Wendy has the pleasure of welcoming Alejandro Argüelles Bullón from Gazing Red2Blue, a dedicated mental health advocate, who has also suffered from anxiety.

Alejandro and Wendy discuss why anxiety in men is underdiagnosed, the differences between how men and women process anxiety and which therapies work best for most men. They also discuss dealing with anxiety performance and the use of medications to treat mental health issues.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The genders experience anxiety differently.

• Anxiety in men is still being under diagnosed.

• Men respond well to men only support groups, compassion, the use of masculine language, exercise and speaking to others who have had anxiety.

• Breathing exercises are particularly effective.

• In sport and the workplace men in particular are encouraged not to show weakness, which feeds anxiety.

• Creating a psychologically safe culture in a business is highly beneficial.

BEST MOMENTS

“Men may show anger or irritability or engage in risky behaviours rather than openly discussing their worries.”

“Speaking with others who experience similar struggles for me was extremely powerful.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Alejandro Argüelles Bullón is the Director of Coach and Partner Development at Gazing Red2Blue and a PhD student in Mental Health at Lancaster University. With a background in sports and clinical mental health, he applies psychological principles to boost individual and organizational performance. Alejandro holds an MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences from UCL and a BSc in Sport & Exercise Psychology from Loughborough University.

As an EMCC Accredited Coach and Mental Health Mentor, Alejandro has delivered the Red2Blue program globally, helping people perform under pressure. His research uses a realist framework to explore which mental health interventions work best in specific contexts. His contributions to mental health have been recognized with Lancaster University’s Ben Booth Dean Award.

Outside of his professional work, Alejandro is active in mental health advocacy, volunteering with Shout UK and serving on the British Psychological Society’s DCP committee.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-arguelles-bullon

https://hacw.silvercloudhealth.com

Moncrief review - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com

In this episode, Wendy is joined by Caroline Van Diest a senior EMDR trainer and CBT therapist who also uses techniques from IFS and ACT. She explains how EMDR helps people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress from their past that are influencing their nervous system.

Using examples Caroline demystifies EMDR and explains why it works so well and is also effective for neurodivergent individuals.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• If you are struggling with trauma consider EMDR.
• Any past adverse experience that causes distress now can be at the root of trauma.
• EMDR helps people remember what happened to them and learn how to process that differently so that it no longer causes distress.
• Individuals who are neurodivergent can benefit from EMDR.
• EMDR is effective for a range of conditions, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
• EMDR does not involve hypnosis. The client tracking the therapist’s hand creates bilateral stimulation that enables the brain to process experiences differently and file them away.
• EMDR is not just memory processing.
• Online EMDR works well when it is done right.
• IFS and ACT techniques can easily be integrated into EMDR.
• Many people feel ashamed that they need therapy, they need help to heal from that shame.

BEST MOMENTS

“Really trauma is about how you experience something and how you're still experiencing it.”

“Emotions become less intense, less vivid, images become blurry and filed away. They don’t have the same charge to them.”

“EMDR … can work alongside with and in conjunction with other types of therapies.”

ABOUT THE GUEST

Caroline Van Diest is a Senior EMDR Europe Accredited Trainer at Mindsync EMDR Training. With over a decade of experience, she has delivered numerous trainings on adapting CBT and EMDR therapies for neurodivergent clients and presented at EMDR UK Conferences. She co-authored a chapter in Psychological Therapies for Adults with Autism D and appeared on Russell Hurn’s EMDR UK Association podcast.

She leads the Neurodiversity & EMDR Special Interest Group, supporting therapists across the UK. In private practice (Synthesa Therapy), she works with children and adults with neurodiversity to offer passionate, client-centred therapy and supervision.

https://synthesatherapy.nl

https://mindsyncemdrtraining.com

https://www.emdria.org/

Annabel McGoldrick - https://emdrinsight.com/about-annabel

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com

Today, Wendy welcomes Esther Wiskerke, originally from The Netherlands, with a diverse background of working across continents and sectors. Esther has called London home for nearly 20 years and completed her MSc at King’s College in 2015. She is now a Visiting Fellow at London Metropolitan University. As the Founding Director of Symbiosia, her work reflects a fresh vision for conflict resolution and corporate wellness.

They explore her approach to fostering understanding and collaboration in these polarised times.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Pause and understand what is annoying you and why. Then, consciously decide how to respond. Use mindfulness to do this better.
• Recognise your triggers and why you have them.
• Nobody needs the extra stress conflict brings.
• Be truly open to the other person’s point of view.
• Understand what is driving the other person and stop labelling them.
• Consider your response and ask - does it serve me?
• You can still lash out but remember the impact is lasting.
• Micro aggressions are corrosive.

BEST MOMENTS

“Half of conflict resolution is having the ability to see the other side.”

“Even for the person who started it, there is the day after, the longer-term consequence, a ripple effect.”

“Once they were able to see the other person in a different light they started to disarm.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://symbiosia.co.uk

https://linktr.ee.com/symbiosia

https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-wiskerke-symbiosia

VALUABLE RESOURCES

www.wendycastelino.com

https://www.instagram.com/wendycastelino/

https://www.youtube.com/@wendycastelino798

https://twitter.com/WendyCastelino

ABOUT THE HOST

Wendy Castelino has been working as a psychotherapist for over thirty-five years. As an accredited CBT and EMDR practitioner, she is committed to upholding the rigorous standards required for these accreditations and helping thousands of people reach their full potential.

Wendy currently runs a private practice where her focus is on CBT. Therapy is constantly evolving into developing new techniques, so she studies hard to integrate them into her therapy, to provide a rich and effective experience.

Wendy is aware that working in one-to-one therapy limits the number of people she can see. She has, therefore, created a range of online resources. These resources are designed to be easy to follow and provide clear, step-by-step instructions. This can help the individual to master skills and gain confidence, therefore optimising the therapy sessions. They are also suitable to be used on their own.

Further details are available at: WendyCastelino.com.

Podcast Description

Welcome to "Don't Get a Therapist - Yet!" Wendy Castelino, a psychotherapist with over 35 years of experience, aims to support individuals with mental health challenges to achieve their full potential. Although Wendy is passionate about providing individual therapy, there are limitations with this approach. This platform, therefore, is dedicated to offering self-help strategies which are designed to enhance personal well-being. The objective is not to discourage people from accessing therapy but to motivate a broader audience to explore therapeutic resources that are simple and effective to use.

This podcast aims to encourage people to make positive choices about therapy and to find a therapy that suits their individual needs. Additionally, the podcast features interviews with individuals who have successfully overcome mental health struggles