Aspire Therapy

Did You Know...?

Neurologists now say that because of the way our brains work we never experience the same thing twice – or at least not exactly.

Our experience of the world obviously needs to have a degree of repetitiveness to it unless life would have no sense of continuity and we would not be able to function effectively.

But the fluidity of the way in which the brain operates means that no two experiences are ever exactly alike, even though they may closely resemble one another. New influences are always subtly modifying our ideas and understanding.

Dream and Imagination

French artist Fabien Verschaere captures a world in his exhibits which inhabits a twilight realm of fairytales and nightmares (see image below).

Like a dream, the images he creates through the use of a range of different media are both disturbing and fascinating. His imagination combines a childlike naivety with the garish horror of a fairground ride on the ghost train.

We encountered an exhibition of his work at the Baltic Centre for Creative Art at the Gateshead Quays during a recent stay in Northumberland.

A very different kind of imaginative vision is represented by the famous Angel of the North, a familiar sight to anyone travelling on the A1 past Gateshead and Newcastle.

The sculpture which is 65 feet high and has a 175 foot wingspan can be seen for miles around. Despite its size and steel construction it remains stunningly elegant and majestic even on a closer viewing.

It is a testimony to the scope and power of the human imagination that it can encompass such diverse visions. The strong, pure and aspirational nature of the Angel of the North contrasts sharply with the more turgid, but nevertheless compelling imagery of Verschaere’s dream world.

But perhaps these are two aspects of the imagination and of the unconscious mind with which we all have to grapple at times.

Singing in the Rain?

If you’re feeling depressed about this dismal summer weather then you’re in good company.

There’s no doubt that the relentless rain and persistent grey skies get to us all - especially when we would normally expect to be spending long hot days and soothing summer evenings out on the patio.

Among our clients it is particularly the elderly who can be adversely affected by the persistent rain, which makes it difficult for them to get out of the house and can leave them feeling isolated.

And of course there are those in some parts of the country whose homes have been flooded during this prolonged bout of wet weather.

We have written previously about the impact on individuals of Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, a condition that emphasises the connection between our inner mood and the changing weather.

As someone pointed out to me recently, however, the link between feelings of depression and rainy weather is one that is constantly reinforced by weather forecasters on some of our television channels. It struck me that the continual reinforcement of this message works on our minds like a hypnotic suggestion.

A Night with the Buena Vista Social Club

The Buena Vista Social Club is one of our favourite bands, and this week we had a rare opportunity to go and see them in Manchester at the Bridgewater Hall.

We’d been looking forward to it for ages, but when the time came, we wondered if we’d done the right thing. It was a Monday evening, and we never go out on a Monday evening! It was cold and windy, it was a long way to go, there was a match at Old Trafford so the traffic would be bad - and we just had so many other things to do.

But we’d bought the tickets, so we went…

What the Fox said to The Little Prince...

‘It is only with the heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.’

At first glance, Antoinne de Saint-Exupery’s most famous novel, ‘The Little Prince’ appears to be a simple child’s fable – but although written from a child’s point of view, it is in fact, an enchanting metaphorical tale, making many profound observations about life, love and learning.

The Pleasure of Christmas

Christmas can be a hectic time of year. The expectations we have of it are very high and those expectations can so easily come crashing down around us in shower of tangled tinsel and shattered fairy lights.

The build-up to Christmas is busy, prolonged and often intense and when the great day comes it can slip through our fingers as swiftly as dissolving snow, leaving us feeling that we haven’t actually stopped to enjoy the day.

Yet whether we are religious or not, at the heart of Christmas there lies a pleasure and a mystery which we should try to capture. The tradition of a mid-winter celebration is older than Christianity itself, which changed its significance to a story about the birth of a child. Before that there were pre-Christian winter festivals such as Yule and Saturnalia.

Spots of Time

Lakeland poet William Wordsworth is often stereotyped as a lover of ‘daffodils’ - and of all things associated with the natural world.

There is no doubt that Wordsworth had a passion for nature, but the source of that passion more importantly came from within.

Autumn Gold

Something to stop you in your tracks. Give a moment to the autumn colours in Ribchester.

A season as vibrant as any other in the Ribble Valley, the variations of tone burning away any possibility of gloom.