Philippa Smethurst

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

This #Friday at 1pm (online) 🌱 I’m running a live workshop as part of the Talking #Trauma series: “Understand Escape Responses and Re-establish Safety.” ✨ You can donate what you can afford ✨ Details + booking here 👉 onlinevents.co.uk/event/our-need… @onlinevents @Onlinevents_saz

What if your pain isn’t just something to escape? Talking with Dr Henry Aughterson about why I became a psychotherapist and where my interest in trauma came from. Lots more inspiring reels by him - who made this one - on Instagram @doctor_mentalhealth #mentalhealth #therapy

Light doesn’t always comfort. Sometimes it reveals what we’ve been hiding. 🕯️ I reflect on the winter solstice, #psychotherapy, and what #Caravaggio and #Freud both understood: clarity often emerges through darkness, not despite it. Read here 👉 talkingtrauma.substack.com/p/between-dark… #Trauma

The tension between doing and being doesn’t reset with the new year. 🕰️ My new piece, 'A Tug of War', explores this through insights ft. Prof Mark Williams, @claudiahammond & @danedelstyn & @HilarySPowell 🌱 open.substack.com/pub/talkingtra… #Trauma #Mindfulness #TalkingTrauma

🌱 New year. New possibilities. My latest review for @psychmag, offering my book to prisons 🏛️ + thinking about #addiction. Grateful for @RestIsPolitics, @campbellclaret, @mrJamesGraham, Common Ground Justice & @JacobFreeeman. @JKPBooks 📚 🔗 bps.org.uk/psychologist/m… #prison

🎄 Christmas Day! Lights on the tree, hope on the page. ✨🕯️ It's not always as simple as a 'Happy' Christmas but I wish you all a peaceful Christmas. #ChristmasDay #ChristmasReflection #PeaceAtChristmas #HealingJourney #TraumaAwareness #MentalHealth

The move from victimhood to possibility… @philippatherapy reviews @mrJamesGraham play, Punch. bps.org.uk/psychologist/m…

🚰 Trauma isn’t a tap you can just turn off. Triggers aren’t simple switches — especially at #Christmas. ➡️ Follow for more. Book on Amazon. ➡️ For full videos visit @philippasmethurst" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">youtube.com/@philippasmeth… ➡️ Find out about my events and work at philippasmethurst.com #MentalHealth #Trauma