Therapy Works

*Trigger warning - this episode may make references to depression, drugs and suicide.*“I was dealing on and off with very bad depression, which I think in the early days leading up to my breakdown, I dealt with through drink and then I dealt with through this obsessive need and desire not to drink, which I probably replaced with an obsessive need and desire to work all the time.”We learn most from hearing the truthful stories of others. We learn even more about what it is to be human when we get beneath someone's external performative self and learn what they actually feel on the inside. Alastair Campbell is a remarkable example of someone who has been powerful at the heart of the political world as the former Director of Communications and Strategy at 10 Downing Street and also owned and expressed his inner mental health challenges. In this remarkably open and illuminating episode you will learn: The confusion between mental and physical illness. Because mental illness is invisible, unlike physical illness we find it harder to legitimise our mental states. How mental health isn’t separate from the system and society within which we live. The link between depression and addiction, and how it can be inherited. Why a breakdown can be incredibly painful, it might be the route to a break through and will allow you to develop better coping mechanisms for life’s difficulties.  Why it’s incredibly painful to witness our adult children suffer and being powerless to help. The dilemma and boundary we face between self-care and selfishness.  The wonderful illustration of the jam jar which triggered my Freudian slip and includes tools for wellbeing that holds back malevolent depression. The dilemma and boundary between self-care and selfishness.  Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbeIf you'd like to get in touch with the podcast team, please contact us on therapyworkspodcast@gmail.com.A big thank you to our sponsor, BetterHelp. If you’re thinking of giving therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great option. It’s not only convenient and can be done from the comfort of your own home, but it’s also affordable. All you have to do is fill out a quick survey and you’ll be matched with a therapist! Visit betterhelp.com/therapyworks today to get 10% off your first month.Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick Kingswell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

*Trigger warning* - This episode includes references to suicide and physical abuse."I grew up around men that, you know, kind of spoke with the hands and not with the mouth."In this incredibly powerful and moving conversation, David reflects on hitting rock bottom and finding hope in the darkest of times. Topics discussed in this episode include:  How he overcame a violent childhood when one’s parent used aggression rather than words How hard it can be to be an authentic sensitive man when surrounded by toxic masculinity The idea that the cards we are dealt when we are born is down to luck but how we play them is shaped by our choices and decisions. Why the question is not why the addiction - the question is what is the source of the pain it is anaesthetising? Why we are constantly on the hunt for more and don’t know what we have to be grateful for until it’s taken away. —Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbeGrief Works app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/grief-works-self-care-love/id1558867513If you are in need of support please visit:  https://switchback.org.uk/ - London based prison rehabilitation charity  https://www.hardmantrust.org.uk/directory/ - finds support services for prisoners A big thank you to our sponsor, Athletic Greens. Athletic Greens is offering Therapy Works listeners a FREE 1 year supply of immune-supporting Vitamin D AND 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase. All you have to do is visit athleticgreens.com/therapyworks. ---Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick Kingswell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Would they prefer a gay son or a dead son was genuinely a question that went through my mind more than once a day."In this week's episode, I am speaking to the wonderful Mohsin Zaidi about the importance of belonging and the bitter struggle he encountered with his identity. We explore: The tension that arises when our core identities are different from what we believe they should be Why courage is something we must grow and it may take years to find the courage to be true to oneself How expanding our external world expands our internal world and may enable ourselves to inhabit ourselves more fully How secrets and lies can poison and destroy you When you despair, it's important to remember to be patient and to not put too much pressure on oneself Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbeRead Mohsin's book here: https://www.mohsinzaidi.com/Important Support: Stonewall - Support for LGBTQ+: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/Mermaids - Helping gender diverse kids and their families: https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/It Gets Better - A project to uplift and empower LGBTQ communities: https://itgetsbetter.org/If you'd like to get in touch with the podcast team, please contact us on therapyworkspodcast@gmail.com.A big thank you to our sponsor, BetterHelp. If you’re thinking of giving therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great option. It’s not only convenient and can be done from the comfort of your own home, but it’s also affordable. All you have to do is fill out a quick survey and you’ll be matched with a therapist! Visit betterhelp.com/therapyworks today to get 10% off your first month.If you'd like to be unknown voice on Season 2, please send in a one minute video about a challenge you've faced to jsamuelpod@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“I know a few women, even in my circle, have survived sexual trauma. And they all go back to the same thing and they talk