acuriousroute

Tag: therapy

  • Managing uncertainty: when not knowing is sometimes the sensible decision

    In my undergraduate degree research, the ‘p-value’ was a number that came from statistical analysis. It was a long time ago now, but from my basic understanding and memory, the p-value gave an indication of how probable it was that the results were related to chance, rather than to the relationship between the conditions being…

  • New publication: ‘When Healthcare Communication Makes Patients Feel Like They Do Not Matter’

    Just a quick post to highlight a new publication of mine, available on Psychreg. I wrote this piece drawing from personal, professional and third-party experiences of care within healthcare services. I thought it could be helpful and interesting to speak from both perspectives: as a professional who has worked within healthcare systems for many years,…

  • Deserving

    I often hear people casually talk about whether they or others deserve this or that: whether we deserve a sweet treat or takeaway depending on how much exercise or dieting we have done, whether we deserve a break, rest or a holiday depending on how hard we have worked; whether we deserve something good or…

  • Fear and First Impressions

    On holiday in Cornwall, hanging clothes out to dry, I disturbed the flight path of several bumblebees jostling to land on the passionflowers in bloom in the courtyard. They occasionally whirred close to my face and ears, and I found myself apologising out loud for getting in their way. I realised we were simply existing…

  • A Botanical Metaphor for Reciprocal Roles 

    Risk And then the day came, when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. By Elizabeth Apell (commonly misquoted to Anais Nin) Of all the ideas in Cognitive Analytic Therapy, reciprocal roles (RRs), sometimes referred to as templates, are a central one that has shaped…

  • A Note on “The World” and How Language Shapes Perspective

    Like many people, I often use the phrase ‘the world’ generally and in my writing as a shorthand to describe the wider contextual environment within which human experiences occur. Lately, I have been wondering whether this phrase is actually appropriate or meaningful. When I use it I notice I push away a background feeling of slight embarrassment.…