Many people come to counselling saying they feel lost, disconnected or uncertain of who they really are. They might have spent a long time looking after everyone else, masking parts of themselves that they might have been shamed for or living life according to which behaviour makes them palatable and acceptable to others. This could mean they’ve lost touch with their authentic self, with their preferences and their wants and needs.

Dreamwork is about finding meaning through patterns, symbols and feelings rather than nice, neat interpretations. In my dream, a jacket became a symbol of perfection, structure and authority. The colour was a symbol of exposure and with the painting, the mistake became an opportunity to change my usual pattern of behaviour and respond differently.

This weekend, I set myself a challenge to paint without brushes. Instead, I used plants from the garden. I found dried lavender and globe allium, mint leaves and samphir

If you've spent years feeling unseen or dismissed, being told to "trust yourself" it can feel lonely, like an emotional abandonment. The longing to be witnessed doesn't go way just because we understand it intellectually. It's a very basic human need.