Embodied Living

17/09/2026

What happens when we stop trying to control what comes through?

Over the last year, alongside my work as a psychotherapist, I’ve been learning to paint in cold wax and oil.

One particular painting took me somewhere I hadn’t expected. At one point I disliked it so intensely that I wanted to throw it away. Instead, I turned it to face the wall and left it alone.

When I eventually returned to it, something began to change. And after turning the painting through 90 degrees, I suddenly saw something in it that I hadn’t consciously put there: a small child, peeking through the cracks.

My latest blog explores that experience — and what painting has been teaching me about unconscious process, receptivity, tolerating our responses to something we have created, and being prepared to be surprised by what emerges.

Without Trying to Control What Comes Through
What painting taught me about action, receptivity and relinquishing predetermined meaning

What can abstract painting reveal about the unconscious? A reflection on creativity, control, receptivity and allowing ourselves to be surprised.

10/09/2026

Sometimes an artwork—or a psychotherapy session—develops a meaning that cannot be determined in advance.

In my new essay, *The Blue Vine*, I write about an art exercise that asked me to obscure an image I cherished. As I covered and uncovered parts of it, the work unexpectedly brought me into contact with grief for my cat, Betsie, whose ashes lie beneath the vine depicted in the image.

Drawing on John Dewey’s idea of “doing and undergoing,” I explore what it means to act while remaining receptive to what our actions bring into being. In both art and psychotherapy, this asks for a capacity to tolerate not fully knowing—and to remain open to surprise.

Sometimes the work knows what it contains before we do.

Read the essay here: https://embodiedliving.co.uk/the-blue-vine/

17/09/2022

Talk With Your Hands? You Might Think With Them Too!

Constraining hand movements affects the processing of object-meaning, a finding which supports the theory of embodied cognition.

15/09/2022

Talking About Su***de Helps Us Stay Alive
"There’s a persistent myth that it’s dangerous to talk about su***de. People fear saying the wrong thing or falsely assume talking will make someone more likely to act on their thoughts. What opening conversation actually does is eliminate silence, shame, and social isolation, which has a huge positive impact on someone’s life and may reduce, rather than increase, suicidal thinking."

Normalizing discussion of su***de is the key idea behind Alternatives to Su***de (Alt2Su), peer-led groups intended for adults who have suicidal thoughts or identify as survivors.

15/09/2022

This is worth knowing, as many seem to partake in this activity. Problems Persist for Kids Exposed to Cannabis in the Womb.They are more likely to have psychiatric disorders as young adults

Prenatal exposure to cannabis was associated with an increased risk of neuropsychological disorders, including anxiety and depression, in children. The risk grows as they enter adolescence and adulthood.

15/09/2022

We know that some of us get worse menopause symptoms than others. I've always thought that a history of psychosocial stressors will make menopause symptoms worse. Now this longitudinal study shows a relationship between abuse and suffering, from childhood through to pregnancy, and a more challenging menopause. It seems so unfair that we suffer, financially, physically or emotionally, early in our lives and that suffering makes us suffer again in mid life. Although, I've also found that psychotherapy can be an effective intervention. And I believe the work we do in therapy can help us have a better menopause

Women who have experienced physical, sexual, or financial abuse face worse menopause symptoms and poorer well-being two decades later.

16/06/2022

Decisive People Don’t Make Better Decisions

Decisive people may be more confident in their choices, but that does not mean they are better at making decisions than the rest of us.

15/06/2022

New research indicates that romantic successes and failures can have profound impacts on how men think

A man's popularity in the dating market can influence his sexual attitudes and even his views about socio-political issues, according to new research published in the scientific journal Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology. The study offers new experimental evidence that being unpopular with the o...

14/06/2022

Succumbing to workplace stress? We’re now supposed to suffer in silence

Grievances about our jobs were once aired collectively on the picket line. Not any more

13/06/2022

The Perils of Perfectionism

While there's nothing wrong with having high personal standards, perfectionists often feel as though their achievements and successes are never good enough. Perfectionism increases the risk of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and several other mental health disorders.