Letters From Therapy Podcast

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others." – Cicero

Hi friends,

It can be hard to feel grateful when things are going wrong, tornadoes of uninvited problems arrive, or you’re suffering emotionally or physically. But even in dark times, gratitude will strengthen your tired soul with its bright light. I wrote about gratitude earlier in the year here:

Practicing gratitude got me through the grief following the death of my babies, and when I contracted debilitating long covid and was fearful for my life, my career, my finances and my future. I think it prevented me from withering away.

If you are having a bad day, or if you are losing perspective on the beauty of yourself and your life and the world around you, this beautiful, uplifting meditation will relax and restore you. It might seem strange at first, but I promise you’ll love it!

* Gratitude is oil that prevents the corrosion of dark, sabotaging thoughts.

* It kisses our self pity goodbye.

* Gratitude replaces shame with love.

* Gratitude lights our pathway through the darkness.

* Gratitude shifts lack into abundance.

* If you tend to catastrophize everything, gratitude gives you balance.

* Gratitude is generosity.

* Gratitude is free.

When we embrace what we have, rather than focusing on what we don’t, we build resilience to cope with hard things. Gratitude helps us do hard things.

This is the last in my second series of short guided meditations: a practice shown to improve mental health and well-being. These meditations formed part of my Therapy Toolbox course a couple of years ago, and are a great way to slip into a relaxed and calm state of mind in a short space of time.

This series includes:

Mindfulness Meditation: Following the Breath; A Peaceful Sanctuary Visualisation; Deep Relaxation Body Scan; Kindness for the Overthinking Mind Meditation; Meet your Inner Guide Visualisation; Gratitude Meditation

Listen whenever you like on Substack, or if you prefer, on Apple Music or Spotify or your podcast app.

You’ll find more guided meditations from the first series here, including: Healing Waters, Forgiveness, Cultivating Joy, Self Acceptance, Inviting Financial Abundance and Sunlight Energy.

Upgrade if you would like to cultivate calm and inspiration whenever you like.

Let me know how you find this meditation to foster gratitude, and listen whenever you like.

With love and gratitude,

Kate

Not a paid member yet? No problem. You are welcome to read my free work on my Substack homepage. If you’d like more, including these meditations, feel free to upgrade and join my community of like-minded people creating a more harmonious world, starting from within. ✨

I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health and self-discovery, for you to flourish in a life you love. When we cultivate compassion, resilience and understanding, we also create a more harmonious world. Upgrade here for transformative journaling prompts, empowering tools, workbooks and guided meditations and visualisations like this one.

I sometimes get caught up in the chaos of daily life, in old unhelpful patterns, and can lose my way. I know that I have great wisdom inside me, though I often disconnect from it. Then I feel lost in the noise of external expectations and internal doubts. This can lead to confusion and stress, or disconnection from my purpose, goals and what is most meaningful to me.

Do you ever feel the same?

Taking the time to connect with your inner guide through meditation can bring profound clarity, peace, and a sense of direction. I invite you to quiet your mind today, and tune into your voice of wisdom, intuition and empowerment that resides inside you in the form of your inner guide. Listen now!

I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health and self-discovery, for you to flourish in a life you love. When we cultivate compassion, resilience and understanding, we also create a more harmonious world. Upgrade here for transformative journaling prompts, empowering tools, workbooks and guided meditations and visualisations like this one, an…

I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health and self-discovery, for you to flourish in a life you love. When we cultivate compassion, resilience and understanding, we also create a more harmonious world. Upgrade here for transformative journaling prompts, empowering tools, workbooks and guided meditations and visualisations like this one, and if you would like to support my work.

Hi friends,

Body relaxation is essential for our mental and physical health. When we relax, we activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which counteracts the stress response, allowing the body to enter a state of rest and recovery. This shift lowers cortisol levels, reduces muscle tension, and enhances digestion, contributing to overall physical health. Meditations like this help manage anxiety, reduce symptoms of stress-related disorders, and improve emotional regulation. It brings you back to base.

Regular relaxation strengthens neural pathways associated with calm and resilience, reinforcing a body-mind connection that promotes well-being. Relaxation practices help us reset, bringing balance to both the nervous system and our mental state, making it a powerful tool for sustaining health and vitality.

“Relaxation is a skill that can be learned and cultivated with practice, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling life.” Jon Kabat-Zinn

Body Scan Meditation

This short, relaxing body scan meditation is a type proven to be as good for calming our mind and body than valium or diazepam! And of course, totally natural.

This is part of my second series of short, guided meditations : a practice shown to improve mental health and well-being. These meditations formed part of my Therapy Toolbox course a couple of years ago, and are a great way to slip into a relaxed and calm state of mind in a short space of time.

