BACP Accredited Body Psychotherapist, Shelley Treacher gives “short, inspirational gems of wisdom” in her Stress and Anxiety-focused podcasts.

Shelley’s podcasts are about disrupting harmful patterns, from self-criticism to binge-eating and toxic relationships. Learn how to deal with anxiety, stress, and feeling low, and explore healthier ways to connect.

Madsandwich75 , 28/02/2021

Enlightening – 5*

I’m really enjoying this series. It is full of insightful ideas presented in a compassionate way. I often find myself pausing the playback to reflect on what’s been said and have even made notes, something I never normally do! I found writing a proud list at the end of each day particularly powerful. It gives me something to fight the negative thoughts with and helps me get to sleep.

Watch the video version of Addiction & Willpower here

In this episode, we explore dopamine, stress, cravings, the return of natural joy, and why recovery isn’t about willpower.

If you understand your pattern but still find yourself going back – to food, scrolling, overwork, alcohol, a person – this episode explains why.

Addiction and compulsion aren’t about weakness.
They’re about stress, wiring, and reinforcement.

In this episode I talk about:

• Why the brain returns to what “works”
• How dopamine reinforces the loop
• Why withdrawal feels so convincing
• What happens to your natural joy when you rely on external hits
• And how recovery actually begins – not through restriction, but through awareness and values-based decisions

I also share personally about my long relationship with caffeine. Not as a moral battle, but as a shift from denial to informed choice.

Recovery isn’t about denying pleasure.
It’s about not denying reality.

When you understand what the behaviour gives you, and what it quietly costs, something shifts. that’s where real change begins.

Browse by topic

These episodes explore:

• The emotional body and somatic therapy
• Anxiety and nervous system healing
• Relationship
• Addiction and compulsion

Do you ever catch yourself thinking, “I’m not good enough,” “I don’t belong,” or “I’m useless”? You’re not alone. These thoughts are part of being human. But they’re also tied to the nervous system, early experiences, and the culture we live in.

In this episode:

• Why it’s easy to feel bad about ourselves
• How feelings of shame can come from our past
• Simple ways to challenge your inner critic
• A short somatic practice to help you connect with younger parts of yourself with kindness

This isn’t just about trying to think positively. It’s about helping your body feel safe, cared for, and like you belong, so you can truly believe you are enough.

Shelley helps you to understand the causes of overthinking and how to relax your mind. This podcast explores signs of overthinking and offers strategies to deal with it, focusing on listening to your body to recognise stress, anxiety and an overactive nervous system.

In this podcast:

• Symptoms of overthinking
• Breaking the belief that overthinking is productive
• 3 ways you can challenge overthinking
• 2 exercises that shift your nervous system.

Joanie103 , 10/11/2023

Shelley is Amazing! – 5*

I love this podcast! I’m making my way through all of these episodes. Shelley has a very calm, compassionate and soothing presence. She has a real gift of creating a reassuring listening space while educating listeners at the same time. This podcast is fantastic to listen to… to find a space to help yourself regulate through the stress that life can bring day-to-day. Shelley has an abundance of knowledge and skills as a therapist, which she generously shares on this podcast.

Depression can affect your life, but it doesn’t have to define it. With understanding, and the right strategies, you can still find happiness and a sense of purpose when times are tough.

In today’s episode:

• The top 3 causes of depression
• Can being rejected make you depressed?
• What happens in the body and brain in depression?
• How to pull yourself out of depression

Bereavement is one of the greater challenges for all of us at some point in our lives.

In this podcast:

• How bereavement, grief and loss affect you emotionally.
• Will the pain of a bereavement go away faster if I ignore it?
• What to do and what not to do in grief.
• What happens to the body in grief?
• How to release grief from the body.

If you’ve ever wondered why your partner seems to withdraw after you’ve got on so well, this might be why. This podcast will help you to understand avoidance.

Here we will look at:

• What avoidance is and where it comes from.
• How the fear of being dependent can lead to avoidant behaviour
• Ways to spot avoidance

Feeling shame is a common daily experience for us. Feeling ashamed is particularly common, strong, and uncomfortable for people who struggle with binge-eating.

In this podcast:

• What shame and embarrassment mean for us
• How it affects binge-eaters
• Body-shame in our culture
• Ways to release shame (for ANYONE experiencing shame)

What is self-compassion? To be able to answer this question, we explore your relationship with yourself.

In this podcast

• Part 1 – Q & A section (questions provided by you).
• Part 2 – What does self-compassion mean? What self-compassion is & how to be kinder to yourself.
• What Self-Compassion is NOT, including the Top 20 Self Criticisms

Anger is a sign that something doesn’t feel right, so it has an essential message for us that we need to pay attention to. Anger can also be turned inward as self-hatred and punishment.

In this podcast :

• Part 1 – Q & A section (questions provided by you)
• Part 2 – How to manage anger.
• What makes you angry?
• What is the root cause of anger?
• How can I control my anger? 10 ways to manage anger

In this podcast, I talk about the biggest mistakes I made when trying to stop binge-eating and lose weight.

In this podcast:

• How being too hard on yourself and going on strict diets is unhelpful
• Why it’s important to learn to be kind to yourself.
• How being aware of how you feel when you eat is helpful

Today’s episode is a deeply personal exploration of pet loss and its emotional toll. Join me as we navigate the intricate layers of grief, eating for comfort, and finding ways to feel better after losing a pet. Let’s embark on this heartfelt exploration together.

In this podcast:

• How to navigate pet loss
  

Feeling the holiday pressure? Listen to The Pressure to Be Cheerful podcast and let’s make Christmas a little more real this year.

Feeling your feelings doesn’t ruin Christmas. It makes it human.

In today’s episode:

• A heartfelt look at the unspoken challenges of the festive season
• Practical tips on how to navigate the holiday stress
• A Christmas story of quiet empowerment
• Gentle reminders that you don’t have to fake cheerfulness to meet others’ expectations

This is a summary of the main themes of the first 2 years of the podcast.

In this podcast:

• What you need to know to recover from binge-eating, including navigating cravings and understanding what triggers comfort eating.
  
• Ways to manage strong feelings and experiences including shame, anger and anxiety
• Navigating relational difficulties and trauma

EmmaABB , 12/07/2020

So helpful

I searched for a podcast that addressed the emotional side of binge-eating, and in the few episodes I’ve learned so much. The practical advice and exercises Shelley gives are easy to implement and practice. Her voice is soothing and calm, and her kind words make me feel less alone with this struggle. Love listening in! Looking forward to the next episode. Thank you, Shelley.