You can understand your patterns… and still repeat them in relationships. Many people come to therapy already understanding their patterns intellectually. They know why they people please. Why they over-function. Why they fear abandonment. Why they shut down or withdraw. …
Category: Psychotherapy
The Part of You That Won’t Let Go Is Trying to Protect You
The part of you that won’t let go… is trying to protect you. It replays the past so you don’t get hurt like that again. It stays alert so you don’t feel caught off guard. It doesn’t need to be …
If You Keep Thinking About It, Here’s Why
If you keep thinking about it… it’s because a part of you hasn’t finished processing it yet. Something in you is still trying to make sense of what happened — or trying to protect you from ever feeling that way …
Deep Pain Doesn’t Leave All at Once — It Softens in Layers
What I see, again and again in therapy, is that deep pain doesn’t leave all at once. It softens in layers. You return to it, but each time from a different place. A different level of the spiral. One session …
What to Do When You Can’t Afford Therapy
Therapy can be expensive. But I have always seen it as a vital part of self-care. At different times in my life, I have gone without other things in order to prioritise my mental health, and it has always been …
What the Taylor Swift and Blake Lively Texts Teach Us About Friendship and Conflict
As a psychotherapist, I broke down the Taylor Swift–Blake Lively texts for body+soul.com.au, revealing what they got right (vulnerable check-ins!), what could’ve been better (earlier reciprocity), and lessons for us all. Conflict avoidant? Their bold honesty shows that naming the …
When the Avoidant Part Takes Over: It’s Protection, Not Punishment
When the avoidant part takes over, it’s because closeness feels unsafe. This part learned to rely on itself. So it pulls back, shuts down, stays busy — not to punish, but to protect. Pressure doesn’t soften it. Gentleness, curiosity and …
When the Anxious Part Takes Over
When the anxious part takes over, it’s because something feels at risk. This part fears disconnection. So it watches, worries, reaches — not to control, but to protect. Reassurance doesn’t calm it. Presence does. When you stay with this part, …
When You Feel Unsafe, a Part Steps In
When you feel unsafe, a part steps in. Automatically. Instinctively. Intelligently. That part is a strategy your system learned. Listening to this part brings relief. Fighting it creates more tension. In parts work, we don’t ask, “How do I stop …
The Part of You That Rushes Is Trying to Keep You Safe
The part of you that rushes is trying to keep you safe. The part that reacts is not the problem. It learned this strategy a long time ago. No part needs fixing. They need understanding and protection. When your nervous …