About me
I’m Stuart Watson. I grew up in rural Scotland spending most of my time on the golf course. The lure of the city took me to Edinburgh where I attained a degree in Philosophy, a great accent and a dry sense of humour.
Unfortunately I also developed mental health issues. In my early twenties I was diagnosed with “intrusive thoughts” OCD, social anxiety and depression. The next phase of my life was a journey of recovery.
France became my next home. I moved to a Buddhist monastery called Plum Village to study and practice Zen Buddhism. I had the great fortune to live for ten years with Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and his community of monastics and lay residents.
Meditation and the spiritual life proved crucial in my recovery. Mindfulness and the compassion of the community helped to heal my mind and thankfully I no longer suffer from my early diagnosis.
These experiences have given me deep compassion for people going through similar issues and a wealth of experience to help them recover.
I returned from France to study counselling and psychotherapy. I trained at the Psychosynthesis Trust in London and this has given me the professional skills to support people through the great pains and joys that life provide.
Since then I have been working as a counsellor in London helping people overcome their difficulties to lead a happier more fulfilling life.
"Counselling and meditation are the best ways I know to ensure that the mind is kept healthy. This allows you to enjoy life more and reach your full potential."
The Way I Work.
I work within a person centred framework. Simply put this means that positive change is possible if a person feels respected, understood and accepted.
Many of the pains and sufferings we experience are a result of hiding parts of ourselves because we fear that we will be rejected if these parts are seen.
All of us have urges, feelings and thoughts that we don’t want others to know about. The problem is that the more we repress of ourselves the more prone we are to experiences like depression and anxiety.
In counselling we’ll explore what goes on in you beneath the public facade with the aim of bringing awareness, acceptance and love to all parts of you. This process can be challenging as well as deeply healing
I have great respect for the inner wisdom of my clients and so will encourage you to lead the sessions with the issues that feel most important to you.
In the sessions we may:
- Explore past relationships and experiences to see how they influence your present.
- Find creative ways to help you feel and express your full range of emotions.
- Sense into the body to feel and release painful sensations.
- Explore challenging day to day issues.
I believe that to lead a happy and meaningful life, a connection to spirituality is important. Where appropriate I will support you to explore and connect with your own sense of spirituality.
I teach mindfulness and meditation and bring this into the counselling when useful.
Please get in touch with any questions or to book an appointment.