about the moment where they changed. It's not to do with what somebody did to them physically is to do with they they know when they when their sense of self shattered.” Today's episode is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I am joined by single mother, Jess, who opens up about her own turbulent childhood. This therapy session definitely brought up a lot of different issues surrounding family, the complexities of motherhood and the scarring impact of sexual abuse.In this episode we discuss issues around:  The impact of our parents choices on our mental health The devastating life shattering impact of sexual abuse and how the focus culturally has been the physical event but it can come in many forms How sexual abuse isn't always physical and can be subtle and can be harder to recognise The joy and complexity of having a baby and how it inevitably brings up our own issues The importance of community and how there are many diverse ways people can make a family Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbeImportant links: Support for people who are estranged: https://www.standalone.org.uk/Support for sexual abuse victims: https://safeline.org.uk/---If you are an unheard voice and want to share your story, please email jsamuelpod@gmail.com.Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick Kingswell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“I feel like I always kind of longed for that family set up and I've got it. But although I feel loved and and I love my family, I've also kind of fallen into being a stepmum where I also sometimes feel that it's not my family.”In this moving and revealing conversation Kate Ferdinand opens up on subjects that affect us all. This conversation explores: • How her childhood shaped her and in particular her relationship with her father• The complexities and joys of being a stepmother and we can have multiple loves all at the same time• How love for those that have died lives on in the family, becomes part of the family and needs to be integrated by those joining them• The difficulties of social media and why comparison is the direct route to misery• Her own experience of miscarriage and why she needed to be open about it • How she has had to learn that expressing difficult feelings can release her from old, hardwired patterns• The notion that love is the strongest medicine—Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbeGrief Works app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/grief-works-self-care-love/id1558867513If you'd like to get in touch with the podcast team, please contact us on therapyworkspodcast@gmail.com.If you are in need of bereavement support please visit Cruse: https://www.cruse.org.uk/A big thank you to our sponsor, BetterHelp. If you’re thinking of giving therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great option. It’s not only convenient and can be done from the comfort of your own home, but it’s also affordable. All you have to do is fill out a quick survey and you’ll be matched with a therapist! Visit betterhelp.com/therapyworks today to get 10% off your first month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(Trigger warning: this episode contains mentions of illness and includes references to bereavement)“A bomb hit us and yeah. I can't even remember really stuff before that, that was then and and this is now and that was a real turning point in our in our lives.” In this searingly honest episode Geraint explores how to ‘carry on’ being a dad, a business owner and manage the day to day whilst Debbie, his beloved wife, is in hospital with stage 4 cancer. We discuss the searingly difficult topics of: That seismic moment when your life changes forever The hard part of wanting to protect your children but learning how to have difficult conversations Knowing how to implement good coping strategies but learning how to admit to feeling helpless Learning how to appreciate the happy times despite the difficulties and how to survive when in the middle of a roller coaster life crisis Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbeGrief Works app: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/grief-works-self-care-love/id1558867513Important links: If you are in need of bereavement support please visit Cruse: https://www.cruse.org.uk/Please visit Child Bereavement UK if your children are in need of support: https://www.childbereavementuk.or---Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick Kingswell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Life is an oscillation between being very hard and very good.”In this first ever episode of Therapy Works, Julia Samuel is joined by Minnie Driver who touches on some fundamental challenges we all face in life and gives a fascinating insight in how to manage them.In this conversation we explore:  What we inherit from our parents and how that can impact our choices and outcomes How we can learn to live with our wounds but can never erase them How the loss of Minnie’s beloved mother has changed her outlook towards life The crucial importance of hope and how that tiny flicker of light that can help us survive when we feel we can’t Julia’s Website: https://juliasamuel.co.uk/Julia’s Instagram: @juliasamuelmbeA big thank you to our sponsor, BetterHelp. If you’re thinking of giving therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great option. It’s not only convenient and can be done from the comfort of your own home, but it’s also affordable. All you have to do is fill out a quick survey and you’ll be matched with a therapist! Visit betterhelp.com/therapyworks today to get 10% off your first month.If you'd like to get in touch with the podcast team, please contact us on therapyworkspodcast@gmail.com.Produced by Georgie RutherfordEdited by Nick Kingswell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Therapy Works: the podcast where Julia Samuel helps her guests confront life's biggest challenges. Launching on Wednesday 19th October 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices