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Mind Garage Let us be your partner in healing and self-discovery. Contact us today to take the first step towards a brighter, more resilient tomorrow.

Your journey to wellness begins here. Elevate yourself at Mind Garage

Urge surfing is about learning to ride the wave, rather than being swept away by it.Urges can feel intense and persuasiv...
07/10/2026

Urge surfing is about learning to ride the wave, rather than being swept away by it.

Urges can feel intense and persuasive, especially when we’re already overwhelmed. But like a wave, they build, peak and eventually pass.

We don’t have to fight them or make them disappear completely. We have the option just to notice what’s happening, stay grounded, pause, and give ourselves time to choose what comes next.

The pause creates space for choices that support our needs, values and longer-term wellbeing.

Resilience isn’t about never experiencing the waves of intense urges. It’s learning that you can witness them, ride them and come safely back to shore. 🌊

Get curious. Build skills. Create change.
Elevate yourself at Mind Garage.

07/10/2026

Investing in our providers means investing in better care for our clients.

At Mind Garage, we’re giving our providers access to Psyflix to support ongoing learning and keep them connected with the latest developments in psychological treatment.

Because experienced clinicians need opportunities to keep learning, too. And when we support their growth, the benefits reach the people they work with.

Our nervous system is always working to keep us safe.Fight. Flight. Freeze. Fawn.These responses can look very different...
30/09/2026

Our nervous system is always working to keep us safe.

Fight. Flight. Freeze. Fawn.

These responses can look very different — anger, overthinking, shutting down, staying constantly busy, people-pleasing, withdrawing, or feeling the need to stay in control.

They’re not character flaws. They’re protective responses that can become activated when our brain and body sense threat — whether that threat is happening now or reminds us of something we’ve experienced before.

Learning to recognise your own patterns is an important part of regulation. When we can notice what our nervous system is doing, we create a little more space between the automatic response and what we choose to do next.

The goal isn’t to never fight, flee, freeze or fawn.

It’s to build enough safety and awareness that we have more choice.

Orienting is one of those simple skills that can make a surprisingly big difference.When our nervous system is on high a...
17/09/2026

Orienting is one of those simple skills that can make a surprisingly big difference.

When our nervous system is on high alert, our attention can get pulled toward threat — what happened, what might happen, or what could go wrong. Orienting gently brings our attention back to what is actually happening here and now.

Feel your feet on the ground.
Look around and notice what you see.
Listen to the sounds around you.
Notice what you feel in your body.
Then find one thing that feels safe, steady, pleasant or nurturing — and give yourself a moment to really take it in.

It’s not about pretending everything is okay or pushing away what’s difficult. It’s about helping your nervous system notice that, alongside whatever is activated, there may also be cues of safety in this moment.

Sometimes regulation starts with something as simple as noticing: I’m here. This is now.

Save this one for the moments when you need to come back to yourself. 🌿

Trauma doesn’t only live in the past. It can show up in how we think, feel, connect with others, respond to stress, and ...
16/09/2026

Trauma doesn’t only live in the past. It can show up in how we think, feel, connect with others, respond to stress, and experience our own bodies.

Sometimes it looks like anxiety or hypervigilance. Sometimes it’s shutting down, withdrawing, overthinking, people pleasing, struggling to trust, or simply feeling exhausted from always being “on.”

Therapy isn’t about erasing what happened. It’s about helping the brain and nervous system process what happened, so the past doesn’t have to keep feeling like the present.

Through understanding, processing, regulation and connection, we can begin to move from surviving towards feeling safer, steadier and more connected to ourselves and our lives.

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting your story. It means your story no longer has to run the show.
Credits for this resource Riyah Marie 🙏
PTSD MentalHealthNZ Psychology MindGarage

Pendulation is the practice of gently moving between what feels difficult and what feels a little safer, steadier or mor...
15/09/2026

Pendulation is the practice of gently moving between what feels difficult and what feels a little safer, steadier or more manageable.

Rather than forcing ourselves to stay with distress — or trying to push it away — we learn to move between the two. Touch the difficult feeling. Notice what happens. Then come back to something that helps the nervous system settle. And, when it feels right, move towards it again.

Like the fantail in a storm, we don’t have to keep flying into the wind. We can find shelter, rest for a moment, and then continue.

Over time, this gentle back-and-forth can help build our capacity to stay present with difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down.

Healing doesn’t mean being calm all the time. Sometimes it’s learning how to move between the waves.

Save this post and try the step-by-step practice when you need it.
And a big shout-out to Riyah Marie for creating this beautiful resource and bringing pendulation to life so perfectly. We absolutely love this one.
TraumaRecovery SomaticTherapy EmotionalRegulation MentalHealthNZ

Your window of tolerance is the space where you can think clearly, feel your emotions without being overwhelmed by them,...
12/09/2026

Your window of tolerance is the space where you can think clearly, feel your emotions without being overwhelmed by them, connect with others, and respond rather than simply react.

When stress, trauma or prolonged overwhelm pushes us outside that window, we can move into hyperarousal — anxious, restless, angry, panicky or on high alert — or into hypoarousal — shut down, disconnected, exhausted, numb or foggy.

The goal isn’t to stay perfectly regulated all the time. We’re human. We move in and out of our window throughout the day.

The work is learning to notice where you are, understand what your nervous system is doing, and discover what helps you find your way back.

And over time, with safety, awareness and practice, that window can become wider.

Progress, not perfection.
Riyah Marie thank you for creating these amazing resources!!!

What actually is EMDR? 🧠✨EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy designed to h...
02/09/2026

What actually is EMDR? 🧠✨

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy designed to help the brain process distressing or traumatic experiences that can sometimes feel “stuck.”

Rather than needing to talk through every detail of what happened, EMDR uses bilateral stimulation - such as guided eye movements, tapping or sounds - while working with memories, emotions, thoughts and body sensations.

The aim isn’t to erase the memory. It’s to help the brain process it differently, so that remembering what happened no longer feels like you’re right back there experiencing it.

This beautiful resource breaks down EMDR and how it works in a way that’s easy to understand.

A huge shout-out to Riyah Marie for creating this incredible resource for Mind Garage 💛 We absolutely love it.

MentalHealthNZ PsychologyNZ MindGarage

You don't have to carry this alone.If you've experienced sexual abuse or assault, whether recently or long ago, support ...
02/09/2026

You don't have to carry this alone.

If you've experienced sexual abuse or assault, whether recently or long ago, support is available.. and it may be fully funded by ACC. No GP referral needed. No cost to you.

Mind Garage clinicians are trauma-informed, qualified and experienced in ACC Sensitive Claims work. We'll walk you through the process from your first confidential enquiry, at your pace.

We have clinicians available now across the North Shore, Central, South, West and East Auckland. Private trauma counselling is also available.

Taking the first step is often the hardest part. We're here when you're ready.

🌐 www.mindgarage.co.nz
📧 [email protected]

Turns out our inner children are VERY competitive 😂🕹️👾A little team time out at the arcade — playing, laughing, getting ...
08/08/2026

Turns out our inner children are VERY competitive 😂🕹️👾

A little team time out at the arcade — playing, laughing, getting way too invested in winning, and letting the grown-up responsibilities disappear for a minute.

Because sometimes team bonding looks less like meetings and more like racing cars, shooting hoops and absolutely refusing to lose at arcade games. 😂

Inner children = officially unleashed. 💥🎮✨

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