This series includes:

* Mindfulness Meditation: Following the Breath

* A Peaceful Sanctuary Visualisation

* Deep Relaxation Body Scan

* Kindness for the Overthinking Mind

* Meet your Inner Guide Visualisation

* Gratitude Meditation

Listen whenever you like, and return daily to hardwire a calm, relaxed body. Available on Substack, or if you prefer, on Apple Music or Spotify.

You can find more guided meditations from the first series here, including: Healing Waters, Forgiveness, Cultivating Joy, Self Acceptance, Inviting Financial Abundance and Sunlight Energy.

Upgrade if you would like to cultivate calm and inspiration whenever you like!

Thanks for reading, friends. Do you need to build more deep relaxation in your life? Let me know in the comments, and let me know how you get on!

Enjoy!

With love and gratitude,

Kate

Not a paid member yet? No problem. You are welcome here and read my free work on my Substack homepage. If you’d like more, including these meditations, feel free to upgrade and join my community of like-minded people creating a more harmonious world, starting from within.

I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health and self-discovery, for you to flourish in a life you love. When we cultivate compassion, resilience and understanding, we also create a more harmonious world. Upgrade to a paid subscription here, for transformative journaling prompts, empowering tools, workbooks, and guided meditations and visualisations, and if you would like to support my work. Thanks for being here!

Hi friends,

Today marks the Eve of All Hallows (Samhain in the Celtic Calendar), which I expect hasn’t escaped your notice! Although it has been hijacked by plastic orange and Haribo, this time and tradition has long been woven into the calendar as a season of reflection. Traditionally, we would now honour the departed in vigil. Then, tomorrow, we remember all those pure-hearted saints, on All Saints' Day. We extend our honouring to all our faithful departed on All Souls’ Day the day after.

All Hallows’ Eve invites us to acknowledge the mystery of the unseen. We honour our ancestors while deepening our roots, and remember all those who have passed, all those who left an imprint on our souls. We may dare to embrace the shadowy, unknown aspects of ourselves and our lives, liberating our psyche of the burden of hiding them, paving the way for our growth. The bravest amongst us will acknowledge our mortality today.

See this post on Substack to read the rest.

I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health and self-discovery, for you to flourish in a life you love. When we cultivate compassion, resilience and understanding, we also create a more harmonious world. Upgrade to a paid subscription here to listen, for transformative journaling prompts, empowering tools, workbooks, and guided meditations and visualisations like this one, and if you would like to support my work.

Hi friends,

Developing inner peace creates a calm, steady foundation that helps us handle life’s ups and downs with greater resilience. When we cultivate inner peace, we’re less affected by external stresses, criticism, or the need for constant approval. It builds our ability to respond to challenges from a place of calm rather than reacting impulsively, and creates room for compassion for ourselves and others. It also frees us from the weight of unnecessary worries, helping us find fulfilment and strength, regardless of life’s changing circumstances.

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is a beautiful visualisation where I’ll invite you to create a peaceful sanctuary in your minds eye, to return to whenever you need to cultivate calm and inspiration. This is part of my second series of short, guided meditations: a practice shown to improve mental health and well-being. These meditations formed part of my Therapy Toolbox course a couple of years ago, and are a great way to slip into a relaxed and calm state of mind and body in a short space of time.

This series includes:

* Mindfulness Meditation: Following the Breath

* A Peaceful Sanctuary Visualisation

* Deep Relaxation Body Scan

* Kindness for the Overthinking Mind

* Meet your Inner Guide Visualisation

* Gratitude Meditation

Listen whenever you like, and return daily to hardwire these concepts into your soul. Available on Substack, or if you prefer, on Apple Music or Spotify.

You can find more guided meditations here, including the first series: Healing Waters, Forgiveness, Cultivating Joy, Self Acceptance, Inviting Financial Abundance and Sunlight Energy, Upgrade if you want to cultivate calm and inspiration whenever you like.

What can you do in your home to cultivate a more peaceful environment, even if only in one corner?

Enjoy!

With love and gratitude,

Kate

Not a paid member yet? No problem. You can read my free work on my Substack homepage. If you’d like to try these visualisations, more posts and additional therapeutic self-discovery work, upgrade and join my community of like-minded people creating a more harmonious world, starting from within. You’ll also support me to be able to keep writing.

“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” ― Siddhārtha Gautama

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Hi! I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health and self-discovery, for you to flourish in a life you love. When we cultivate compassion, resilience and understanding, we also create a more harmonious world. Upgrade here for transformative journaling prompts, empowering tools, workbooks and guided meditations, and if you would like to support my work.

Hi friends,

Today’s topic: dreams. I’ll take you through this whistle-stop tour on how to interpret your dreams, covering views of Freud and Jung, Gestalt dream work (my favourite), dream emotions, nightmares, night paralysis, sex dreams and not dreaming. Maybe you’re less weird than you think!

