• Supervision with Marcus
  • Fees & Questions
  • About Marcus
  • How To Find
    & Contact Me
  • 07973 322 819
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Psychotherapy in West London
  • Therapy for Abuse Victims & Survivors
  • Work & Career Issues Therapy
  • Boarding School Survivors Therapy

Psychotherapy in West London

Psychotherapy & Counselling with Marcus Gottlieb

Counselling for Stress in London

Stress management therapy with Marcus

Nowadays people often believe that living with a high level of stress is normal and unavoidable, and that stress symptoms can be ‘managed’, whether by indulging in addictions (alcohol, overspending etc.) or simply putting up with consequences such as poor sleep patterns. However, excessive stress is very unhealthy, especially over time, and should not be accepted as “normal”.

Counselling for Stress shows you that when you keep on triggering your body’s emergency ‘fight or flight’ response, you gradually erode your health and sense of wellbeing. Working with Marcus you will learn to manage your response and by doing this, learn how to shift that ingrained stress pattern.

What are the symptoms of stress?

Emotional Signs & Symptoms of feeling Stressed include the following:

  • difficulty concentrating or focusing
  • irritability, short temper, anger and conflict
  • anxiety, worry, depression
  • feeling out of control
  • overwhelm & burnout

Physical Signs & Symptoms of feeling Stressed include the following:

  • insomnia or other sleep problems, leading to fatigue & exhaustion
  • excessive sweating or palpitations
  • headaches or migraines
  • eating or digestion issues – loss of appetite, or over-eating, heartburn, indigestion
  • skin problems
  • muscle tension or aching or muscle twitching
  • tendonitis, RSI, fibromyalgia
  • drinking to excess or in increasing amounts
  • impotence and other sexual function problems
  • high blood pressure
  • nightmares, night sweats
  • chronic pain
  • a worsening of conditions like IBS or asthma

Is It Stress?

Let common sense be your guide. Always see a doctor and be checked out medically, before assuming your symptoms are entirely stress induced.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Viktor Frankl, neurologist and psychiatrist

What causes stress?

Each time you ignore and override the body’s signals – Pause, Rest or Set Limits – you activate your inbuilt fight-flight response.

The chemicals inside the body, and the muscles at the surface of the body, get you ready to fight, to flee or to hide.

If that keeps happening continually, the cumulative effect is exhaustion and more stress.

But why are you constantly making yourself “battle ready”, and putting your body systems on to a “war footing”?

Most people are somewhat disconnected from a sense of what is going on in the body.

Because we’re not very aware of how life’s challenges and demands are having an impact hour by hour on the body’s internal systems, we readily let ourselves be over-burdened, over-extended and overwhelmed. We give up our boundaries without realising it.

We have been conditioned either to not feel, or to override or ignore, our body’s needs. We have been programmed this way partly by our upbringing, and partly by our modern, high achieving, ‘hurry hurry’ culture which does not encourage us to respect our personal limits but rewards overwork and over-consumption.

Most of us were well schooled in ‘trying harder’, not being ‘lazy’, pulling our socks up and so on. So we prioritise fulfilling our checklist of tasks. We carry on working through the headache, we stay up late when the body actually needs to rest, we keep rushing forward even though the heart wants to pause and smell the roses. It is a very inefficient, unhealthy way to live.

It is important to deal with our stress reactions at a core level. What can happen is that we try to deal with signs of stress by medication or ‘relaxation exercises’, both providing some temporary relief, but the underlying stress pattern is untouched and, in fact, on its way to becoming chronic. Chronic stress can increase susceptibility to infection, allergies, sleep disturbance, adrenal fatigue, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD) [link] and an underactive thyroid.

“I have really benefited from our work and am grateful for the progress you have helped me make while having these sessions with you.” – M.

How does stress management therapy work?

In therapy you will learn to undo the fight, flight or freeze pattern, step by step, and to regulate your own internal pressure and tension. You will still have reactions to things going on around you, but you will become less likely to stay stuck in your overstressed reaction state.

As you become less reactive, the demands of the world will affect you a little less, resulting gradually, incrementally, in reduced stress symptoms and better mental and physical welfare.

Some of the benefits people have reported are: less exhaustion, less risk of burnout, fewer stress-induced headaches or arguments, better digestion, better skin, better sleep, even better sex – overall, a healthier body and a more positive, focused, even-tempered mind.

Counselling for Stress with Marcus

Take the first step to bringing your stress levels down and learning to listen to your body and take care of yourself. Contact Marcus to discuss Counselling for Stress.

