EMDR is generally considered a safe psychological therapy when it is delivered by a suitably trained therapist. It is non-invasive, does not involve medication and does not require you to describe every detail of a traumatic experience. However, safe does not mean that EMDR will always feel easy or comfortable. Processing difficult memories can temporarily bring up strong emotions, physical
Experiences from childhood can continue to affect you long after the original events have ended. You may understand that the past is over, yet still react to certain situations with fear, shame, anger, anxiety or a powerful need to protect yourself. Perhaps you struggle to trust people, feel responsible for other people’s emotions or repeatedly believe that you are not
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can leave you feeling as though part of you is still living through something that has already ended. You may know intellectually that you are safe, yet your body and nervous system continue to respond as if the danger is happening now. A sound, smell, place or unexpected reminder can trigger intense fear, physical sensations, intrusive
If you are considering EMDR therapy, you may be wondering what actually happens once you are in the room with your therapist. Will you have to describe everything that happened? Will the eye movements begin immediately? What if the memory becomes overwhelming? An EMDR session is more structured than many forms of talking therapy, but it is not a rigid
Unconditional positive regard (UPR) is one of the core conditions at the heart of Carl Rogers’ person-centred approach. It sounds simple — accepting someone without judgment — but in practice, it’s one of the most powerful (and often misunderstood) elements of therapy. If you’ve ever felt truly accepted by someone, even at your worst, you’ll already have a sense of
The Seven Stages of Process The Seven Stages of Process describe how people gradually change over the course of therapy, particularly in the person-centred approach. Rather than being a set of steps that clients move through in a linear way, the stages reflect shifts in how individuals experience, express, and relate to their inner world over time. The model was
In the person-centred approach, Carl Rogers introduced the locus of evaluation—a simple yet powerful way to understand how we judge our own worth, make decisions, and understand ourselves. Put plainly, it’s about whether you look inside yourself or outside yourself to know what feels right. Internal vs External Locus An internal locus of evaluation means you trust your own feelings, values,
Organismic Self vs Self-Concept (Person-Centred Therapy) In person-centred theory, one of the most important — and most misunderstood — ideas is the difference between the organismic self and the self-concept. Students often confuse these terms or treat them as abstract philosophy. In practice, they explain why people feel anxious, inauthentic, or stuck, and why therapy focuses so heavily on emotional
The 19 propositions form the theoretical foundation of person-centred therapy. Developed by Carl Rogers, they describe how individuals experience the world, how the self develops, how psychological distress arises, and how growth becomes possible within facilitative relational conditions. While the core conditions describe what needs to be present in the therapeutic relationship, the propositions explain why those conditions lead to
The core conditions sit at the heart of the person-centred approach. They are not techniques, skills to be applied, or attitudes to be switched on and off. They describe the relational climate required for psychological growth. Developed by Carl Rogers, the core conditions explain why therapy works when it works — and why change struggles to happen when they are
Conditions of worth are a core concept in person-centred therapy and are essential for understanding how self-concept, self-esteem, and emotional distress develop. This guide is written for students who want a clear, theory-led explanation that stays grounded in clinical reality, without drifting into exam language or self-help simplifications. Conditions of worth explain how people learn to value themselves conditionally, often
Person-centred counselling is a widely used therapeutic approach valued for its simplicity, depth, and respect for the individual. Rather than focusing on diagnosis, advice-giving, or techniques, it prioritises the therapeutic relationship itself as the agent of change. This page explores the core benefits of person-centred counselling, why it remains influential in modern therapy, and who it tends to work best
