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Monday 8am - 4pm 7pm - 9pm Thursday 7am - 4pm 7pm - 9pm Friday 7am - 4pm 6pm - 9pm Saturday 11am - 1pm

Expansion Psychology

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Expansion Psychology

Dr Maja Jankowska,
A Clinical & counselling psychologist (HCPC registered), Cognitive Behavioural T

20/11/2025

Wishing so much luck to all the incredible music and drama students heading into auditions this season! 🎶✨

You’ve spent months perfecting your technique, your monologue, your aria. But have you rehearsed for the one thing that can unravel it all? The wait.

That space backstage - the silence, the uncertainty - is where anxiety can hijack all your hard work. To stay grounded and focused, you need more than willpower. You need a plan that includes both somatic (body-based) and cognitive (mind-based) interventions.

Think of it as your pre-performance protocol. It’s the missing piece that allows you to walk into the room feeling prepared, present, and in command.

I’ll be sharing specific, actionable techniques for this in upcoming videos, so you can build your own toolkit.

For now, remember: You belong in that room. Your talent got you here. Now, let’s make sure your mindset lets you shine. Break a leg! 💫

P.S. What’s your go-to strategy for coping with the wait? Share in the comments below! 👇

18/11/2025

Feeling guilty for taking a down day? It's time to reframe. 🎯

For performers, constant high-intensity output is a fast track to burnout and creative block. The secret to a long, vibrant career isn't pushing harder - it's pacing smarter.

Swipe through to learn why you NEED to rotate between high-intensity performance periods and essential low-intensity recovery periods. 👉

This is how you build a career that feels as good as it looks - sustainable, resilient, and full of joy.

What’s one thing you’ll do in your next low-intensity period? Let me know! ✨

15/11/2025

The weather was 4°C, gloomy, and every excuse to get back in the car was screaming in my ear. 🥶
I’d missed the start of my parkrun. But I started anyway, chasing a distant speck of the last runner.

This may be how it feels for a performer who is late for an audition.

The voice whispers: "It's over. You've blown it. Don't even bother."

But the game isn't always won by those who start first. It's won by those who start, despite everything.

I ran. I even overtook a few people. And I finished. Then, I jumped in a freezing lake for good measure! ❄️

The lesson? Never let a bad start dictate your finish.
You never know:
• The audition panel might be running late.
• They might have a last-minute cancellation.
• Or, you simply train your most important muscle: resilience.

Showing up, even when it's hard and you're late, is a victory in itself.

Follow me for psychology tips that help you perform, on and off the stage. ➡️

12/11/2025

I'm continuously in awe of the resilience and creativity of the human spirit. In my work with performers, I often witness the powerful synergy between clinical therapy and artistic expression.

One of the most profound ways to process trauma is through creative outlets, like songwriting. When we create music, we tap into parts of the brain that are often inaccessible through talk alone. It allows for a non-verbal expression of emotions, a reclamation of one's narrative, and a transformation of pain into something beautiful and empowering.

I'm so proud of my client who has channeled their therapeutic journey into songwriting, with new music coming soon to Apple Music. This is a brave step in their healing journey, and a testament to how creativity can expand the work we do in sessions.

Have you ever used art - music, writing, painting - to process your experiences? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

08/11/2025

That dream role...

That solo at the Royal Albert Hall...

The bigger the tree, the bigger the shadow it casts.

And in your world, the bigger your calling, the bigger the internal resistance can feel. It doesn't mean you're on the wrong path; it often means you're on the right one.

This resistance shows up as the critical voice that whispers, "Who do you think you are?" It's the perfectionism that paralyses you in the practice room. It's the anxiety that makes you question everything.

Expect the resistance. It's part of the journey of every great performer. The work isn't about silencing it completely, but about learning to walk forward, right alongside it.

As a psychologist specialising in the performer's mind, I translate complex psychology into practical tools to help you manage that critical voice, soften the perfectionism, and move forward with confidence.

I had such a resistance today to get out for a run on a foggy, cold, gloomy day but I went. I had some critical voice telling me you can't record and post a video when you are all red, puffy and tired after the run. I noticed it, thanked if for its concern and said that the message is more important than what I look like.

If this resonates, I specialise in helping performers like you navigate these exact challenges.

Follow for more evidence-based tools, and let me know in the comments: what's one area where your 'shadow' shows up most? Perfectionism? The inner critic? 👇

30/10/2025

Behind every stage, every spotlight, every audition — there’s a performer learning to trust themselves again.

I’m a psychologist for performing artists, and my work is all about helping you build that trust — so you can perform with freedom, not fear.

Standing here at the Royal Welsh Conservatoire today, watching the next generation of artists walk through these doors, I’m reminded how much courage it takes to do what you do.

My online Masterclasses and programmes are designed to support that courage — by helping performers move beyond anxiety, trauma, and self-criticism, into genuine confidence and presence.

Because performance isn’t about perfection.
It’s about connection. 💫

Address

Bedford

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4pm
	7pm - 9pm
Thursday	7am - 4pm
	7pm - 9pm
Friday	7am - 4pm
	6pm - 9pm
Saturday	11am - 1pm

Website

http://www.expansionpsychology.com/

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