Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) is a relatively new and innovative form of therapy, developed by psychotherapist Richard Schwartz, that has been gaining increasing popularity in recent years. This approach to therapy helps individuals to understand and resolve the inner conflicts and traumas that exist within their mind, soul, and body. What is Internal Family Systems Therapy? There … [Read more...]
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Living with and Understanding a Complex Mental Illness
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex and often misunderstood mental health condition. It affects approximately 1-2% of the general population and is characterized by intense and unstable emotions, impulsive behaviour, and a distorted sense of self-identity. Living with this mental illness can be a challenging and isolating experience, but with the right support and treatment it is … [Read more...]
How to Help Someone Through Depression
Discovering that a friend or family member is suffering with clinical depression can leave us feeling scared, worried and unsure of how to help. Learning more about depression and its treatments can help you understand what your friend or family member is going through and how to best support them. Doing some research on the signs, symptoms and treatments of depression can also help you know … [Read more...]
Is this a Midlife Crisis or Depression?
Are you in your 40s or 50s and feeling empty and low for no apparent reason? If so, you may be in the throes of a midlife crisis. At times you may question whether this could be depression, however, what you are feeling is a normal shift in the aging process. Research tells us that midlife is the time when we are most likely to feel down. The Happiness U-Curve, taken from a collection of … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Feel Better Without Therapy: Part Three, Managing Emotions
Have you ever reacted to someone in the heat of the moment and afterwards looked back wishing you had responded differently? Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by emotion and notice it affects your ability to focus or be present? Most of us find ourselves in these situations some of the time, but if this happens often to you, you may be having problems regulating (calming) your … [Read more...]
The Work of Grief: Making it Through the First Few Months
"If, as a culture, we don’t bear witness to grief, the burden of loss is placed entirely upon the bereaved, while the rest of us avert our eyes and wait for those in mourning to stop being sad, to let go, to move on, to cheer up. And if they don’t — if they have loved too deeply, if they do wake each morning thinking, I cannot continue to live — well, then we pathologize their pain; we call their … [Read more...]