 

Contact Marcus


Further information, Articels & Advice about Stress, Overwhelm & Burnout

Primary Sidebar

West London Psychotherapist with Client | Notting Hill Therapy

I Often Work With Issues or Difficulties in the Following Areas

  • Abuse, Trauma & PTSD
  • Addictions, Obsessions & Compulsive Behaviour
  • Anger & Anger Issues
  • Anxiety & Panic Attacks
  • Bereavement, Grief & Loss
  • Boarding School Survivors Therapy
  • Body Image & Body Hatred
  • Bullying & Harassment
  • CBT West London
  • Couples Counselling
  • Depression & Mood Swings
  • Eating Disorders & Intuitive Eating
  • Family Issues & Challenges of Parenting
  • Gay Couples Therapy
  • Groups & Workshops
  • Low Self-Confidence & Lack of Self Esteem
  • LGBTQ, Sexual Identity & Sexual Orientation
  • Midlife Crisis, Ageing & Life Transitions
  • Pesso Boyden Therapy (PBSP)
  • Psychosomatic Symptoms – IBS, ME, Eczema, Migraine
  • Relationship Counselling
  • Sexual Difficulties, Sexual Obsessions & Addictions
  • Sleep Disorders, Insomnia & Relaxation
  • Social Anxiety & Other Phobias or Fears
  • Stress, Overwhelm & Burnout
  • Work, Career & Difficult Professional Relationships

Footer

Psychotherapy & Counselling in West London

  • Psychotherapy in West London
  • Therapy for Abuse Victims & Survivors
  • Work & Career Issues Therapy
  • Boarding School Survivors Therapy

Professional Registration & Accreditation

Marcus Gottlieb BACP Professional Psychotherapy Registration

Practical Information

  • Full List Of Site Pages
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Questions & My Answers
  • Practice Location & Contacting Me

© 2025 Marcus Gottlieb ·

· Notting Hill Therapy ·
· 67 Tabor Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 0BN ·
· Phone: 07973 322 819
£95 - £140
·
· Site Map · Site Build & SEO Webtime ·

MENU
  • Home
  • Psychotherapy in West London
    • Abuse & Trauma
    • Addictions & Obsessive Behaviour
    • Anger & Anger Issues
    • Anxiety & Panic Attacks
    • Behaviour Change
    • Bereavement, Grief & Loss
    • Body Image Issues & Body Hatred
    • Bullying & Harassment
    • CBT West London
    • Couples Counselling
    • Depression & Mood Swings
    • Eating Disorders & Intuitive Eating
    • Family Issues & Challenges of Parenting
    • Gay Couples Therapy
    • Groups & Workshops
    • Low Self Confidence & Low self Esteem
    • LGBTQ & Sexual Orientation
    • Midlife Crisis, Ageing & Life Transitions
    • Pesso Boyden Therapy
    • Psychosomatic Symptoms – IBS, ME, Eczema, Migraine
    • Relationship Counselling
    • Sexual Difficulties, Obsessions & Addictions
    • Sleep Disorders, Insomnia and Relaxation
    • Social Anxiety & Other Phobias or Fears
    • Stress, Overwhelm & Burnout
    • Work & Career Issues
  • Abuse & Trauma Therapy
    • Therapy for Adult Victims of Childhood Abuse
    • Male victims of domestic violence
    • Therapy for Abusive Relationships
    • Boarding School Survivors Therapy
  • Boarding School Survivors Therapy
    • Boarding School Survivors & Relationship Issues
    • Boarding School Survivors & Bullying
    • Boarding School Survivors & Depression
    • Boarding School Survivors Workshops in London
  • Work & Career Issues Therapy
    • Assertiveness Skills Coaching
    • Bias, Prejudice & Discrimination
    • Bullying & Harassment at Work
    • Career Transition Coaching
    • Work & Life Balance Counselling
  • Supervision for Psychotherapists
  • FAQ
  • About Marcus
  • Contact
  • London Therapy & Counselling
Pesso Boyden Group with accredited practitioners Deborah Clarke and Marcus Gottlieb

Pesso Boyden Group with accredited PBSP practitioners Deborah Clarke and Marcus Gottlieb

Pesso Boyden Therapy (‘PBSP’) is a philosophical process for becoming whole.

It is a respectful, interactive group process that heals by embedding new memories in the brain and in the body

Most people consciously or unconsciously have memories – explicit or implicit – of 

1. deficits 

2. traumas 

3. having to take care of others when we were too young – e.g. protecting a sibling, providing the joy in the life of an unhappy parent, unconsciously becoming the ‘spouse’ of a widowed parent, or making the world right after hearing stories of injustice. 

When any of these three categories of memory appear in the client’s work, the client and therapist work together to externalise them, in order to illuminate the client’s ways of handling life and to facilitate change. The client is always in charge of this process – people and incidents from the client’s past will be symbolised in the here-and-now either by people in the group or by objects in the room, all chosen and placed by the client. 

The therapist then works with the client to facilitate an antidote to what happened in the past – a new memory which provides what the client needed at that particular time in their past, from a specific kinship figure. This new memory may be developed over several sessions in a number of steps. In the Pesso approach we don’t change our history; however, we do change our response to our history, leading to a new perspective. 

The way is opened to possibilities of greater pleasure, satisfaction, meaning, integration and connectedness.

