Mind Growing Therapy - Monika Antas

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Mind Growing Therapy - Monika Antas

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Accredited CBT & EMDR psychotherapist
Internal Family Systems therapist (IFS)
Certified Yoga Teacher
Anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD
Mind-body
Traditional & holistic therapy
Online therapy
🇬🇧🇵🇱

mindgrowingtherapy.co.uk
M: 07949236991

01/02/2026

Growth isn't pretty BUT it's worth it 🙌

27/01/2026

As a young person, I didn’t know what I was experiencing. I didn’t have the language for it.
No explanation for why I felt so reactive, emotional, messy.

Learning about trauma was validating.
Therapy was freeing.
But looking back, there were parts of me that felt shame. Parts that judged my younger self as immature, difficult, oversensitive. Parts that even disliked her.

What I’ve learned is this:
You can only know what you know at the time.
You can only do what makes sense with the tools you have.

Trauma distorts how you see yourself and the world. It affects how you regulate emotions, how you connect, how safe you feel. It isolates you. Survival often looks chaotic from the outside.

Working with those parts of me brought understanding and compassion. My younger self wasn’t broken—she was overwhelmed. She was trying to survive internal chaos with no roadmap.

Without her perseverance, I wouldn’t be here today.

So instead of hating her, I honour her. I understand her mistakes. I respect her resilience.

You do better when you know better.

When you look back on your own journey, please hold that same compassion. You may know more now. You may take accountability. You may have changed your life completely. But your younger self didn’t have access to this knowledge or safety.

They did the best they could at the time.
And that deserves understanding, not judgment. 🤍

11/01/2026

I often work with clients who say they are allergic to kindness and compassion. Not because they lack it—quite the opposite. They are often among the most caring, attuned, and compassionate people toward others. Yet when it comes to offering that same kindness to themselves, or receiving it from someone else, they feel awkward, unsafe, or even agitated.

This reaction usually makes sense when we look at their early experiences. If your world was harsh growing up—if crying was met with shouting, dismissal, or punishment rather than comfort—you learned something very important: vulnerability is not safe. Affection is unpredictable. Emotional needs are better hidden.

Over time, the nervous system adapts. Feelings are avoided. Tenderness becomes unfamiliar. Compassion, especially when directed inward or received from others, doesn’t register as soothing—it registers as a threat. What was meant to calm instead activates discomfort, shame, or the urge to pull away.

So when kindness arrives, it isn’t experienced as warmth. It feels intrusive. Disorienting. Almost dangerous. Not because the person is broken, but because their system learned, early and wisely, how to survive in an environment where care was absent or conditional.

You don’t have to force kindness or self-compassion. Go slow, at your own pace. Over time, what once felt unsafe can begin to feel neutral — and eventually, even comforting.

05/01/2026

I’m so lucky to work with some amazing people 🥰 The feedback I’ve received is truly heartwarming and I’m grateful to share it, with permission.

Trauma can shatter lives. It makes people feel helpless, isolated, and weak for struggling so much. It’s often misunderstood, as others don’t always get it unless they’ve been through similar pain.

But seeing these incredible individuals shine, flourish, and heal is an absolute dream come true. 🌱

Thank you for trusting me. Your strength and beautiful soul will forever live in my heart. 💚

31/12/2025

This time of year always makes me pause.
I reflect, review, and revisit my life.
I think about where I am… and where I want to be.

For the longest time, I imagined growth as a straight line.
A smooth journey from A to B.
No detours. No setbacks. Just progress.

But life doesn’t work that way.
It’s full of ups, downs, and unexpected bumps.

And every single fall mattered.
Each one built strength.
Each one forced resilience.

So now, when I feel low or discouraged, I don’t quit.
I pause. I rest.
I give my body and mind what they need.
Then I try again.
Because every fall teaches you exactly what to do next time.

If you fall, take a breath, readjust your crown, and try again. Happy New Year everyone 👑🎊

18/12/2025

IFS Practice: Befriending Your Parts

🔎 What does “befriending” mean?
It’s about building trust and connection with the different parts of you. Instead of pushing them away, you welcome them with curiosity and kindness.

✨ 1. Notice the Part
Pay attention to the emotion, thought, or sensation that shows up.

✨ 2. Acknowledge Its Effort
Say: “I see you. I know you’re trying to help or protect me.”

✨ 3. Offer Kindness
Let the part know it’s welcome. You might say:
• “Thank you for working so hard.”
• “I appreciate your effort.”

✨ 4. Ask What It Needs
Invite the part to share:
• What would help it feel safe?
• What support does it want from you?

✨ 5. Stay Connected
Remind the part: “You don’t have to carry this alone. I’m here with you.”

🌟 Remember: Befriending your parts builds trust. Over time, they feel less alone and more willing to soften, opening space for change.

