Philippa Smethurst

I was wowed by #Japan. It inspired me to write this #haiku and about #cherryblossoms, #CSLewis, and the new play at the @aldwychtheatre 🎭💭 Take a few minutes to read my new Substack this morning ☕📖 talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/the-beauty-o… #MentalHealth #Healing #TraumaHealing

Just published a new piece exploring how nature, art, and trauma intersect 🌿✨ Inspired by a recent visit to @Tate Modern and the powerful work of Mâret Ánne Sara. Read here: talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/the-power-of… #ThePowerOfConnection #TraumaHealing #NatureWisdom #MentalHealthMatters 🌱

Understanding trauma gives us tools. Much needed today. #trauma #mentalhealth #therapy @Traumafsw @MindCharity @BACP @JKPBooks

From witnessing history and trauma in #China 🇨🇳 to stepping onto new ground in #Japan 🇯🇵, this trip has already begun to shift something deeper — about memory, loyalty, and the courage it takes to stay open. Read more here 👉 talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/before-japan… #TraumaHealing #MentalHealth

A new piece on my Substack—reflecting on silence, secrecy, and the unseen weight of contribution 🕊️ Inspired by a visit to @bletchleypark, I explore what it means to act without recognition🤔 Read here: talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/the-geese-th… #BletchleyPark #WorldWarII #TraumaHealing

In my new Substack article, I write about Unspeakable: Gwen Adshead and @eileenmhorne invite us to sit with complexity — where pain, memory, and meaning intertwine, and where understanding can gently begin to transform us 🧠🌿 Read more: talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/book-review-… #MentalHealth

My letter in @ChurchTimes is out now: The place of therapy in the life of the ordained 🕊️ Faith and mental-health care are not opposites. They are both integral to living, serving, and healing. 💬✨ Read here: churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2026/… #MentalHealth #FaithAndHealing #ChurchLife

✨ Highly recommended Arts for the Blues – a 2-day training course with @edgehill. Shows how the arts can support mental health in powerful, practical ways 🎨🎶 Find out more and book: edgehill.ac.uk/industry/conti… #MentalHealth #CPD #Therapy #Wellbeing @SalfordUni

Do you remember making resolutions? And then life happens. 💭 That’s exactly why I set up Talking Trauma 2 years ago — a mental health Substack to help people navigate life’s challenges. 🌿 Let us know what speaks to you. Follow the link here: talkingtrauma.substack.com

My new Substack asks a difficult question 🎭🧠 What happens when psychological suffering is presented as entertainment? Reflecting on Woman in Mind — revived under @mrmrlonghurst and written by Alan Ayckbourn — I found myself moved but troubled Read: talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/when-sufferi…

New in the @ChurchTimes: my latest article explores an antidote for an age of impunity — the discipline of slow looking. In a culture that rewards speed and outrage, steadiness can disappear⚖️ Read here: churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2026/… #MentalHealth #TraumaHealing @CovCathedral

I’m delighted to share that my book is now available in Spanish as '20 maneras de liberarte del trauma' 🎉 So grateful to the brilliant @lectorum and @JKPBooks for helping these words travel further. Find the Spanish edition here: bookdelivery.com/gb-en/book-20-… #MentalHealth

Abdicating Adults 🌊👶➡️🧭 What happens when no one steady is holding the oars? In my latest Substack, I reflect on trauma, responsibility, and what it really means to “adult” in turbulent times, drawing on a poem by Kathy Galloway. talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/abdicating-a… @churchscotland

Have you ever sensed something isn’t quite right — but can’t yet name it? 💭 In my new blog, I reflect on Stephen Poliakoff’s 2013 drama and the uneasy feeling of living through turbulent times. Read here: talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/dancing-on-t… #MentalHealth #TraumaHealing #Psychotherapy

A trauma-informed educator at home or in schools changes children’s trajectory and environments. @NEUnion @TISUK_ @WorthitCIC @nasen_org #traumainformed #traumainformedschools #school

When our centre is shaken and fear rises in the body, it can feel like standing in a strong wind. 🌬️🌳 Maybe we need tree wisdom today. Read my article here: talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/bending-not-… With gratitude to those who protect the trees — @WoodlandTrust and @GreenpeaceUK 🌍 #Healing

Grief is complex. It does not always look like tears🖤 In my new blog, The Child We Barely Knew, I reflect on the film #Hamnet, parental loss, and the way grief lives on. Read here: open.substack.com/pub/talkingtra… 🎬🎭📖 #Hamnet #Grief #Shakespeare #EmilyDickinson #MichaelRosen

Talking Trauma is a space where JKP author Philippa Smethurst reflects on psychological ideas as they show up in everyday life: in relationships, culture, art, the natural world - you can read her latest Substack post here: talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/between-dark…

📢 Keep Calm and Weather the Storm 🌪️🛡️ In my latest article, I explore how disruption can feel overwhelming. Discover ways to protect your inner calm. 🌱 Read here 👉 talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/keep-calm-an… Ft. @BM_AG, Theodore Roosevelt #Trauma #Resilience #MentalHealth

D-words erode us over time: denigrate, dispossess, dominate, dismiss, destruct, devalue, damage… I write about an antidote 🌱 Read here 👉 talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/dealing-with… Ft. @DrEdithEger1 @vangoghartist #Trauma #Healing #MentalHealth @vangoghmuseum