“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller.

Returning to this occasional series on the basic psychological needs. Today the focus is on our need for community.

Human beings are essentially social animals. Throughout history, from the earliest times we have lived in groups and depended on each other. This has been part of our success, if we can call it that.

To varying degrees, people need people. One of the basic psychological needs that must be fulfilled to keep you free from depression and anxiety is that  sense of community. More than this it is about making a contribution to others.  Essentially, you need to feel part of something larger than yourself, part a community of people, working for something that has meaning and significance. 

An article by Robert Sanders, Life Coach, Timeline Therapist and NLP Practitioner
at Vinings Natural Health Centre

We all need to feel safe and secure. This seems like one of the most straightforward of the basic psychological needs. Your unconscious (or subconscious) mind is naturally sensitive to any threats to your safety and security. This need for security is the origin of our most deep-based fears. This is where you learn to notice dangers and respond instinctively to them.

Common sense tells us that we need to avoid things like fire, physical violence, falling from a great height, being attacked by a wild animal, being poisoned or being severely cold or exposed. These go without saying, and your unconscious mind knows how to protect you from these, so you may feel natural fear when faced with a lion, or something being on fire. You will instinctively avoid standing close to the edge on a high building if there is no barrier. You will want to get somewhere warm or wrap your clothes tighter around you if it gets cold.

Well, the long summer holidays are over – phew! Whether you’ve been away on the holiday of a lifetime, or been coping with little ones who get bored far too quickly; whether you’ve been on “granny duty” or trying to juggle job, home and holidays – now is the time to settle back into a routine.

Now is a good time to focus on you, too. With autumn well on the way, it’s time to get your whole system in shape. Hopefully you’ve topped up with sunshine through the summer – best natural source of vital Vitamin D – and now you should be thinking about those months ahead. Time to build up the immune system, pull the diet back on track, give up smoking instead of just talking about it – and yes, perhaps even a bit of pampering at every level if that’s what your body needs!

At Vinings Natural Health Centre, our team of experienced therapists can take care of body, mind and soul!
Just think how wonderful a relaxing aromatherapy massage with Carole Thornton could be, with specially-selected essential oils to work at deep levels to help you unwind, de-stress and come back to that place of balance.
Or if it’s a deep-tissue-style massage you need to get rid of knots or for rehab, Graham Lines is your man: he specialises in sports massage and offers taping, strapping and ultrasound too.
If you feel you’re out of kilter diet-wise, then our naturopath Kirsty Lander can give you a top-to-toe check-up and help you get back on track, physically, mentally and emotionally. The blend of scientific and traditional healing principles, with kinesiology and practical experience helps with a wide range of imbalances and conditions.
It’s not always easy – whatever your age – to find that path through life, and sometimes we seem to lose our way. Robert Sanders works with a mix of NLP, Timeline Therapy and Life Coaching to help you understand where you are (and who you are!) and how you can get to where you would like to be.
Sometimes, there’s an energy blockage: what better way to release that than with acupuncture with Julia Biggs? Julia’s highly-intuitive approach helps to identify those trouble spots and clear the blockages so that the energy flows smoothly again, easing physical discomfort or that feeling of being stuck.
If you decide that now is the time to tackle that excess weight, or to kick the smoking habit once and for all; if that irrational phobia is getting in the way of your daily life – hypnotherapist Judy Sharp can help! She combines clinical hypnotherapy with past life regression, soul retrieval and other techniques to uncover the real root cause of an issue.
Just because summer is over, don’t forget your feet! They will be tucked into shoes and boots all winter, so treat them well! If you would like regular foot care, Caroline Burton is your lady, while for more clinical / medical advice, our podiatrist / chiropodist Deborah Ferguson can provide the treatments you need.
If you would like to try something completely different – have a consultation with our herbalist Yaso Shan. She is highly experienced in Chinese herbal medicine and also creates her own range of Centella personal care products that contain only natural ingredients. They make fabulous gifts!
And last but not least, if guidance and emotional support is what you need – and most people do at some stage in their lives – then turn to counselling psychologist Dr Lynne Jordan, who is highly experienced in various counselling modalities and will be able to help you through those rocky patches.

This is Time for You – and the team at Vinings Natural Health Centre would be more than happy to help you towards optimal health and wellbeing!
Vinings Natural Health Centre is located in Church Road, Haywards Heath, behind the Orchards Shopping Centre. We have our own parking for clients, and it is a lovely peaceful place to come and unwind as the healing takes place.

ROBERT SANDERS Member of the American Association for 
Neuro Linguistic Programming Robert is a master practitioner in hypnotherapy, NLP and coaching, having studied with Ewan Mochrie at Inspire 360.
He specialises in a ‘whole life’ approach to change, and can help with issues in your body, your mind or your life in general, including confidence-building and fitness motivation. Tel: 07877 074 053 Website: www.robertsanders.me.uk