Addiction, left untreated, is a life threatening issue that can take its form in drugs, alcohol, work, gambling, screens, self-harm, food and exercise to name a few. You may find that you are repeatedly prioritising your drug of choice over previously important aspects of your life. You may be repeatedly attempting to change how you may feel and suffer emotional or physical withdrawal.  When you stop, you might struggle to stay stopped or in control for any extended length of time. Fear and shame, cloaked in denial, often accompanies an addiction so if you suspect you might need help...find it now.

ADDICTION

Eating Disorders come in the form of Anorexia, Bulimia, Overeating/Binge Eating disorder and Orthorexia.
Anorexia - is the refusal to maintain a normal body weight. Anorexics might appear underweight and struggle with eating and drinking.
Bulimia - is a binge and purge cycle, how this manifests varies form person to person. Bulimics can purge through vomiting, laxatives, exercising, starving, restricting and self harming. Bulimics can be any weight depending on their compulsive behaviours.
Overeating/Binge Eating Disorder - is the compulsive need to overeat. Be this through actively bingeing, feeling the need to snack throughout the day or night or overeating at or after meal times. Overeaters might present as overweight.
Orthorexia - is an obsession with healthy eating. As an Orthorexic you can present as someone who is looking after their diet really well, however your need to control what you eat is causing you distinct pain and distress.  
You may experience one, two, three or all of these manifestations of an eating disorder. Whatever your experience you may find yourself lying about what you've eaten, when and where. You may feel like you are living in 'borrowed body' and have a highly distorted sense of self and body image.

EATING DISORDERS

Codependence is usually the result of developmental trauma or a family of origin experience that was unhelpful in some way. In order to protect our selves from being hurt again we create adapted parts of ourselves which allow us to look 'sorted' and feel 'in control' but actually move us further away from our authentic self - resulting in internal conflict and emotional pain. Codependents frequently present as either too dependent or anti-dependent. They experience a desperate need to be liked, loved and accepted demonstrated through people pleasing and dominant or submissive compulsive helping. Their self esteem depends on it. Codependents might have a sense of deep rooted resentment but have trouble expressing themselves honestly. Recovery from codependence involves self esteem work and boundary setting in order to develop a sense of self without the need to control others.

CODEPENDENCE

Many issues around mental health develop as a way to cope with trauma, or something that you found overwhelming and did not have the resources to deal with at the time. This includes but is not limited to, emotional neglect and abuse, living with a mentally unwell or addicted family member, bullying, sexual abuse, bereavement, abandonment, rejection, enmeshment (when someone uses another to help themselves feel better), physical abuse, witnessing abuse of another.  The list goes on. Developmental trauma might also present as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), difficulty getting into or out of relationships, over or under reactions as well as anxiety, depression. Recovery from trauma is challenging but, with support very possible.

TRAUMA

Self-Harm can manifest as cutting, bruising, burning, banging, picking, bone breaking and ingesting dangerous substances. Research shows that self-harmers are highly likely to have a history of trauma and the behaviour acts as a way to regulate long standing internal pain. Often associated with attachment disorders, self harm can be an attempt to cope with difficult feelings of abandonment and enmeshment. If you find yourself hurting yourself or wanting to hurt yourself it is important you seek help as soon as possible.

SELF-HARM

Depression is a mental health problem that causes a low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth; disturbed sleep or appetite; low energy, and poor concentration. It looks different on everyone. Some people are very functional in their depression.  Others are confined to their bed for weeks on end. Depression sometimes needs medical intervention but it is really worth trying a holistic approach before you go down that route. Often a reactive depression is an accumulation of difficult feelings that can be worked thorough in therapy. 

DEPRESSION

Love addiction can manifest in obsession around another person, place or thing.  You will seek out intensity in an attempt to create intimacy and connection. Love Avoidance shows up as a difficulty getting into relationships.  Fearing intimacy you may create intensity elsewhere to protect yourself from getting hurt.  You fear vulnerability. Neither needs to have a sexual element although this is often a product of becoming love addicted/avoidant. It can occur in romantic relationships, friendships, teaching situations and colleagues. A pre-occupation or a compulsive need to avoid a person, place or thing is usually the main symptom. You may also feel constantly worried that you will be rejected, abandoned or depended on. You may also feel a desperate need to find out information and display stalking like behaviours. The pain and shame that comes with Love Addiction and avoidance often results in feelings of anxiety, depression and use of external substance to avoid difficult feelings.

LOVE ADDICTION / AVOIDANCE

Anxiety is made up of a number of different factors and often people need help and support to work through anxiety.  The word anxiety means something specific to you. No-one's anxious response is the same as the next. It is a word that tells us you are not OK. You might need to 'unpack' your anxiety and start to understand your triggers.  How to cope more effectively.  Or you might need support while you go through a particularly stressful life event. Anxiety comes in all shapes and sizes so therapy around anxiety needs to be bespoke to you are your personal experience.

ANXIETY

Grief doesn't just happen when you lose a loved one or there's a death in the family or there's a breakup of a relationship. It happens every time you get disappointed.  It happens every time you lose something.  It happens every time an expectation isn't met.  It happens every time someone says no.  So quite often in life we are moved into a process of grief without realising. Whether you have experienced a major loss or are struggling with something not going your way, psychotherapy can be a helpful form of support as you process what is going on.

GRIEF

Body Image is something that is formed in your mind, based on thoughts and feelings you have about yourself and then unconsciously projected on to your physical body. It is different to your body reality.
Struggling with a negative body image can be destabilising and it is far more to do with your emotions that what your body actually looks like.  Therapy can help you understand the disturbance and help realign your body image with your body reality.

BODY IMAGE