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After a period of disturbed sleep resulting from the natural unfolding of family life, I noticed the significant effect on my body, mind and emotions. I thought I’d blog about the impact good sleep has on us, because it is significant. Sleep acts as a foundational pillar for your brain, directly impacting your emotional stability, cognitive performance, and long-term resilience. Rather than just being a passive period of rest, sleep is an active state during which your brain

I first came across the power of the labyrinth in the 2000s when I undertook my NLP Training. The training school I attended had one at the bottom of the car park, a tranquil spot where we could go and explore. It had quite an effect on me and to this day I have labyrinths in my therapy room to remind me of the power of journeying toward self-discovery, inner understanding, and when desired, transformation. Labyrinths are often used as a form of meditation or prayer, they h

In one sense, being still is the opposite of moving. This can lead to the natural conclusion that when we talk about finding stillness, we mean we need to stop, do nothing, and literally be physically still. Hmm…that concept of stillness can be very useful, in fact I’d highly recommend it as a regular practice, but for me it is not the core of what is meant by finding stillness. Many people (me included) have busy lives with various responsibilities and commitments, the ide

“Power isn't in proving. It's in knowing you don't have to.” I saw this quote on social media and wanted to say a little about it because it speaks of a self-assurance and inner resilience that is important for robust mental health. Knowing you do not have to prove or ask means you can stop seeking approval from other people because already know your own worth. When there is a sense that you need to prove yourself there are often arguments with others who you are seeking val

The meaning we make of what happens in our life is not fixed. This is because it is not a feature of the event itself, instead it’s something we construct in our mind in response to what happens. The meaning we make of things is our current interpretation of them, we have attached them to the observable facts, meaning is not the facts themselves. Our experience is shaped by the meaning we make of things and the context in which we place this meaning. Context is the larger

A reflection on why phenomenology is a powerful philosophical approach to take in psychotherapy.

News from Fe at Magnolia Psychotherapy Helping you thrive, whatever life brings I'm delighted to launch my new brand, Magnolia Psychotherapy, still working from my existing therapy room on Grangeside just off Blackwell Lane in Darlington. Having married in summer 2025 it felt like high time to update my company name. Inspired by a tree in my garden, my Magnolia brand speaks of the qualities I bring to life in my work and more generally. as an ancient genus surviving for

I came across the idea of Sensory Circuits as an aide for children to help them re-set their nervous system after a day at school, assisting them in transitioning into the home environment. It proved very useful, and that got me thinking about the application for adults, after all we also need help to transition and to release tension when we have been having a stressful time. Sensory circuits can not only help when you are feeling over-stimulated or overloaded, they are als

I was reminded recently of the importance of connecting beyond yourself for good mental health. It makes sense really, thinking systemically we are beings built for connection both to the physical world and to each other. We know from a research perspective that connection coincides with thriving, while isolation and #loneliness can negatively impact mental health. Connection has many different aspects and different people will have their own preferences for how they connect

I do a job where curiosity is thankfully a core requirement. That sense of ‘I don’t know yet’ can be exciting and stimulating, and is crucial for effective psychotherapy. Every client is unique, with their own individual experience and ways of perceiving the world. For sure there are patterns and themes and knowing this is a very useful side to navigating the complexities of mental health and well-being. Finding the balance of holding knowledge of patterns in human experien

Here's a short guide from Insight Timer that I thought was particularly useful in explaining how you can stimulate your vagus nerve. Stimulation is important to improve your vagal tone, which makes you less reactive to triggers and helps your nervous system spend more time in a resting, relaxed state. For practical help in calming your nervous system through deeply connected, relational psychotherapy, get in touch at fjchrichard@gmail.com or on 01325 605160. #nervoussystem #

I'm delighted to begin the autumn with a new addition to my therapy room, a Sicilian pinecone. We noticed them on holiday, placed in many doorways and entrances, and were intrigued to learn they were there to ward off negative energy and bad luck. Packed with seeds, pinecones also represent life-generating force, longevity and spiritual orientation. We discovered that different colours of cones for some people represent different things (this is not a ubiquitous view). For

I had a testing experience on holiday, and I wanted to share the reminder it gave me. It's so easy to forget the simple things that can make a different to our lived experience, and it was good to have the opportunity to re-learn. The car we booked in advance for some reason was not administered correctly and we had no transport for our many planned activities in a 10 day trip. We managed to get a tiny car much smaller than we would prefer and we used that for our trips. It

In personal change terms evolving at a steady pace is a great way to go. Making small changes, consolidating them, and building on them gradually can lead to lasting change that is built on firm foundations. It can be tempting to go for all out revolution and to make big changes or several changes at once. However, anyone who has tried this method of changing habits will likely tell you that it is a hard road and it can be difficult to make change like this stick. Whether you

A reflection on how much of our experience is hidden and how beneficial it is to uncover it.

Here a six ways of managing your emotional state.

One of the things clients most often want to talk about early in psychotherapy is how they can manage their feelings, or self-regulate. Sometimes feelings are overwhelming, or unpredictable, and sometimes clients find it hard to feel their emotions at all. In this article there are six practical ways you can help yourself with your emotions. You can think of it as working on your relationship with your feelings. After all, feelings are messages, letting you know about somet

My business telephone number has changed, you can now reach me on 01325 605160. My email address is still fejrobinson@gmail.com. For #psychotherapy, #couplescounselling and #clinicalsupervision that goes beyond the obvious and comes from the heart, get in touch.

I was reflecting on the nature of patterns, and took a moment to look up some definitions to help me express what it was I was sensing. The two that resonated were: "an arrangement of repeated or corresponding parts" dictionary.com and "A regular and predictable habit, routine, or trend in human actions" google AI Patterns can be things we do, ways of thinking or habitual feelings that drive the way we interact, eat, sleep, exercise, work etc etc etc. Almost all behaviour i

Some time ago, I was encouraged to ask myself the question 'what's good to do?' in any given moment, particularly if I was feeling doubtful or unsure. It is a question that has stood me in very good stead since, and so today I wanted to say a little about it. What's good to do? is a question you can ask with various contexts in mind. What's good to do for me? What's good to do for the people I love and/or am responsible to? What's good to do for my community, country, for