Unlocking Your Dreams

I’ll spare you the details of my own strange dreams, but if you are anything like me you have woken up in the morning thinking ‘What the…’ as bizarre memories of your own making linger on, leaving you scratching your head. Or maybe you’ve woken up laughing, your heart racing, blushing, or drenched in shame?

Dreaming is a healthy part of the minds integrating process as it organises experiences of our waking lives, past and present. Although I am no expert, as a psychotherapist, I've seen how exploring dreams can offer powerful insights with clients and it is always pretty enlightening for them. So today, let’s look at what different perspectives in psychology tell us about dreams. Listen to learn more!

What are your thoughts and experiences on dreams?

Paid subscribers can find 8 journaling questions to explore dreams in the Members Therapy Toolbox Page.

Sweet dreams!

If you enjoyed this post, do press the heart so I know you are reading, and share with anyone else you think might enjoy it!

With love and gratitude,

Kate

I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health and self-discovery, for you to flourish in a life you love. When we cultivate compassion, resilience and understanding, we also create a more harmonious world. Upgrade here for transformative journaling prompts, empowering tools, workbooks and guided meditations like this one, and if you would like to support my work.

Hi friends,

Welcome to my new series of guided meditations and visualisations for my paid members, which I’ll post every Monday evening (UK time), for the next six weeks. If you haven’t joined already, you are welcome, and can upgrade here.

Let’s start at the beginning with this short, classic mindfulness guided meditation, to focus the mind by following the breath. The more we practice, the less we get caught in unhelpful stories, and the more we cultivate calm. If you don’t like to follow your breath, try one of the visualisations instead.

Guided meditations and visualisation are shown to improve mental health and well-being. These meditations formed part of my Therapy Toolbox course a couple of years ago, and are a great way to slip into a relaxed, calm state of mind in a short space of time, no matter what is going on in your life.

This series includes:

* Cultivating Mindfulness: Following the Breath

* A Peaceful Sanctuary Visualisation

* Deep Relaxation Body Scan Meditation

* Kindness for the Overthinking Mind

* Gratitude Meditation

* Meet your Inner Guide Visualisation

Listen whenever you like, and save to return and hardwire it all into your soul. Listen on Substack, or find me on Apple Music or Spotify.

Explore more guided meditations here including: Healing Waters, Forgiveness, Cultivating Joy, Self Acceptance and Sunlight Energy - listen now.

“Be where you are; otherwise, you will miss your life.” - Buddha

Enjoy!

With love and gratitude,

Kate

Not a paid member yet? You can read all my free work on my Substack homepage, some with audio. If you’d like more, upgrade and join my community of like-minded people creating a more harmonious world, starting from within!

I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health and self-discovery, for you to flourish in a life you love. When we cultivate compassion, resilience and understanding, we also create a more harmonious world. Upgrade here for transformative journaling prompts, empowering tools, workbooks and guided meditations (more coming soon).

Hi friends

When we lose someone we love, we are faced with a new reality that we must accept. We have to process the pain of the grief, and adjust to the world without them. Then we can find an enduring connection with them whilst moving forward with our life. We can navigate all this by strengthening these pillars of strength outlined below, that we all have within our capacity.

Read the first two posts in this grief series here:

Julia Samuels’s offers a compassionate framework to help us find a balance between grieving and living in her book Grief Works. Julia’s book is full of case studies so may provide comfort in knowing you aren’t alone in your kind of bereavement. She outlines these eight pillars of strength, that in the midst of deep, earth shattering loss, we can build emotional resilience. We can move forward, whilst honouring our grief and the loss of our loved one. I wrote about my own grappling between life and loss here, after my first bereavement.

“Building pillars of strength can help us rebuild our lives after loss.” Julia Samuels

Pillars of Strength for Moving Through Grief

1. Relationship with the Person Who Died

Grief doesn’t mean letting go of someone you love. Even though our loved one has died, we still have a relationship with them. By continuing bonds—through memories, rituals, or simply speaking their name—you keep their presence alive in a way that brings comfort. These moments help you process the loss while still holding them close. This may mean writing to them, planting a tree, lighting a candle, wearing something to remind you of them, or creating a memory box, which I did for both my baby girls. Sue Reed writes about keeping her mother’s memory alive by baking with her grandchildren, passing on the same traditions her mother taught her.

2. Relationship with Self

Grief often forces us to turn inward. It’s a time for deep self-reflection, and the key is to meet yourself with compassion. Acknowledge your emotions, whatever they may be, listen to your needs, and allow yourself to grieve in your own unique way, free from judgment. Visit my previous posts to help make sense of your grief here and here. My therapeutic journaling prompts for grief will also help you understand yourself and your reactions, find them here.

