Awake Counselling

14/10/2026

Yesterday we talked about the vagus nerve and why it matters. Today I go into what actually helps.

I want to be honest with you, the internet is full of elaborate, expensive, and sometimes outright misleading suggestions. Cold plunge devices, acupressure mats, electrical stimulation gadgets. Some of these may have a place however the evidence for most of them is thin. What the research consistently supports is far less glamorous and far more accessible.

Slow breathing - around six deep diaphragmatic breaths per minute - breathing into your belly, not just your chest - has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Inhale for five seconds, exhale for five. Just five to ten minutes makes a real difference.

Movement - getting up and moving interrupts a fixed, contracted state. Walking is genuinely medicine, regular aerobic movement improves autonomic regulation over time. You don't need a gym, you need your feet and somewhere to go.

Sensory quiet - no podcast, no scroll, no stimulation - just stillness. This one is harder than it sounds and more powerful than most people expect, when we notice and engage our mindfulness.

Nature - research shows that even 15 minutes walking in a natural environment can shift your nervous system toward recovery. Get outside, leave your phone behind if you can.

Connection - warm, safe human connection is one of the most powerful nervous system regulators we have. We are literally wired to co-regulate with each other.

Simple. Unglamorous. Evidence-backed. 💚

14/10/2026

I came across a really interesting piece in The Guardian that got me thinking and it confirmed a lot of what I talk about with clients regularly. So let's actually break this down properly.

You've probably heard the term thrown around a lot lately - vagus nerve this, vagus nerve that. So let's actually talk about what it is and why it matters.

The vagus nerve is essentially the superhighway between your brain and your body. It's a pair of nerves made up of around 80,000 fibres that travel from your brain down through your neck, chest, and all the way into your abdomen. It plays a central role in your body's rest-and-recovery mode, slowing the heart rate, supporting digestion, and helping your nervous system shift out of threat mode and back into safety.

When your vagal tone is high, meaning this nerve is active and healthy, you're better able to regulate your emotions, recover from stress, and connect with other people. When it's low, you're more likely to get stuck in that exhausted, anxious, wired-but-tired place that so many people describe.

Here's the important bit that often gets lost in the social media noise: the vagus nerve doesn't need to be hacked or reset. It needs to be supported gently, consistently, and with the same care you'd give anything that matters.

Tomorrow I'll share some of the most evidence-backed ways to do exactly that. 💙

Article to read for yourself:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2026/oct/02/feeling-wired-the-truth-about-nervous-system-resets

07/10/2026

Here's the part of the Kindness Mob story that hit me hardest as a therapist.

Tyler Brickley, the man who built a 500,000-strong army of kindness on TikTok, eventually burned out. Every day, 20 to 100 people nominated someone suffering from online cruelty. He could only help one. Which meant every single day he had to turn away 19 people in genuine pain, knowing 20 more would show up tomorrow.

Eventually the weight became so overwhelming he had to take months off.

I see this pattern constantly in my work, in carers, in helpers, in people who feel deeply responsible for others' wellbeing. The giving is real and it's good, however without boundaries, without rest, without someone asking how YOU are, even the most generous spirit will eventually hit a wall.

Brickley had to reframe the whole project to keep going, he couldn't save everyone. He could save one person a day, and let that be enough.

That's not giving up, that's sustainable compassion and it's something we could all learn from.

If you're someone who gives a lot, to your family, your clients, your community, please remember: you cannot pour from an empty cup. Your wellbeing matters too. ❤️‍🩹💖❤️‍🩹💖

06/10/2026

Social media can feel like a pretty dark place sometimes. And honestly it is, a lot of the time.

However I came across a bbcfuture_official article this week that genuinely stopped me in my tracks. It's about Tyler Brickley, a guy from Kansas City who built a TikTok following of 500,000 people and uses them for one purpose - flooding people who are being bullied online with kindness. Thousands of warm, genuine comments, all at once. He calls it the Kindness Mob.

What struck me as a therapist isn't just the feel-good story. It's the science underneath it. Researchers call it social contagion theory, the idea that positive and negative behaviour spreads from person to person like a virus. The bullying often stops completely once the kindness mob arrives. Not because the bullies are confronted, but because the entire emotional tone of the space shifts.

We are profoundly wired to follow the social cues around us. Which means kindness - real, visible, collective kindness has genuine power to change culture, not just moments.

In a world that can feel pretty overwhelming right now, that matters. 🌸

Link to the full BBC Future article is worth a read:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260922-kindness-trolls-the-internet-vigilantes-who-weaponise-kindness

05/10/2026

What does a trauma therapist do on a long rainy weekend?

Geek out on trauma training courses. Obviously. 😆🤓🌧️

While most people were horizontal on the couch watching Netflix, I was deep in hours of professional development through Enhancing Trauma Treatment Institute, completely in my element, brain buzzing, excited.

Nerdy? Maybe. Geeky? Totes.

The learning was SO good and now I need to do what I tell my clients to do literally all the time - slow down, breathe, and let it integrate. Turns out that advice applies to therapists too. Funny that. 😅

More gems coming your way as the ideas settle. Watch this space. 😍

05/10/2026

Here's something worth thinking about as we move toward the end of the year.

You have up to 10 Medicare rebated counselling sessions available - and they reset on January 1st. If you've been sitting on a particular goal, a pattern you want to shift, or something you really want to work through before the new year - this is your window.

Ten sessions, used with clear intention and a focused goal, can be genuinely life-changing. In that time we can work through anxiety that's been holding you back, process a difficult experience, build skills for emotional regulation, or begin unpacking something that's been quietly affecting your relationships, your work, or your sense of self.

You don't have to have it all figured out before you reach out. You just need a starting point - and we'll build from there together.

Your GP can refer you today. Telehealth available Australia-wide. 🙌🏽🌸

02/10/2026

Excited to be using EMDR 2.0 in my practice and where it feels will be needed. Exciting!

29/09/2026

24/09/2026

As some of you know, EMDR therapy has been a cornerstone of my work at Awake Counselling for a long time now. It's one of the most evidence-based, transformative approaches to trauma processing available - and watching it work with clients never gets old.

So I'm really excited to share that I have now completed training in EMDR 2.0 (I know, right!), it’s an evolution of the original protocol that integrates the latest neuroscience and refines how we work with the nervous system during trauma reprocessing.

EMDR 2.0 builds on what was already a powerful approach, making it more efficient, more precise, and even more attuned to how the brain actually stores and releases distressing memories. For clients, this means a more streamlined experience - with the same depth of healing.

This sits alongside my recent accreditation as an EMDRAA Accredited Practitioner and reflects what I'm always committed to: growing, learning, and bringing the best of what's available to the people I work with.

If you've been curious about EMDR - whether you've heard of it before or this is the first time - I'd love to have that conversation with you.

More in my follow up video. 💙