Birrell Therapy
357 Jane Street M6S 1C9 Toronto, ON, Canada

We tend to think of anger as distasteful and abhorrentsomething that we would rather not experience. Actually, I believe that the anger is an expression of the self. It is a protection of one’s boundaries. When a young child says, NO! in a loud voice, mobilizing all the energy she has to express the dislike of something that offends her in some way, she is not angry as we have come to know it, she is expressing her very self. She must use a loud voice because she desperately wants to be heard. Her NO! comes from the core of her being. Since the child does not have cognitive ability, the language, nor the diplomacy to express profound, basic feelings in pleasing ways, she is perceived as angry (p. 36). #VioletOaklander #healingthroughplay #playtherapy #anger @birrelltherapy

"Self-regulation can be taught to many kids who cycle between frantic activity and immobility. In addition to reading, writing, and arithmetic, all kids need to learn self-awareness, self-regulation, and communication as part of their core curriculum. Just as we teach history and geography, we need to teach children how their brains and bodies work. For adults and children alike, being in control of ourselves requires becoming familiar with our inner world and accurately identifying what scares, upsets, or delights us" (p. 356). #thebodykeepsthescore #besselvanderkolk #trauma #traumarecovery #education #mindfulness @birrelltherapy

"It is standard practice in many schools to punish children for tantrums, spacing out, or aggressive outbursts--all of which are often symptoms of traumatic stress. When that happens, the school, instead of offering a safe haven, becomes yet another traumatic trigger. Angry confrontations and punishment can at best temporarily halt unacceptable behaviors, but since the underlying alarm system and stress hormones are not laid to rest, they are certain to erupt again at the next provocation" (p. 355). #thebodykeepsthescore #besselvanderkolk #trauma #education @birrelltherapy

"...the teachers' initial response is often some version of "If I'd wanted to be a social worker, I would have gone to social work school. But I came here to be a teacher." Many of them have already learned the hard way, however, that they cannot teach if they have a classroom filled with students whose alarm bells are constantly going off. Even the most committed teachers and school systems often come to feel frustrated and ineffective because so many of their kids are too traumatized to learn...The good news is that the basic principles of trauma-focused interventions can be translated into practical day-to-day routines and approaches that can transform the entire culture of a school" (p. 354). #thebodykeepsthescore #besselvanderkolk #trauma #teaching #traumarecovery #psychotherapy @birrelltherapy

Intuition is not a single way of knowingit’s our ability to hold space for uncertainty and our willingness to trust the many ways we’ve developed knowledge and insight, including instinct, experience, faith, and reason (p. 89). #thegiftsofimperfection @brenebrown #perfectionismrecovery #psychotherapy #intuition @birrelltherapy

"Although the structures involve dialogue, psychomotor therapy does not explain or interpret the past. Instead, it allows you to feel what you felt back then, to visualize what you saw, and to say what you could not say when it actually happened. It's as if you could go back into the movie of your life and rewrite the crucial scenes. You can direct the role-players to do things they failed to do in the past, such as keeping your father from beating up your mom. These table...aus can stimulate powerful emotions. For example, as you place your "real mother" in the corner, cowering in terror, you may feel a deep longing to protect her and realize how powerless you felt as a child. But if you then create an ideal mother, who stands up to your father and knows how to avoid getting trapped in abusive relationships, you may experience a visceral sense of relief and an unburdening of that old guilt and helplessness. Or you might confront the brother who brutalized you as a child and then create an ideal brother who protects you and becomes your role model" (pp. 301-302). #thebodykeepsthescore #besselvanderkolk #psychotherapy #trauma #traumarecovery #PsychomotorTherapy @birrelltherapy See more

#HappyDiwali2020 #meditatetostaypositive #bepresent

#perfectionismrecovery #positiveselftalk

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