Centre for Integral Health

02/08/2026

National Friendship Day: The Healing Power of Human Connection

National Friendship Day is a reminder that our relationships are far more than a source of enjoyment—they are fundamental to our health and wellbeing.

Dr Karen Sankey believes that the quality of our relationships is one of the greatest predictors of our mental, emotional and physical health. Research consistently shows that people with strong, supportive relationships tend to live longer, recover more quickly from illness and experience greater resilience during life's challenges.

But not all relationships are equally nourishing.

Healthy relationships are those where we feel emotionally safe enough to be ourselves. They are built on authenticity rather than perfection, mutual respect rather than judgement, and acceptance rather than conditions. They leave us feeling seen, heard and valued for who we are.

Many of us spend time maintaining relationships that leave us feeling drained, whilst neglecting those that restore our energy and sense of belonging.

This National Friendship Day offers an opportunity to reflect. Who are the people with whom you can truly be yourself? Who brings out your best? How might your wellbeing improve if you invested more time and energy in those relationships?
The relationships we nurture don't just shape our happiness—they help shape our health.

To learn more and work with Dr Karen, contact her via our website https://centreforintegralhealth.com/about-us/our-practitioners/dr-karen-sankey/

29/07/2026

The last and perhaps the most original of our new team member introductions this month is for Jemma Olejnik, Nursing Associate (FdSc Distinction) | NMC Registrant | Founder of Elevate Peak Health.
We are really excited that we can now offer blood testing of various types directly from the clinic, making sure the testing is done professionally and confidently by someone who really knows what they are doing and won't contaminate the samples (Like many home blood testing kits do), ensuring you get accurate results.

"Hi, I’m Jemma, founder of Elevate Peak Health. I am a Nursing Associate (FdSc Distinction), NMC Registrant and Royal College of Nursing member.

I currently work within a busy Emergency Department and have over 18 years of healthcare experience, including 7 years within the NHS.

I am passionate about helping people gain a better understanding of their health through professional blood testing. Whether you’re looking to investigate symptoms, optimise your wellbeing, monitor your fitness, or better understand your hormones, my aim is to provide a professional, friendly and supportive service in a comfortable clinic environment.

Outside of work, I’m a proud mum to a 9-year-old son and a Cavapoo called Bear. I love spending time in the gym, getting outdoors for long walks, and reading fantasy books. Family, fitness, fresh air and reading are a big part of my life, and I enjoy making time for the things that help me feel my best."

Jemma offers:
Professional Blood Testing Women’s Health & Hormone Testing Men’s Hormone & Performance Testing Fertility & Menopause Testing Thyroid Function Testing Vitamin & Mineral Testing General Health & Wellness Profiles Iron Status Testing Diabetes (HbA1c) Testing Heart Health Profile

Her training includes:
Foundation Degree of Science (FdSc) Nursing Associate – Distinction Staffordshire University (2023) Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) Registrant Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Member Professional Venepuncture / Phlebotomy Competent 16 Years Healthcare Experience 7 Years NHS Experience

If you would like to know more about Jemma's services or to book in, contact her via her page on our website https://centreforintegralhealth.com/about-us/our-practitioners/jemma-olejnik-1/

27/07/2026

When Biology Whispers What Mothers Always Knew

Sometimes science does not discover something completely new.

Sometimes it simply gives language to what the body has known all along.

For years, women have said, “I still carry my child with me.” We often understood this emotionally, poetically, and symbolically. But biology, being the slightly dramatic genius that it is, now whispers: maybe it is more literal than we thought.

Microchimerism is a fascinating phenomenon where cells can pass between mother and baby during pregnancy. Some of these cells may remain in the mother’s body for years, decades, and possibly for the rest of her life. They have been found in different tissues, and researchers are still exploring their role in immunity, inflammation, tissue repair and protection.

So maybe motherhood does not simply end at birth.

And then psychogenealogy enters the room beautifully.

Because our story does not begin on the day we are born. When our grandmother was pregnant with our mother, the biological potential of the future granddaughter was already present in the developing baby girl. In a strange and humbling way, three generations once shared one biological space.

Grandmother. Mother. Grandchild.

So when psychogenealogy speaks about family grief, fear, survival, shame or unspoken conflict leaving a trace across generations, maybe it is not only speaking in symbols. Maybe the body has its own quiet language of inheritance.

From a Biodecoding perspective, this opens a powerful question:
Do we carry only our own story in the body?
Or does the body also remember those we loved, protected, lost, feared for, or could not fully let go of?

From a TCM perspective, we could gently reflect on Blood, Jing, the womb, lineage, and the deep resources passed down through generations.

Not as blame. Not as a diagnosis.
As a doorway.
Because the body is not just chemistry.
It is memory. It is a relationship. It is protection. It is repair.
And sometimes, maybe, love leaves traces.

Learn more by contacting Agnieszka via our website https://centreforintegralhealth.com/about-us/our-practitioners/agnieszka-kozak/

26/07/2026

A great summer event coming up at Faraway Days - Summer Rest • Breathe • Reconnect - A small group wellbeing experience with Arts for Health and Wellbeing CIC

Some days ask something of us.

This one asks nothing at all.

Just come exactly as you are.

Faraway Days: Summer
Rest • Breathe • Reconnect

reserve your Space: https://bookwhen.com/wingnutcreations/e/ev-shb1f-20260815094500

25/07/2026

5 Top Myths About Hypnosis

Talking therapies and other forms of support can be incredibly valuable. They can help you feel heard, supported, and better able to cope with what is happening.

