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Anxiety and Identity – A Part vs. The Whole

By David McCallum

anxiety

internal family systems IFS Burdens process Guelph Therapy virtual therapy

Posted: May 21, 2026

If you’ve lived with anxiety at any point in your life, you’ve probably experienced moments where it felt all encompassing. Your chest tightened. Your temperature increased. Thoughts were racing - you imagined worst case scenarios and tried to figure out ways to avoid them. Your...

Engaging with Anxiety

By Graham Watt

anxiety

therapy self compassion mental health curiousity

Posted: September 26, 2025

Anxiety often feels like a wall we want to avoid—something to push away or outrun. But healing rarely comes from running; it begins when we turn toward anxiety with curiosity, kindness, and patience. This perspective echoes the heart of Aundi Kolber’s book Try Softer, which invites us to approach our inner struggles not with harsh striving but with gentle awareness and grace.

Navigating OCD

By Graham Watt

anxiety

obsessive compulsive disorder ocd stigma therapy

Posted: September 26, 2025

Living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) can feel like being stuck in a loop you didn’t choose. Unwanted thoughts or urges (obsessions) often collide with repeated behaviours or rituals (compulsions), creating stress that can feel exhausting and isolating. Many people wonder if things can truly get better—especially when their thoughts feel private, intense, or even frightening. You are not alone—help and change are possible.

Brainlock?

By Graham Watt

anxiety

ocd CBT Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Enjoying Life mental health stigma

Posted: June 4, 2025

Do you fixate on something and find it hard to divert your attention from the fixation? Is it hard to disengage with a fixation? Does it feel like a compulsion you just can't stop? Does it feel like your stuck in a cycle of a thought pattern you just can't shake? Approximately 1% of adult Canadians have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and have been or are in some form of treatment (note 1). Treatment for OCD has generally proven to reduce symptoms over time. In short, there is support for people with OCD.

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