Anglia Counselling Ltd

Author: Bob Brotchie

Pain is Inevitable – Suffering is Optional

by

This quote, “Pain is Inevitable – Suffering is Optional”, is not easy to attribute to the originator, but some think it may derive from Buddhist traditional philosophy, and it certainly fits, regardless. The quote, and what it can mean, is also one of the most powerful metaphors to be heard and explored in the therapy room. This short post explores for you the reader, some of its potency.

 

When touched with a feeling of pain, the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person sorrows, grieves, & laments, beats his breast, becomes distraught. So he feels two pains, physical & mental. Just as if they were to shoot a man with an arrow and, right afterward, were to shoot him with another one, so that he would feel the pains of two arrows; in the same way, when touched with a feeling of pain, the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person sorrows, grieves, & laments, beats his breast, becomes distraught. So he feels two pains, physical & mental. Courtesy – fakebuddhaquotes.com/pain-is-inevitable-suffering-is-optional/

 

 

[Read more…]

Increasing Our Awareness of Eating Disorders in Males

by

Despite often being portrayed in the media as a ‘female issue’, eating disorders affect many males in the UK, usually from the ages of 14-25. According to The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence, approximately 1.6 million people in the UK have either anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder or EDNOS (Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified) – of this total, 11% are male. Our guest author, Helen Wier, gives us some further insight into the reality.

The Reality

One study carried out by researchers at University College London has found that eating disorders are rising twice as quickly in males as it is in females. Between the years 2000 and 2009, the number of diagnosed cases of anorexia and bulimia nervosa in males rose by 24%.

The highest rates of newly diagnosed cases in the UK involve females aged 15 to 19 and males aged 10 to 14. [Read more…]

Emotional Neglect: The Hidden Parenting Problem

by

The majority of clients I work with are adults suffering emotional turbulence associated with anxiety and low self-esteem, often inherited as a direct result of parenting styles. When we think of the ’emotional neglect’ of our children, we may envisage a rundown home, drugs, violence, or abuse – and while these may well be causal factors for many, others will come from what might be observed as “good homes, normal parents”. Our guest author, Helen Weir, covers The Hidden Parenting Problem.

 

The Stable Home

‘Tom’ was brought up in a stable home; his parents stayed together, they fed him, clothed him, took him to the doctor when he was ill. They helped him with his homework, they bought him presents at Christmas, they never abused him in any way. Yet, as an adult, he feels that there’s something intrinsically missing from his life. [Read more…]