Copy of Therapy Approaches | Jess Rayner Therapy

I work with a range of different therapy approaches which I often integrate. Every person is unique in what they bring to work on in therapy, so we will discuss what might be useful to you.

We will generally begin by spending some time creating a shared understanding of what is happening and what has led you to your current situation. The therapy I use includes practical skills and often guided experiences in sessions, such as mindfulness, visualisation, ways to manage difficult emotions, journalling and self-reflection.

I see therapy as a collaboration between two people and believe that we all have within us what we need to heal and thrive, but sometimes we can benefit from support, guidance, and some new perspectives, to tap into this.

EMDR

EMDR is an effective therapy for treating the effects of trauma, including PTSD/C-PTSD and difficult and upsetting childhood experiences. It has also been shown to help with anxiety, grief, and phobias.

In EMDR you can expect to learn ways to effectively manage difficult thoughts and feelings and then to focus on processing specific memories or experiences with support, to free you from the grip of trauma or limiting beliefs about yourself.

EMDR uses side-to-side (bilateral) stimulation (like tapping, sound, or eye movements) combined with guided recall of memories and other experiences, to help to file them away neatly. While it doesn’t erase memories, EMDR helps separate the raw emotional responses from them, so they can be seen as past events with less impact on your current life.

I am fully EMDR trained and working towards specialist accreditation with the support of a highly skilled EMDR consultant.

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ACCEPTANCE & COMMITMENT THERAPY

This approach recognises how easily we can lose sight of what truly matters when difficult thoughts and emotions take over. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you manage these experiences without letting them dictate your actions. Through mindfulness and acceptance, ACT encourages you to observe your thoughts and feelings without being controlled by them, allowing you to focus on doing things that are important to you. This empowers you to take meaningful steps toward a more authentic and fulfilling life, even in the face of challenges.

COMPASSION FOCUSED THERAPY

This approach aims to improve well-being and reduce suffering by developing compassionate responses to ourselves and others, including our inner experiences.

When we face distress or difficult life events, our minds can enter a state of threat, leading to relentless self-criticism, physical tension, and feelings of shame, guilt, anger, or anxiety. These can weigh heavily on our daily lives. Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) helps us find balance, soothe ourselves and ease that sense of threat. It uses things like mindfulness, meditation, visualisation and breath work as part of this process, as well as changing the way we speak to ourselves.

The benefits of compassion are not new, they have been recognised in cultures worldwide for centuries. Today, modern psychology, neuroscience, and human development theories support their positive impact on the nervous system and overall quality of life.