(First published in the Sunday Independent, January 13,2019) The most important relationship you will ever have is the internal one with the various parts of yourself, writes psychotherapist Gayle Williamson   “He has his back to me. It looks like he’s sulking… he definitely doesn’t want to talk. It’s so strange, but I get the […]

New developments in neuropsychology can help males open up and express their emotions, writes Gayle Williamson (First published in the Sunday Independent, September 3, 2017) There are few things more poignant in therapy than seeing a man – indoctrinated since childhood to be strong – break down in tears. In my experience, it happens very […]

First published January 1, 2017 in the Sunday Independent The key challenge for those who have suffered relational trauma is to reclaim their bodies, writes psychotherapist Gayle Williamson The first time I met Stevie (not her real name), she ran out of my consulting room after only 20 minutes. When she later rang to apologise, she […]

First published in the Sunday Independent (April 17, 2016) Good parenting is about equipping children with the confidence to eventually leave you; but some mothers just won’t let this happen, writes psychotherapist Gayle Williamson “My boyfriend and I have been fighting a lot – we’ve never been away and he wants us to take a […]

It’s a truism that the more you try to control something, the less in control you are – particularly perhaps in the case of managing anxiety. Chronic anxiety usually feels so awful you’ll do anything to get rid of it – positive thinking, hypnosis, mantras, special diets, avoiding stressful situations.. all of which only set […]

By far the biggest issue I see in therapy is anxiety – it’s such a widespread problem. If you’ve never suffered from anxiety, it’s difficult to really understand just how bad it can be; how exhausting and how crippling. It makes doing anything in a typical day a challenge – driving your car, going to […]

We’ve been breathing all our lives so surely we should be experts at it? But it’s so automatic, many of us don’t pay attention to how we are breathing – unless we have a heavy cold or we experience panic, and suddenly we’re very aware of not getting enough breath. Anxiety sufferers have a tendency to shallow breathing […]

Doctors frequently see patients who complain of feeling sick but who are unaware that their symptoms are in fact caused by anxiety. Common anxiety-related symptoms, for example, are nausea, upset stomach and acid reflux. Many of the anxiety sufferers I see also suffer from Irritable bowel syndrome, involving constipation or diarrhoea, abdominal pain and cramps. […]

Written for Sunday Independent Unlike depression, anxiety can motivate you to fulfil your potential – as famous sufferers can attest. My client was obviously in a great deal of pain, worn down by her anxiety. “I feel so weak and pathetic that I can’t just get on top of it.” You’d be forgiven for imagining […]

Written for Sunday Independent Hot, trapped, and a garda at the car window … the worst experience I had of anxiety was when I was driving to my then job several years ago and got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the quays in Dublin. It was a warm summer’s day, and I began […]