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 a Feeling You’ve Avoided?
Avoided emotions often feel intense when they first appear. This article explains why anxiety rises as feelings come closer to awareness, how emotional capacity develops in therapy, and why learning to stay present with emotion gradually reduces the need for avoidance.
The Hidden Map of Suffering: The Three Core Fears in Therapy
Anxiety, self-criticism, and relationship struggles often follow recognisable emotional themes. This article introduces three common fears: fear of self, fear of feelings, and fear of closeness, and explains how therapy helps people understand and work with these patterns over time.
When Growth Feels Like Collapse
Therapy sometimes feels harder before it feels easier. Anxiety may rise and familiar coping patterns can feel less stable. This article explains why periods of discomfort are common during psychological change and how therapy helps people stay grounded while new ways of responding begin to develop.
What Cures in Therapy Is Truth…
Insight can explain patterns, but change often happens when emotions are experienced rather than analysed. This article explores why understanding alone is rarely enough, how emotional truth shows up in therapy, and why small moments of honest experience can gradually shift long-standing patterns.
The Psychology of the Inner Critic: How the Voice Inside You Took Power
The inner critic often feels like a personal truth, but it usually develops as a way of managing anxiety and emotional risk. This article explores how self-critical patterns form, why they persist, and how therapy helps people change their relationship with that internal voice rather than simply trying to silence it.
Why We Repeat What Hurts Us: The Pull of Familiar Pain
Many people notice the same emotional patterns repeating across relationships and life decisions. This article looks at how repetition develops as a protective strategy, why familiar experiences can feel safer than change, and how therapy helps people notice the cycle in real time and create space for different choices.
Your Defence Mechanisms: A Self Discovery Quiz
When we think about defence mechanisms, we may often imagine walls or barriers, but they’re actually more like an emotional immune system. This quiz explores how everyday habits like humour, busyness, or people-pleasing are clever ways the mind protects us from difficult feelings, and why understanding them with curiosity (rather than judgement) can be the start of real change.