The Therapy Journal
This is where psychotherapy steps out of the session and into conversation. From our defences that shape our daily lives to the emotions that drive our choices, these pieces explore the human mind through a psychodynamic lens.
Whether clinical or cultural, every post asks the same question: what happens when we stop avoiding our feelings?
Where therapy meets everyday life…
What Happens When You Finally Feel the Feeling You’ve Avoided?
Emotional avoidance is a primal strategy used to survive feelings that once felt dangerous. Although insight is the first step towards integration, sensation has to follow: The felt emotional experience, and the courage to turn toward the anxiety that rises when old feelings surface. This process actively builds your emotional capacity, allowing emotion to process fully and permanently shrinking the power of old defences and the punishing inner critic. The result is a profound return to the most authentic version of yourself.
The Hidden Map of Suffering: How the Three Core Fears Dictate Your Life: And How to Find Freedom…
The anxiety, relationship patterns, and self-sabotage in your life are not random. They are rooted in three specific, core psychological fears: Fear of Self, Fear of Feelings, and Fear of Closeness. We explore how these fears turn history into destiny, and how using the Therapy FAD Framework (Feelings–Anxiety–Defence) can restore your capacity for emotional freedom.
When Growth Feels Like Collapse
Psychodynamic therapist Rick Cox explains why change feels overwhelming: anxiety rises as old defences break. Learn how this necessary 'collapse' signals the emergence of your authentic self, leading to long-term emotional freedom.
What Cures in Therapy Is Truth…
Psychodynamic therapist Rick Cox explains why insight alone doesn't heal. Discover how embracing emotional truth and confronting unconscious conflict (often avoided by shame and anxiety) is the core mechanism of ISTDP-informed change and the beginning of emotional freedom.
The Psychology of the Inner Critic: How the Voice Inside You Took Power
Psychodynamic therapist Rick Cox explains how the punishing internal voice takes power, linking it to shame and past emotional avoidance. Learn how we use The Therapy FAD Framework (Feelings, Anxiety, Defence) to shine a light on the self-attack and challenge the inner critic to achieve emotional freedom.
Why We Repeat What Hurts Us: The Pull of Familiar Pain
Psychodynamic therapist Rick Cox explains how repetition compulsion keeps you stuck in destructive relationship patterns. Discover how depth work targets unconscious conflict and builds the courage needed for emotional freedom.
Your Defence Mechanisms: A Self Discovery Quiz
When you think about your emotional defences, what comes to mind? Many of us imagine walls, shields, or barriers – but here's something fascinating: your defence mechanisms are actually clever ways your mind handles difficult feelings! Think of them as your emotional immune system, automatically protecting you from psychological discomfort.
We all have these defences, and they're completely normal. In fact, they're pretty ingenious when you think about it. Maybe you crack jokes when things get too serious, throw yourself into work when you're hurting, or find yourself being extra nice to someone who's upset you. These aren't character flaws – they're sophisticated strategies your mind developed to help you feel safer with challenging emotions…