Posts by Rachel Phillips
Ramadan, Mental Health Problems and Medication
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and an extremely important time for millions of Muslims around the world. This holy month is a time for fasting, prayer and abstinence from wrongdoing. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam so it is considered obligatory for all Muslims, who are…
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LGBT History and Mental Health
The history of how LGBT people have been treated by mental health professionals. February is LGBT History Month and this year my mind has turned to the history of mental health treatment. It is a dark and shameful chapter in the mental health professionals’ past. There are many gay men alive today who were traumatised…
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6 Ways To Be More Mindful Without Meditating
Mindfulness isn’t for everyone, despite what the media would have us believe. Even as a mindfulness teacher, I’m sick of being bombarded by messages to meditate on this and mindfully perform that. The September 2018 issue of Women’s Health magazine even asks on its front cover whether I’m shagging mindfully under the headline of “Get…
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Rules Of Engagement
How To Have A Constructive Argument During my years of working for Relate, the relationship counselling organisation, there were always predictable spikes in demand for our services. These happened as regular as clockwork in September and January. So what created these peaks in the need for couples to seek help? They occurred directly after the…
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Finding a Therapist
When you need psychotherapy or counselling, you are usually at a point where you are feeling vulnerable. You may not be in a frame of mind where you are making clear decisions as conditions such as depression and anxiety can make your thoughts foggy. It is therefore even more important to have some pointers of…
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