Expansion Psychology

Expansion Psychology Dr Maja Jankowska,
A Clinical & counselling psychologist (HCPC registered), Cognitive Behavioural T

09/09/2026

When your plans fall apart, your nervous system gets a choice.

Flights cancelled. Airports in chaos. An unexpected extra day in Gran Canaria.

It completely disrupted my work and plans this week, including the launch of my Safe to Shine on Stage programme. If you've been waiting for the info, thank you for bearing with me!

But it was also a useful reminder of something I teach performing artists all the time.

You can't always control what happens. You can train how you respond.

Flexibility, adaptability and recovering when things go sideways are skills.

And yes, they can be really uncomfortable to practise in real time!
I've seen plenty of anger and over-reactivity over the last 24 hours. Understandable, but mostly wasted energy when you can't change the situation.

Sometimes you just have to adapt and ride the wave. 🌊

08/09/2026

You've probably been told to just leave it in the past. Move on. It was one audition, one comment, why is it still affecting you now?

Here's what's actually happening. When something distressing happens to a performing artist, a harsh word from a director, a public mistake, a silence after you walked off, the memory doesn't always get filed away neatly the way ordinary memories do. It can stay stored as raw, vivid sensation that still feels current.

That's why a particular look from a panel, or walking into a similar room years later, can bring the whole feeling flooding back.

Your body isn't malfunctioning. It's scanning for danger, exactly as designed. The problem is, after a distressing event, that danger detector becomes far more sensitive, so it fires more easily, even in rooms that are completely safe.

This is exactly the kind of pattern we work with in Safe to Shine on Stage. Register your interest, link in bio.

04/09/2026

Backstage, when your mind screams that you're a fraud, don't try to argue with it. That thought isn't about your talent, it's your brain translating a racing heart into a story.

Try this instead: "The nervous system state I am in says I cannot do this." Notice how quickly the shame lifts. You're not failing, you're in a defensive state, and that's biological, not personal.

If this is a pattern you want real help with, Safe to Shine on Stage opens soon. Link in bio.

03/09/2026

Do as you teach. A humbling experience for a psychologist.

Apparently IG cut the previous video after a couple of sentences so here it is again.

Today I was interviewed at Wellbeing Media Studio on exactly the topic I care most about, the wellbeing of performing artists. It was also their very last interview, so I felt extra pressure to get it right, to share my knowledge properly, to make it count.

Needless to say, it didn't go smoothly. I forgot what I was saying. I forgot the question. I felt my own nervous system activate, right there in the room. Afterwards, a bit of shame, a bit of disappointment.

So I did what I teach performing artists to do. I brought it into perspective, even though it felt like the last opportunity, I reminded myself there will be others, this is just one page in a book. I sat with the feelings instead of pushing them away, let myself actually process them. And I practised self-compassion, properly, not just as an idea.
Then a funny thing happened. I opened Instagram, and the first thing I saw was an opera singer mid-performance, pausing, turning to the conductor, and saying "I'm singing the wrong words." A beautiful, vulnerable moment.

It reminded me, we're not AI. We're not robots. We're human beings who make mistakes, and audiences connect with that far more than perfection.
I hope this helps you too.

31/08/2026

Racing heart. Thoughts spiralling. That overwhelming sense that your body has taken over completely, seconds before you walk on stage.

Your nervous system is not broken. It is running an old programme built to protect you. And there are four habits that help you work with it rather than against it.

In this video I walk you through all four, plus a practical exercise to try this week starting with mild nervousness rather than a high stakes performance.

If this resonates and you want to go deeper, Safe to Shine on Stage is opening this autumn for a small number of founding members. Link in bio to join the priority list.

28/08/2026

Do as you teach. A humbling experience for a psychologist.

Today I was interviewed at Wellbeing Media Studio on exactly the topic I care most about, the wellbeing of performing artists. It was also their very last interview, so I felt extra pressure to get it right, to share my knowledge properly, to make it count.

Needless to say, it didn't go smoothly. I forgot what I was saying. I forgot the question. I felt my own nervous system activate, right there in the room. Afterwards, a bit of shame, a bit of disappointment.

So I did what I teach performing artists to do. I brought it into perspective, even though it felt like the last opportunity, I reminded myself there will be others, this is just one page in a book. I sat with the feelings instead of pushing them away, let myself actually process them. And I practised self-compassion, properly, not just as an idea.

Then a funny thing happened. I opened Instagram, and the first thing I saw was a wonderful opera singer -Elza van den Heever mid-performance, pausing, turning to the conductor, and saying "I'm singing the wrong words." A beautiful, vulnerable moment. If you haven't seen it, go watch, I think it's gone viral now.

It reminded me, we're not AI. We're not robots. We're human beings who make mistakes, and audiences connect with that far more than perfection.
I hope this helps you too.

27/08/2026

Knowing a technique and trusting yourself on stage are not the same thing.

A technique can calm your body for a few minutes before you perform. It does not touch the belief that you might fail or be judged, or the part of you that keeps expecting it to go wrong even when you know you can do it.

If you have carried distressing experiences of criticism, humiliation, repeated rejection or simply silence after everything you gave on stage, a breathing technique cannot reach that. It sits on the surface, whilst the thing underneath stays exactly as it was.

How do you ever expect to trust yourself on stage if nobody has helped you process what taught you not to trust yourself in the first place?

6-weeks programme building a version of yourself that feels grounded whether the performance goes well or not.

Comment safe and I'll send you a link 🔗

25/08/2026

Talking about imposter phenomenon today (this time for fellow psychologists and allied professionals).

It was recorded in a sequence in 6 modules which will hopefully be available soon.

But, most importantly, I love being at and I'm grateful to - we teamed up together to deliver Visibility with Confidence events which we absolutely love doing. Come join us next time!

There is a sense of such beautiful connection, mutual support and helping other wonderful psychologists become more visible and therefore able to reach people who need them.

Today we had the pleasure of talking to Dr Katie Adolphus .adolphuspractice . Katie helped us understand the nuances of providing diagnoses and psychological care for people with ADHD and autism.

Shout out to our other wonderful guests: Dr Kate Sherratt, Salomea Lubojanska-Sikora & Dr Sue Peacock.
You are all wonderful and doing important and much needed work.

It's such a pleasure to come together, connect, but also to have fun.

24/08/2026

A Butterfly Hug technique - commonly used in brain-body integrative psychological therapies is a simple yet incredibly effective technique that helps regulate your nervous system and self-soothe.

It uses bilateral stimulation that enhances processing and helps us keep one foot in the calm/ grounded state even when processing difficult memories or feelings.

How to further use it is something I teach within Safe to Shine on Stage - a programme designed specifically for performing artists to get back into tune and Self-trust that allows you perform at your best whilst staying grounded and connected to yourself

23/08/2026

I love creating resources for performing artists and I love supporting you however I can.

But sometimes tech issues drive me crazy!

A good reminder that I need to take a break and go collect pears, apples and envy beautiful gardens rather than getting stuck on my PC

I shall get there and Safe to Shine on Stage will be ready soon.

But I felt off tune today and had to tune into nature.

Curious what Safe to Shine is about? Have a look the link is in the bio

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