08/12/2025

😂 This is way too funny not to share. Hope none of you had the same experience as Julie... Here's a few tips to help you find a therapist that truly works for you! 👇

🚫 Don’t be like Julie — find the therapist that’s right for you!

Reaching out for help is no longer seen as a weakness — but finding the right therapist can feel overwhelming. Here’s what to consider:

✨ Know your needs
Be clear about what you’re struggling with. Is it anxiety, low mood, or trauma? Therapists often specialize in different areas, so choosing someone who matches your needs will make the process more effective.

🔄 Therapy is like exercise
Think of therapy as different types of workouts. Each one strengthens you, but in a different way. CBT is like interval training — structured, focused, and designed to build resilience quickly. EMDR is more like rehabilitation exercises — targeted and powerful for healing trauma. Counselling is closer to yoga — slower, reflective, and focused on emotional flexibility. All aim to improve your wellbeing, but the style and outcomes vary.

🤝 Meet before you commit
Most therapists offer free consultations. Use this time to get a feel for their personality and style. Are they honest, direct, nurturing? Therapy is a relationship — you need to feel comfortable with the person you’ll be working with.

📜 Check accreditation
Accreditation doesn’t mean one therapist is “better” than another, but it does mean their work is overseen by a professional body. This adds a layer of safety and accountability if issues ever arise.

💡 Trust your gut
This can be hard if you’ve experienced trauma, but pay attention to how you feel after meeting a therapist. Do you feel listened to? A little more hopeful? Even though therapy is challenging, the right therapist should leave you feeling supported. Remember: you’re not obliged to continue if it doesn’t feel right.

👉 Therapy isn’t one‑size‑fits‑all. Take the time to explore, ask questions, and find the therapist who truly fits you

17/11/2025

🧠 CBT sometimes gets a bad rep because it used to be offered for everything and everyone.
The truth is, it’s not for everyone — and it’s not for everything.

But when it’s the right fit for the right person — and delivered flexibly, creatively, and with genuine attunement — it can work beautifully. ✨

CBT is more than just talking.
It’s about making sense of your experiences — understanding how they shape the way you think, feel, and behave. Together, we explore the rules and beliefs you’ve developed about life, and how they still influence your emotions and actions today.

CBT helps you create a visual map of your inner world — connecting past experiences with present patterns — and finding ways to bring meaningful change.

💛 The real key?
Adapting CBT to each person’s unique story, pace, and needs.

13/11/2025

Do you often feel stuck at the extremes — either overwhelmed or disconnected?

Trauma, chronic stress, or anxiety can create chaos in the nervous system — trapping us in cycles of overwhelm (anxiety) or shutdown (depression, dissociation).

When this happens, the nervous system forgets how to move safely between states of activation and calm. Instead, it gets stuck between the two — draining your energy and leaving you feeling “too much” or “not enough.”

Therapy doesn’t just regulate the nervous system — it helps you relearn how to flow between states:
💛 To disconnect when you need protection — like after loss or while caring for someone who’s dying.
🔥 To activate when there’s danger and your body needs to respond.
🌿 And to return to calm when safety is restored.

This flexibility — the ability to move between states — is one of the most important things we build in therapy.

Here are a few gentle ways to support your body:
✨ Calm it when you feel overwhelmed: breath practice, meditation, gentle movement, colouring, soothing music, grounding objects.
✨ Gently wake it up when you feel shut down: cold water therapy, movement, dancing and singing, progressive muscle relaxation.
✨ Reconnect and return to life: talk to a friend, stroke your pet.

06/11/2025

Breaking Cycles

Transgenerational trauma often runs deep — passed quietly from generation to generation. Some of us, unaware, repeat our parents’ mistakes. No judgment there — you don’t know what you don’t know.

But for those who do know… who see the patterns, who understand the pain — you hold the power to change the story. To heal. To create a future where the next generation carries less of what we’ve had to bear.

Awareness is the first step. Healing is the next. 🌱

15/10/2025

Many of our deepest wounds happen in relationships — when our needs for safety, love, or belonging weren’t met.

But healing also happens in relationship: with a therapist, a partner, a friend, or even with yourself.

Safe connection rewires the nervous system. It teaches the body: “It’s safe to be seen again.”

10/10/2025

Before I even knew what therapy was, I used exercise as a way to cope.
At the time, it was all I had—the only thing that helped me release the emotional turmoil I felt in both my mind and body. Looking back, I’m deeply grateful for that first form of therapy: movement.

It started something.
It sparked a curiosity about my mental health and the human mind. That curiosity put me on a journey to seek answers—not just for myself, but for others too.

Over the years, my relationship with exercise has changed.
It’s still a part of my life, but I no longer depend on it in the same way.

Sometimes, one small thing—something that might seem trivial at first—can be the beginning of everything.

So don’t be afraid to try.
Find your “medicine of choice,” and get curious about your mental health.

Address

Selby

Telephone

+447949236991

Website

http://www.mindgrowingtherapy.co.uk/

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