3. Finding Ways to Express Grief

Our often overwhelming, as well as subtle emotions of grief needs an outlet. Whether it’s through sharing with loved ones, journaling, creating art, speaking with a counsellor, or crying, giving voice to your pain is essential. Holding emotions inside only deepens the ache, leaving them unprocessed, and unintegrated. Understand the grieving process you’re in in my previous post ‘Grief: Making Sense of Crazy’ here. Only by expressing our emotions can healing begin.

4. Mind and Body Connection

Grief takes a toll not just emotionally, but physically too. Taking care of your body through simple acts like eating well, resting, or gentle exercise supports our emotional recovery. Practices like mindfulness or meditation can also soothe the overwhelming waves of sadness. With a well supported body and mind, we are better able to ride the deep waves of grief.

5. Recognising Limits

Grief can be all-consuming. It’s important to recognise when you’re feeling drained and to honour your limits. It’s okay to say "no”, to demands, to rest, or to step back as you heal. Give yourself permission to pause. You may be entitled to time off work, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Some people love to help!

6. Time and Patience

There’s no timeline for grief. Healing takes time, and that journey looks different for everyone. Be patient with yourself as you ride the highs and lows. Take as much time as you need to adjust and heal.

7. Structure and Routine

In the chaos of loss, routine can provide a small sense of control. Simple daily tasks or setting small goals can offer grounding, helping you feel more anchored amidst the turmoil. Small wins like getting washed and dressed, or doing chores can feel like climbing mountains, but can feel good. Build in time for remembrance, self care, a daily walk, and keep your sleep routine regular. Many still find solace in work in between the wild emotions.

8. Focusing

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by grief, but focusing on your sensed feeling enables you to give voice to the bodily felt aspect of grief. You may find where grief is expressed in the body. Allow yourself to focus on that area, feel it, and give it a voice. What does it say? What does it need?

Well friends, if you are grieving, which pillar can you strengthen today? Honour your grief and your strength, and build resilience along the way.

Amy Beeson shares a wonderful post here with more resources, books and podcasts that help her following the loss of her mother.

Paid subscribers can access my therapeutic journaling prompts in the Members Toolbox Page, the grief workbook is coming for annual subscribers later this week.

So it’s over to you. Can you relate? Which pillar can you work on?

I’ll be in the comments.

With love and gratitude

Kate

PS if you found this post useful or important, please do press the heart and share it, so I can reach more people - and bring more compassion to the world.

Further Reading:

On Grief and Grieving - Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

Tasks of Mourning - William Worden (for Therapists)

Grief Works - Julia Samuel’s

Bittersweet - Susan Cain

Kokoro - Beth Kempton

I’m Kate, a psychotherapist writing about mental health and self-discovery, for you to flourish in a life you love. When we cultivate compassion, resilience and understanding, we also create a more harmonious world. Upgrade here for transformative journaling prompts, empowering tools, workbooks and guided meditations (more coming soon). I am especially grateful to my paid members whose small contributions enable me to write. Thank you!

This is the second post on moving through loss and grief. Paid subscribers will find therapeutic journaling prompts for grief in the Members Toolbox page.

When our lives and brain have fallen to pieces following loss, we can feel so alone. Read on to understand your experiences of grief, to make sense of the unthinkable.

Hi friends,

I once bought a book about grief, which I didn’t open for four years. It sat taunting me from the shelf. ‘What do they know about this?’ I’d rage, anger burning in my chest whenever it caught my eye. Or, I’d shrink in shame: it was probably all my fault anyway. These books were for normal people, with normal grief and normal feelings, not for crazy me.

When grief crashed through my body and soul once again, when my third baby Holly died, I was stronger and braver. After counselling training I had built enough resilience to open the book at least; and if it was full of s**t, I could handle it.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, wrote ‘On Grief and Grieving’ when she was dying herself. After dedicating her life to helping terminally ill people face their own death, she widened her work to help all those experiencing grief. It turned out her ideas did include me. Any maybe you too?

Her reflections do not prescribe how to grieve, or what we feel, when to finish or how much is too much, or what is or isn’t normal. She shines a light on the commonality of our experiences, to normalise our craziness, and make sense of our confusion.

Reading her made my shoulders soften, my heart relax, and able to accept my powerful emotions. I was less afraid.

‘The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again, but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to.’ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross - The Stages of Grief

Kubler-Ross defined (and amended) these stages of grief in her book On Grief and Grieving.

Although she describes the process as stages, she acknowledged that this is not intended to be prescriptive, nor linear, the ‘stages’ may be revisited over time, some will feel more intense than others, and some not at all.

I share this to normalise the wild emotions of grief. You are not alone, you’re not crazy, you’re normal. Read my last post about how, who and what do we grieve for here.

With love and gratitude,

Kate

PS if you found this post useful or think others might, please do press the heart and share it.

If you are a paid subscriber, thank you with all my heart for being here. Through strengthening our resilience and authenticity, we are building a more compassionate, understanding world!