“Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.”
(C S Lewis)
Deciding to go for therapy is an important and meaningful decision, embarking on which is a gradual, yet positive, life transformative process that is filled with reconciliation, a greater understanding of the self, the past, the present, and igniting hope and new possibilities for the future.
At NuVision Counselling Heather Adams is experienced at working with those struggling with anxiety, depression, addictions, trauma, grief and loss, with life transitions and relationship difficulties. Psychotherapy will explore how the past impacts your everyday life and with this understanding and insight will help you make lasting and effective change. Here at NuVision Counselling we offer you a safe and non-judgmental space for change to take place. Be encouraged to call and make that first step.
Anxiety
Anxiety is more than just feeling stressed or worried. While stress and anxious feelings are a common response to a situation where we feel under pressure, they usually pass once the stressful situation has passed, or ‘stressor’ is removed.
Everyone feels anxious from time to time. When anxious feelings don’t go away, happen without any particular reason or make it hard to cope with daily life it may be the sign of an anxiety condition.
Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in Australia. On average, one in four people – one in three women and one in five men – will experience anxiety at some stage in their life. In a 12-month period, over two million Australians experience anxiety.
There are many ways to help manage anxiety and the sooner people with anxiety get support, the more likely they are to recover.
Retrieved from https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety
Addiction
‘Addiction’ means having a dependence on a substance or activity. Unlike someone who simply ‘wants’ something, a person with an addiction will have physical cravings and urges for the substance they’re addicted to.
Addiction happens when someone compulsively engages in behaviour such as drug taking, gambling, drinking or gaming. Even when bad side effects kick in and people feel like they’re losing control, addicts usually can’t stop doing the thing they’re addicted to without help and support.
Physical addiction
This is when your body becomes dependent on a particular substance. It also often means that you’ve developed a tolerance for the substance, so you have to take more of it to continue to feel the effects. If you have a physical addiction, you’ll experience strong symptoms of withdrawal when you try to give it up. Examples of physical addiction are drug and alcohol dependence, including cigarettes and prescription painkillers.
Psychological addiction
This is when your craving for a substance or a behaviour comes from an emotional or psychological desire, rather than from a physical dependence. Your brain is so powerful that it can produce physical symptoms like those of withdrawal, including cravings, irritability and insomnia. Examples of psychological addictions include gambling, gaming, exercise, internet, shopping, sex and overeating.
Retrieved from: https://au.reachout.com/tough-times/addiction
Depression
While we all feel sad, moody or low from time to time, some people experience these feelings intensely, for long periods of time (weeks, months or even years) and sometimes without any apparent reason. Depression is more than just a low mood – it’s a serious condition that affects your physical and mental health.
While we don’t know exactly what causes depression, a number of things are often linked to its development. Depression usually results from a combination of recent events and other longer-term or personal factors, rather than one immediate issue or event.
Everyone’s different and it’s often a combination of factors that can contribute to developing depression. It’s important to remember that you can’t always identify the cause of depression or change difficult circumstances. The most important thing is to recognise the signs and symptoms and seek support.
Retrieved from: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/depression
Living with Trauma
Trauma touches our lives in many different ways; a serious accident, a physical assault, war, a natural disaster, sexual assault or abuse. It might affect you or those you love. These events can be traumatic as they cause a threat to your safety and/or the safety of others.
In Australia, the most common traumatic events are having someone close die unexpectedly, seeing someone badly injured or killed, unexpectedly seeing a dead body, or being in a life-threatening car accident.
Everyone will respond in their own unique way to a traumatic event. Some events may have little impact on one person but cause severe distress in another.
Trauma can affect how you feel and think, and your physical wellbeing. This might include strong feelings of fear, sadness, guilt, anger or grief. It can be difficult to think clearly, concentrate or remember details. It might also be difficult to come to terms with what has happened and how it has changed your life, making it difficult to cope with everyday stresses. Your sleep, appetite and social habits can also be affected after experiencing trauma.
These normal reactions to trauma gradually settle down over time with the help of family and friends. However, for some people the effects can be long lasting and can lead to the development of difficulties such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
If you’re finding it hard to cope with intense feelings or physical reactions following the trauma, it might be helpful to seek professional support.
Retrieved from: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/trauma
“Whether trauma will be a cruel and punishing Gorgon or a vehicle to soaring to the heights of transformation and mastery depends on how we approach it.”
(Peter Levine)
