As I prepare for our annual life review retreat, I have been reflecting on the general themes of my life, both personally and professionally and what I have learnt about myself in the process.

For a number of years I used to write a regular “From The Therapist’s Chair” newsletter. This was during the time I had a busy Harley Street practice, and the newsletter would focus on the various therapeutic themes that arose in my therapy room. I was always struck how universal our issues are as we all try trying to find a way to feel better in our human existence.

Being the most prestigious address in London for medical and complimentary practice, Harley Street was particularly interesting as it often attracted clients who were movers and shakers. Sometimes famous, in high office, or at the top of their chosen field, occasionally having come from overseas, all were seeking help for their emotional challenges. What struck me at the time was how, despite all the material and professional success, there was still an emptiness, a realisation that after all the wanting and striving and achieving, something was still missing.

This is my 35th year of therapeutic practice and although I keep my practice much smaller these days, in many respects little has changed. People are still all looking for the same thing, myself included; relief from physical, emotional and mental suffering, inner peace, self-worth, loving relationships and a sense of meaning.

What I have learnt is that the essential key to feeling and having all of this is our energetic frequency and our connection to our timeless essence. I am also aware that I am seeing some changes in the therapist’s chair and some new challenges to embrace.

What’s changed

The most noticeable change is the increased levels of background fear and anxiety, insomnia and a frenetic mind. Fear and anxiety seem to have become more entrenched in daily life and are such a constant backdrop that it isn’t until a client enters the depths of stillness during a therapy session that the contrast is revealed. Many people’s minds are so overstimulated and full of information and worry, that the pathways to peace are blocked, and the stillness that lies beneath is obscured.

From my own experience I can tell instantly what happens to my energy when I indulge in fearful thinking. My job is to maintain my emotional frequency both personally and professionally, creating a space where I can remind myself and my clients how essential this practice is these days. As consciousness speeds us so does the speed of the consequences of our thoughts and actions!

It’s hard work, my mind is always trying to drag me away from my centre and the arrival of grandchildren has brought a whole new level of vigilance. The mind is canny; its natural state is fear and doubt and it’s very quick to remind us of our imperfections. But lazy and unconscious thinking has consequences. We are like radio towers emitting our vibrational frequency, and it is up to us whether we choose to take responsibility for what we emit… or not.

The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Looking for some inspiration over Christmas to help me stay present and in awareness, I dipped into ‘The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying’ by Sogyal Rinpoche, written in 1992. One of my many “shelf development” books that we have in our home that I haven’t looked at for decades.

I am so aware of the intense challenges that many, including myself, are being asked to face right now. Years of spiritual training and witnessing my own and my client’s transformational journeys have taught me how much grace can be accessed when we turn towards whatever is bringing us to our knees, rather than turn away. Even knowing that, I feel that the intensity is only going to increase for all of us during 2026 and beyond, as everything continues to change at ever an increasing speed.

And I know that my emotional and spiritual stability will be tested too, as old ways collapse and the new has not yet taken root. This quote from Sogyal Rinpoche’s book stood out for me:

“To be a spiritual warrior means to develop a special kind of courage, one that is innately intelligent, gentle and fearless. Spiritual warriors can still be frightened, but even so they are courageous enough to taste suffering, to relate clearly to their fundamental fear, and to draw out without evasion the lessons from difficulties.”

This is it! To not run from the fear, to know that there are lessons to be learnt.

And he then goes on to say:

“…the practice of meditation defuses our negativity, aggression and turbulent emotions, which may have been gathering power over many lifetimes. Rather than suppressing or indulging them, view them and your thoughts and whatever arises with an acceptance and generosity that are as open and spacious as possible. This wise generosity has the flavour of boundless space, so warm and cosy, that you feel enveloped and protected, as if by a blanket of sunlight.”

How lovely is that?

And so true! This is exactly how I feel when I am resting in deep, deep stillness. If only everyone could experience this for themselves, how different life would be.

There is so much to he hopeful about though. In 2007, together with a colleague, I tried to set up a small organisation called Relax for Health with a view to taking a very simple form of meditation and relaxation (the one I still use today) into schools and organisations. In those days, our offerings were seen as ‘occult activities’ Little did we know then that in the years after 2008 and the financial crisis, there would be an explosion of interest in mindfulness and spirituality.

And now, as the world faces one more crisis after another, I believe we are being asked to hone and ground our spiritual practices even deeper.

Simple but not easy

As we know meditation is so simple, but not easy. If it was, we would all be making this precious practice our priority.

What is it about our human natures that often choose to not even pause for a few moments throughout the day? Too many distractions, too much ‘doing’, not realising what’s happening beneath the surface of our awareness. My sense is that soon we will pay a high price if we stay disconnected from our higher selves; many will end up sleepwalking into other people’s agendas and being taken in by artificial sources of information.

I have learnt that life is always going to keep bringing me opportunities to practice being a spiritual warrior, that presence and awareness requires discipline and commitment.

And this is why I am so grateful to you. Every moment of pausing, of conscious stillness makes a difference and our collective intention to support each other helps me stay steady during these turbulent times. We are light houses and together we can help each other keep our windows clean and shiny.