Ever wondered why it is so hard to break an addiction? Having just recently attended a fascinating training event on Sex Addiction run by Paula Hall, I was very impressed with her explanation of how our brains work aka the neuroscience of addiction. February may be the time people think of romance but I thought I'd share her mind map for sex and porn addiction particularly now opportunity can be regarded as a key factor in addiction. I also think the road to Brighton metaphor works well for other addictions too.

Have you thought why you are attracted to some people but others send you running in the opposite direction? Your own unique love map will hold the answers! But where does that come from? Well, the answer is in your past. The School of Life explains clearly how our relationship template develops and, once we become aware of the bits that aren't so good for us, what we could change so we not only attract less destructive partners but become better partners too.

I find this very powerful. Listening to the words as Harry moves. Watching his movements along with his colour choices. Linking words with movement and colour. Shyness can be crippling. Coming out of your shell - when you feel safe to do so - and being you releases the suppressed enery and allows for more authentic living. Bullying can be behind shyness and can leave lasting damage. When we become aware of this then, perhaps, it is easier to begin healing.

Having self-compassion is not the same as being selfish or self centred. Acknowledge your pain, your failure, your difficulty. It is part of the human journey. It will lessen, it will pass and it will teach...in time. What kindness would you give your friend suffering as you are now? Be that friend to yourself. If we cannot look after ourselves, we will not be strong enough to look after others.

Maysoon Zayid saying it as it is. Yes, she is inspirational for many reasons. She is also funny and self deprecating. Struggling with New Year resolutions? Well, if she can then I can can...

This takes me back to my very first week of counselling training when one of my peers broke down in tears and many of us rushed to her side offering words of solace, comforting arms and tissues to "dry those tears." Our wise tutor stopped us there and suggested we go back to our seats. What were we doing? Who were we doing it for? She asked us kindly. Why, the tears unsettled us - made us sad, reminded us of our own fragility, trials and tribulations that life throws at us. So, shall we block the tears? Shut them down? Repress or supress the feelings? She went on. Try sitting with the feelings. What happens then? How do you feel when it is okay to cry? As I said, she was a wise woman.

Still waiting for 'the One' to walk into your life? Has it been a stressy time and you are doubting 'the One' you are with? Do you find yourself being particularly picky? Dan Savage may just offer an alternative view to finding that special person. The Price of Admission or rather, what we can compromise on to share our lives with someone whose qualities support us. And, by the way, it works both ways. Are you perfect?

People are often surprised that there is laughter in the therapy room. Lets face it, life can be absurd and laughter is a very effective coping strategy and a way of bonding with others. How infectious is a baby's giggle? And yes, it can bring us right into the present.

Absolutely! Nobody is broken. We are just different. We are a product of our experiences both good and bad...and nobody is immune from that. We weren't perfect in the first place but all of us are constantly changing with what is going on in our lives. Yes, we sometimes make poor choices and life can throw us a tough time but most of us are doing the best we can. You are not broken. You don't need fixing.

This school is practicing meditation instead of detention, and the results are already changing students' lives. Robert W. Coleman School in Baltimore sounds like the best school ever. Why? Because there’s no such thing as detention at the Baltimore Elementary. That's right, you heard that correctly. Instead they have a Mindful Moment Room, a brightly coloured “oasis of calm” that looks about as far as you can get from the dull detention rooms, teacher offices or school corridors typically used to manage such consequences. It is part of an after-school programme called Holistic Me, an initiative that teaches children to practice mindful meditation and breathing exercises while encouraging them to talk to behavioural professionals. The programme works in partnership with a local non-profit organisation called the Holistic Life Foundation, and the results so far have been pretty impressive. In fact, since first taking part in the programme two years ago, Robert W. Coleman hasn’t issued a single suspension. Now that's worth thinking about!

Sadly the celebrated poet, playwright, professor, memoirist, historian, director, screenwriter, activist and actress, Maya Angelou, died last Wednesday May 28 aged 86. Although particularly well-known for her poetry and memoir books, her fifty year plus career in a number of creative disciplines explains her wide influence today. Born Marguerite Johnson in 1928 in St. Louis, an unsettled childhood moved her between Missouri, Arkansas and eventually to San Francisco. Here during the 1950s as a dancer, singer and actress she changed her name to Maya Angelou. Her life up to age 17 is described in "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" her first book from 1969. By the time she wrote "I Know Why" she had already led a full life that included having met and been friends with Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, James Baldwin and Billie Holiday. Among her achievements and countless awards, she was also Bill Clinton's inaugural poet in 1993 - the first poet to recite at a presidential inauguration since Robert Frost at John F. Kennedy's in 1961. She was indeed a phenomenal woman. She may no longer be with us in body but her words, wisdom and inspiration will stay. How blessed are we to have such people in our lives?

After an extremely stressful week and a particularly horrible day I need to self soothe. My mind is racing and I'm struggling to quieten it so I'm going to focus on some art... I love the way mandalas seem to grow out of the page - from the seed. The music here is especially peaceful. I intend to let my mind wander and create what it feels like doing:-)