrong. And I say that not to be humble. But because it's fundamentally wrong…
Read MoreWordsmyth: The Hypnotherapy Fallacy (What Doesn't Work And How Change Actually Happens)
/
"So where does the hypnotherapy bit come in?"
I'm often asked this question during my first conversation with a client…
Read MoreAddictive Thinking: What Is Addiction? How It's Not The Thing, It's What You Believe [VIDEO]
/![Addictive Thinking: What Is Addiction? How It's Not The Thing, It's What You Believe [VIDEO]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/587289343a0411b6dbcf0549/1612030854779-G8Q84L1B53ZSBUV8JS10/Capture.PNG)
What is addiction? And why do some people get addicted, and others don't?
I used to say I had an addictive personality. I could get quite obsessive and was very all-or-nothing. And just as Ms. Mary-J had been something I was all-in on as a teenager, alcohol was no different in my twenties…
Read MoreBouncing Back: 3 Key Traits That Separate Those Who Crumble From Those Who Cope
/
Struggling with stress, feeling overwhelmed, or handling uncertainty and change?
The world's a very different place than it was at the beginning of March. And yet the experience for some has been vastly different from that of others. So what makes the difference?
Read MoreCurrent Showdown: The Underlying Cause Of Why You Get Frustrated (And How To Make Things Easier)
/
We all have those days. I know I do. But what about when it's every.damn.day?
I often find it comes down to this…
Read MoreCOVID Coping Skills: 4 Tips To Stay Sane During The COVID-19 Coronavirus Lockdown
/
"These are unprecedented times".
Something we keep hearing a lot. But with all the uncertainty, let's put our attention on what we can do to keep grounded…
Read MoreLockdown Lash-Out: The Key To Handling Social Distancing Dissenters In The COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic (And What Doesn't Work)
/
"I don't like this episode of Black Mirror"
One of the best-yet-worst memes I've seen to explain our current situation.
Social Distancing and Self-Isolation are now part of everyday lingo. Uncertainty seems one of the only certainties…
Read More