Your therapist and coach trained in systemic therapy with a masters in psychology

Take Back Control - Our Retreats Helping You Overcome and Manage Anxiety

Your experience and adventures as well as your goals are my top priority

Introduction:

Anxiety can feel overwhelming and all-consuming. Our retreats are designed to help you regain control, providing you with tools and insights to understand and manage your anxiety effectively. On Friday evening, we check in together and try to become aware of our bodies and all our emotions. This is when we observe how anxiety is showing up in our thoughts, feelings, physical symptoms and our behaviour. Here, it is important to understand that these are our reactions to the experience of anxiety – we live with anxiety, it does not live within us, it does not control us and most importantly, we are so much more than these anxious experiences. We are then ready to try to take back control from anxiety. Here’s a glimpse into one of our transformative retreat activities which include a systemic method called visualisation:

Step 1: Visualising Your Anxiety

We start in a quiet space where each participant is given paper and art supplies. The task is to visualise your anxiety as an object or person:

Appearance and Sensory Details: What does it look like, sound like, smell like, and feel like?
Reflection: Spend time reflecting on your visualisation. Consider its impact on your life, its origins, and how it makes you feel.
Group Sharing: Return to the group to optionally share your insights, fostering a supportive community atmosphere.

Step 2: Understanding the Good Reason

We discuss the concept that all emotions, thoughts, and experiences exist for a reason, even anxiety:

Purpose: Reflect on what your anxiety wants from you and why it’s present in your life.
Soul-to-Soul Conversation: Engage in a conversation or journaling exercise to acknowledge the good intentions behind your anxiety. Explain to it that while you understand its purpose, you need it to trust you to take care of yourself.

Step 3: Awareness, Acceptance, and Action

We then move to three garden stations to explore awareness, acceptance, and action which I borrowed from the podcast “When love feels unbearable” by Anne Lamott.

Awareness: Recognise that your anxiety visualisation is not you and does not define or consume you. Identify early signs of anxiety taking over.
Acceptance: Learn to accept the presence of anxiety without letting it control you, using techniques discussed previously.
Action: Develop strategies to handle anxiety, such as focusing on the task at hand, preparing for possible outcomes, and adopting a growth mindset. Practice asking your anxiety for specific guidance and reminding it of your ability to take care of yourself.

Our retreats offer a nurturing environment to explore these exercises and reflections, helping you manage your anxiety and reclaim your life. Join us on this journey to find inner peace and strength.