How your body and mind might respond to counselling

As mentioned in the previous blog post, “What Should I Expect from Counselling” you may start to feel worse before you start to feel better. These are just some examples of ways your body and mind may respond to counselling:

·        you are exhausted after a session

·        you feel heavy in your body

·        your energy is lower (hypo)

·        your energy is higher (hyper)

·        you have nightmares, vivid dreams

·        you may feel more anxious

·        you may feel more stressed

·        gastrointestinal changes

·        headaches

·        change in mood

·        feelings of depression

·        decrease motivation  

You may be asking, why do it? Well, your body stores experiences and memories in your cells and body. They are already present and functioning within us. Therefore, it is worth working through these experiences, so you can start to see them and use them in new ways. This process can bring growth and healing versus pain you ignore or try to escape from. Also, some of the symptoms listed above existed even before you started counselling. Through this work, these symptoms can become more manageable, or even go away with time.

The effects you may experience from your counselling sessions may carry over into your everyday life; work, family, friends, social. You and your counsellor can talk about tools to support these effects from counselling. Below is a list of ideas from clients we have worked with.

·        Self care; music, bath, tv show, talk with a friend, walk, cup of tea, etc.

·        Self talk having compassion for yourself

·        Journalling/reflection after session

·        Breathe- box breathing, full body breathing techniques

·        Being outdoors; walk, feet in the sand, earth or grass, feeling grounded

·        Transition time between your session to other parts of your life; even 5-10minutes to do some grounding techniques, listen to music, belt out the lyrics to your favourite song, sitting in silence.

·        Time of day you see your counsellor

·        Activating your support team; reaching out for support

Lastly, as Brene Brown says “We cannot selectively numb emotions, when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions.”― Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

By doing this work, you will also awaken some positive emotions and memories as well. Now that is a great benefit :-).

If you have any questions or want to share some feedback, we are here to listen and learn.

Thank you for your time