Birth is the beginning of a lifelong journey and as we grow through life we will all encounter our own unique experiences that shape us to be who we are today. None of us can predict what life holds for us, none of us can control it but there may come a time you want to look back and explore it.

I believe we all carry things, we all have a story, and for some of us that story gets heavy. You may struggle to understand or make sense of the past and feel confused with the feelings you get come up when you think about certain times in your life, there may be a sense of dread or a gnawing anxiety that constantly trickles beneath the surface or a feeling of sadness you hold.

Counselling is also a journey, a journey where you will be a given a safe space to unpack those life experiences and explore how they may have impacted and shaped your life today. One of the ways I do this is using nesting dolls. Nesting dolls are a great resource used by lots of counsellors to explore layers of self, they can be used as a creative tool.

In the work I do I like to offer nesting dolls as a timeline to explore different ages in life going back to childhood, teen years, where you are today and everything in-between. You can't change the past but unpacking it can help you to have a better understanding of yourself and understand how your past experiences have met your present shaping your beliefs, thinking patterns and behaviour.

Whatever it is you are carrying, you don't have to carry it alone....