But sometimes, coping is not the same as understanding.

Hypnosis can offer a different way of working by helping you explore the deeper patterns, beliefs, and responses that may be driving the issue.

The aim is not to dismiss the support that has helped you manage. It is to understand what is happening underneath, so change can become possible.

If you are ready to explore whether hypnosis could be the right next step, go to themindmentor.co.uk/booking and click Initial Clarity Call.

24/07/2026

As a holistic practitioner, Tilly frequently speaks with individuals caught in a cycle of over-giving, believing that putting everyone else first is the true measure of strength. Taking time for oneself is too often mislabeled as a weakness, allowing deep-seated guilt to take root while people run on empty.

Prolonged neglect can lead to overwhelming stress, sleepless nights, and exhaustion. True strength isn't about carrying everything until your body and mind break. On International Self-Care Day, quieting the external noise and looking inward with compassion is a profound act of self-preservation.

Self-care starts with small, daily "quick wins" that honour your boundaries: • Practice good sleep hygiene with a calming evening routine. • Switch off your phone to disconnect from digital noise. • Say no without explanation to protect your personal energy. • Set firm boundaries to safeguard your well-being.

If you have been feeling trapped by stress or weighed down by guilt, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Through clinical hypnotherapy and gentle mindfulness practices, Tilly helps quieten the inner critic, release guilt, and safely reconnect with your true self.

Choosing you is the first step toward reclaiming your health and calm. If you are ready to let go of exhaustion, get in touch to start your journey back to balance.

https://centreforintegralhealth.com/about-us/our-practitioners/tilly-gunn-1/

23/07/2026

Self-care: More than a Luxury

For much of her life, Dr Karen Sankey believed that putting other people's needs first was simply who she was. As a GP, a mother and the eldest sibling, caring for others came naturally. What she didn't recognise was that, over time, she had become disconnected from my own needs. Like many people, she confused self-care with selfishness and saw rest as something to be earned rather than something essential.

Eventually, years of juggling too many responsibilities and constantly prioritising others led to burnout. It taught her a lesson she now shares with others: we cannot continue to pour from an empty cup.

Self-care isn't about expensive spa days or indulgence. It's about creating small, intentional habits that help us feel safe, connected and well. It means listening to our bodies, recognising our limits, nurturing meaningful relationships, spending time in nature, being creative, asking for help and treating ourselves with the same compassion we so readily offer others.

When we care for ourselves, we don't take away from those around us—we become more present, resilient and able to care for others without losing ourselves in the process.

Self-care isn't a luxury. It's one of the foundations of good health and wellbeing.

Contact Karen via her page on our website to arrange a Discovery Session and explore whether my approach is right for you.
https://centreforintegralhealth.com/about-us/our-practitioners/dr-karen-sankey/

22/07/2026

World Brain Day

The brain is remarkable in one particular way - it can change. This is neuroplasticity, and it’s the quiet promise underneath every kind of therapeutic work.

Bi-lateral tapping draws directly on it. By engaging both sides of the brain in a gentle, rhythmic way, it helps the nervous system process what’s felt stuck - settling the emotional charge around difficult memories and letting the brain file them where they belong: in the past.

It’s a reminder that a distressed brain isn’t a broken one. It’s one that hasn’t yet had the right conditions to heal.

Tracey-Anne is an integrative counsellor who works with the brain’s capacity for change every day. Combining counselling and psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, the Rewind Technique and bi-lateral tapping, she helps people move from surviving to genuinely settling - at a pace that respects how each brain and each person is wired.

On World Brain Day, it’s worth honouring not just what the brain endures but everything it’s still capable of becoming.

Wherever you are with it, healing is possible - the brain is built for it. Tracey-Anne is here whenever you’d like to begin.

You can contact her through her page here https://centreforintegralhealth.com/about-us/our-practitioners/tracey-anne-holloway/

21/07/2026

We love a good testimonial for our wonderful practitioners, and here is a great one for Philippa Brant from our Acupuncture team

“Philippa is a very attentive acupuncturist. I will and have been recommending her to everyone! She listens to your issues and remembers more than you do about the reason you went to her in the first place. Very professional and friendly also”

If you would like to learn more about how Philippa can support your health, then contact her via her page on our website https://centreforintegralhealth.com/about-us/our-practitioners/philippa-brant-1/

20/07/2026

World Friends Day
Friendship asks something of us that we don’t always notice - the ability to trust, to lean in, to believe we’re wanted. And for many people, that doesn’t come as easily as it looks.

Attachment work offers a window into why. The patterns we learned in our earliest relationships quietly shape how safe we feel reaching out, how much we brace for rejection, how readily we let people close. When friendship feels effortful or lonely despite our best efforts, it’s often these old patterns at play - not a personal failing.

Tracey-Anne is an integrative counsellor who helps people understand and soften these patterns, so connection feels less like a risk and more like a place to rest. Working across counselling and psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, the Rewind Technique and bi-lateral tapping, she tailors her approach to each person - because the way back to connection is rarely one-size-fits-all. On World Friends Day, it’s worth remembering that the friendship we most need to repair is sometimes the one with ourselves.

If the connection has felt harder than it should, know that these patterns can soften. Tracey-Anne is here when the time feels right.
Contact Tracey-Anne via her page here https://centreforintegralhealth.com/about-us/our-practitioners/tracey-anne-holloway/