Mandala Counselling

The question is, what do we find inside? Often we are confronted not with a vision of crystalline clarity but a maze among whose labyrinthine paths we lose our way and even a sense of our own identity.

Torn apart, pulled in all directions; we sometimes feel we must try and satisfy others' expectations at our own expense. There are parts of us we feel we must disown or repress. These could be connected with depression, sexuality, anger - any aspects of ourselves which we feel may be judged negatively by our family or friends.

As adults, we often behave in a certain way because someone (often a parent) told us - either overtly or indirectly - that this is how we should behave. As children - if we disobeyed these directives we were often punished or criticised, and so we adapted our behaviour to please our parents and mentors. At the time, these coping methods were often essential survival strategies but do we still need to cling on to them now?