BewleyTherapy.com

My first wish would be that all women on Mother Earth could get together and make a difference to the way the world is.  It's not that I'm against men, they are lovely, they are great, they are heroic and they can make me (and women everywhere) feel protected.  I work amongst so many of them, I know that for sure.  But, come on guys, there is a point when you simply have no option but to listen to your women-folk.  For instance, I know that it takes a woman's ideas to resolve an argument.   Guys, you have an intuitive gut feeling that all women need to feel secure is for you to protect them from harm.  And, you are right.  As long as you show your appreciation for what she's done for you (even down to making you a lovely hot mug of tea), she'll love you and do all that she can for you, till the cows come home.    When I look at the state of the world, I see a tremendous amount of good in it....

      Two years ago tomorrow, on 17th June, my father’s spirit left his body.   In the big scheme of things, two years seems like a very short time.   At midnight on the eve of my brother’s birthday, my aunt called to let me know dad had been taken to hospital.   Dad being dad, he was kind enough to my brother to wait until the following day, Father’s Day, to finally close his eyes forever. When I arrived at his hospital bed, I whispered in his ear sweet words of a daughter’s love.   During the following thirty minutes after he took his last breath, I kept encouraging his spirit to “find the light” and “go and run up those stairs to enjoy your time in Heaven.”   He had earned it.   He had done the very best any father could have done for his children.   He even saved us from the authorities when they were threatening to take us away and have us put in a children’s home.   I said “Your love has protected us, you...

As a psychotherapist, I was sad at how people's memories declined as they grew older and wanted to learn how to help them deal with the anxieties associated with the loss of the life they used to have.  In particular, I wanted to assist the 'bystanders' who were witnessing their loved one's slow decline into death's embrace.    What I've learned to teach people, is how to calm their anxious feelings about their mind aging, and one key is to become aware of the biological fact that memory is not one single thing .  There are many ways to look at it, but there are only two main sections.    Section 1 includes: 'long-term memory' (technically, these are 'episodic', 'semantic' and 'procedural' memory).    Section 2 includes our 'working memory' (a doctor will use the words 'visual-spatial sketchpad' and 'phonological loop').    So, when someone says that our memory fails with age,...

When something goes wrong on a building site, we usually say it was done by 'a bunch of cowboys' .  However, I can't see any aspect of society that hasn't been touched by the effect of a Hollywood cowboy film.  Almost everyone I speak to remembers Clint Eastwood's line "Do you feel lucky?" or John Wayne's "A man's got to do what a man's got to do” and Shane's forlorn farewell was so heart-breaking to witness I balled my eyes out. These memorable images of brave men riding off out into the sunset, never knowing if they would return back to the home fires, inspire some kind of strength with their true grit, honest family loyalty and the will to do the right thing.  As kids, we've played the games and, Clint and Co. have often inspired us to want to be one.  But how many of us have actually done it?   Of course, we may have booked a holiday on a ranch and had the experience of a lifetime, but for it to become...

It’s a beautiful sunny Sunday morning and I’m listening to Dire Straights ‘Going Home’.   I look up to see the crystal hanging in my window and see it winking a clear green brilliant light straight into my eyes.   It showers me with beautiful rainbow light and there’s peace in my heart. I remember a few years ago things were completely different.   Filled with mixed emotions there was a knowingness tinged with a reluctant sorrow.   Why reluctant?   Because I had begun to discover what my role was to be in life.   As a result, I made a reluctant decision.   The reluctance came from not wishing to feel sad anymore. Over the years, I have never been one to build myself a treasure chest of ‘bottom drawer’ stuff for a time when I would eventually meet the man I was to marry.   Basically, because I never thought I would.   Instead, I had been building up a collection of books.   Certain types of books, that I had chosen to give aw...

Have you ever tried meditation?  Saying one word for 20 minutes, 2 times a day ...  Arooshima.  Arooshima.  Arooshmia.   It's worse than running up heartbreak hill with a 20lb pack on your back (like a soldier training for war).  I'm well informed on the subject of mindfulness, but teaching the method to others is a little bit like climbing up that hill.  'You have to accept the words and let them go'. "Let them go?  How?" Focus on the word.  Arooshima.  Arooshima.  Arooshima. When other words interrupt, accept them, then bring your mind back to the word, Arooshima.  What goes on in your mind?  Does it chatter non-stop?  Can you make sense of what you're thinking?  Does it even matter what's in your mind? Focus on the word.  Arooshima.  Arooshima.  Arooshima. One day, I decided to tape the words in my mind (no, I haven't invented a mind-reading machine, but I'm assured neurosci...