“Courage is not simply one of the virtues but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”  C. S. Lewis

“Fear is the mind-killer … I will face my fear.  I will permit it to pass over me and through me.  And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.  Where fear has gone there will be nothing.  Only I will remain.”  Bene Gesserit ‘Litany against Fear’ from Dune by Frank Herbert

[Sadly this potential skydiving adventure was cancelled ... for the second time ... because of poor weather conditions.  I'll book again ... hopefully third time lucky.  I'll then aim to complete this blog post!]

I wrote yesterday about the one day workshop I went to with David Barlow introducing "Unified protocol for the treatment of emotional disorders".  David described an eight module sequence for anxiety, depression and potentially other problems too:

1.) Motivation enhancement for treatment engagement (1/2 to 1 session).
2.) Psychoeducation & treatment rationale (1 to 3 sessions).
3.) Emotional awareness training (1 to 3 sessions).
4.) Cognitive appraisal & reappraisal (1 to 2 sessions).
5.) Emotion driven behaviours & emotional avoidance (1 to 3 sessions).
6.) Awareness & tolerance of physical sensations (1 session).

“

The past is beautiful because one never realises an emotion at the time.  It expands later, & thus we don't have complete emotions about the present, only about the past.

” - Virginia Woolf

"Wellness in Students" - a talk given at a conference on student health in London in July '07.  Introduces Self-Determin

I'm a big fan of Self-Determination Theory (SDT).  SDT is a general theory of motivation and personality that has evolved over the past three decades.  SDT suggests that humans, like plants or other animals, intrinsically 'strive' for need satisfaction & flourishing.  Social context and personal choices can support or thwart this need striving with major effects for health and wellbeing.

“ There are no paths, paths are made by walking. ” - Australian Aboriginal saying

This is a bit of a ragbag section.  It contains a mixture of handouts on wellbeing, time management and related topics.  A lot of my work involves helping people face fear and anxiety.  The "Determination training" and more straightforward monthly "Practice record" are often helpful here.  The "Respected figures exercise" is one of the most frequent forms that I ask people to fill in - it clarifies values and so highlights how one wants to act.  The handout on Kohlberg's work is relevant to values too, especially at times when the focus is on fairness and assertiveness.  I often move from the "Respected figues exercise" to the five "Goals for roles" handouts.  They build from clarifying "Role areas" and using this for the "Funeral speeches" or "80th birthday party exercise&qu