One in five Australians are affected by chronic pain, which in turn increases the risk for depression. Our common reaction is to resist pain, yet mindfully turning towards pain offers the opportunity to transform suffering. Chronic pain affects one in five Australians and is the most common reason people seek medical help. This prevalence rises to one in three … Read More
Celebrating Mental Health Week 2016 – A personal story
If you’re reading this you’ve probably been there – self doubt, lethargy, maybe full blown depression. I’m writing this to celebrate mental health week, and hopefully explain to people that it can happen to anyone. Five years ago I was a confident, optimistic person with a young family and dreams. My life took a downward turn with a failed … Read More
Busting Myths with Seeking Psychological Help – By Shannon Moule, Clinical Psychologist Zest Infusion
If what you know about seeing a psychologist comes from TV (e.g., Fraser) or movies (e.g., Good Will Hunting), you may have some misguided conceptions about what goes on in a practicing psychologist’s office. I am here to bust these common myths one by one and actually give you the reality of what it is like to see a psychologist. … Read More
The Psychology Behind Happiness
Clients often tell me in therapy: “I just want to be happy…” But is happiness really attainable? The term happiness captures an emotion in which one experience a range of positive responses often expressed as an outward feeling of elation. Philosophers, poets, religious writers, psychologists and the like have researched happiness throughout history. But is it really attainable? Taking a … Read More
SAYING THANKS
To keep in line with our previous blog entries for this month which were all about well-being and how psychology can contribute to well-being I’d like to focus in our last blog for this year on the practice of gratitude. Positive psychology research has shown that practicing gratitude can help to reduce stress, increases well being and life satisfaction and … Read More