 



Deborah has worked as a Performance Coach for over 16 years having trained with Coach U. Her background is in the arts as an actor, theatre director and artistic director. She has worked with a wide range of people from all walks of life. Having first encountered Pesso Boyden as a client, she felt inspired to do the training herself. Since graduating in 2013 she has been running Personal Development workshops using the Pesso Boyden system and is now accredited by the official PBSP U.K. organisation.

Notting Hill Therapist | Marcus Gottlieb Psychotherapist & Counsellor
Marcus Gottlieb is a highly experienced London-based psychotherapist with a particular interest in boarding school survivor syndrome. Having trained alongside Deborah directly under Al Pesso and his closest collaborator Lowijs van Perquin, he is steeped in the work of PBSP and a strong believer in the client’s genetic impulse towards health and expression of their unique potential and individual destiny. He became an accredited Pesso Boyden therapist in 2021.
An Introduction to the Pesso Boyden Method

 

An opportunity to learn about and observe the distinctive techniques of this respectful body-based psychotherapy.

Suitable for both psychologically interested professionals, people seeking personal development/CPD and for people not in the therapeutic professions seeking to address entrenched issues. For all those who are interested in living a larger life. A special price of £35 for the day includes lunch and refreshments. CPD certificates will be available.

PBSP (Pesso-Boyden System Psychomotor) is a powerful, deeply respectful, psychotherapeutic process that uses feedback, ritual, objects and role players in a unique manner to heal the traumas, wounds and losses that affect our personal map of the world.

Its central goal is the imaginative creation of an ‘ideal’ healthy past that a person’s brain processes so that they emerge feeling differently about themselves. As Albert Pesso said, ‘Humanity is responsible for the meaning that surrounds us. The task for each person is to create a meaningful life and then live it with existential courage and passion.’

As well as gaining new perspectives, clients often experience increased pleasure, satisfaction, meaning and connectedness following a PBSP session and find themselves psychologically freer to make the changes they wish for in their lives.
Date: Saturday 7 October 2017
Venue: Notting Hill, London W11
Time: 10.00 am – 4.30 pm
Cost: £35 (inc lunch & refreshments)

 

Register Your Interest


Boarding School Survivor Syndrome Conference

BOARDING SCHOOL: Surviving the Syndrome
Broken Attachment and Childhood Trauma

University of Brighton

Saturday 9 September 2017
9.30 am to 5.00 pm

Conference for psychotherapists, counsellors, mental health workers, boarding school survivors and other interested people.

Conference overall aims are to:
§ Present key aspects of what has been published about the psychological and other effects of boarding.
§ Explore helpful therapeutic approaches for clients who are former boarders.
§ Consider current research and a possible agenda for future research
§ Enable networking amongst those interested in this important topic

Chair: Pam Howard, School of Applied Social Science, University of Brighton.

Speakers: Nick Duffell, Joy Schaverien, Alex Renton, Thurstine Basset, Anni Townend, Olya Khaleelee.

Group Discussion Facilitators: Marcus Gottlieb, Leslie Lund, Nicola Miller, Simon Partridge, Boarding Concern Directors.

For more details, contact Laura Williams:
southcoastevents@brighton.ac.uk

Pesso Boyden Workshop with Ana María Ruiz Sancho and Marcus Gottlieb

 

Pesso Boyden Therapy is a respectful and highly respected, body-based psychotherapy with distinctive techniques aimed at addressing entrenched issues. It is an interactive process that creates new body-based memories to heal emotional deficits of the past.

An exceptionally powerful personal development tool, it uses feedback, systematic procedures, objects and role players in a unique methodology, in order to repair the early traumas, wounds and losses that can powerfully influence the brain’s map of the world.

In shifting underlying perspectives, the way is opened to the possibility of greater pleasure, satisfaction, meaning and connectedness, and an enhanced freedom to effect longed-for changes.

It is expected there will be between 8 and 12 participants, with an absolute maximum of 15. The day will start with an explanation of Pesso Boyden and an experiential introduction, followed by 4 actual client sessions of an hour each.

Venue: Philadelphia Association, 4 Marty’s Yard, London NW3 1QW
Date: Saturday 3 June 2017
Time: 0930 to 1800
Cost: £75

Register Your Interest



Ana María Ruiz Sancho is an experienced psychiatrist and a psychotherapist. She is also a specialist in group dynamics and an Institutional and Team Motivation Consultant.

Ana is the Founder and a Director of VocAcción, as well as being a qualified Pesso Boyden psychotherapist.


Notting Hill Therapist | Marcus Gottlieb Psychotherapist & Counsellor

Marcus Gottlieb works with relationships, sexuality, abuse and trauma, with a particular interest in boarding school survivor syndrome. Qualified in Pesso Boyden as well as other psychotherapies, he is also an Alexander Technique teacher.

Contact Marcus

Hello and thanks for making contact.

Either fill out the form below or you can call me or email me.