Sara Rae - Psychological Therapy Fife

Have you ever noticed how two people can experience the exact same situation, but feel completely differently about it?

Imagine two people walking into a room where no one says hello.

💭 One person thinks, "They don't like me." They feel anxious, stay quiet, and leave believing, "I'm unlikable."

💭 The other thinks, "Maybe they're busy or didn't notice me." They feel calm, start a conversation, and leave having enjoyed the evening.

The situation is exactly the same. The difference lies in the meaning our minds give it.

In CBT, we understand that our thoughts are influenced by our core beliefs—deeply held ideas about ourselves, other people, and the world. These beliefs aren't something we're born with; they're shaped by our life experiences, relationships, and the messages we've received over time.

If someone has developed a belief such as "I'm unlovable" or "I'm not good enough," they're more likely to interpret situations through that lens. Someone with a more balanced belief may see the very same situation quite differently.

✨ CBT isn't about forcing positive thinking or pretending everything is okay. It's about becoming curious about our thoughts, understanding where they come from, and asking whether they're the only possible explanation. As we begin to challenge unhelpful beliefs, we create space for more balanced thinking and healthier emotional responses.

You don't have to believe every thought that pops into your mind. Sometimes, changing the story we tell ourselves can change how we experience the world. 🌿

There are still a couple of appointments available with our Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology, Jana next Wednesday, 5th August, in Burntisland at Rae's Anatomy Physiotherapy.

If you've been thinking about starting Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), this could be the perfect opportunity to see whether it's the right approach for you.

Your initial 50-minute consultation is designed to help you gain a better understanding of what you're experiencing. Together, you'll explore:

✨ A comprehensive psychological assessment to understand what may be contributing to the way you're feeling.

✨ Psychoeducation to help make sense of your thoughts, emotions and behaviours.

✨ The beginnings of a personalised formulation – starting to piece together the puzzle of your story and understand how your experiences may be connected.

✨ Your goals for therapy and what you'd like to achieve.

✨ Most importantly, the chance to meet your therapist and see whether it feels like the right fit for you.

Taking the first step can often be the hardest, but you don't have to figure everything out on your own.

📍 Burntisland @ Rae's Anatomy Physiotherapy
🗓️ Wednesday 5th August
⏰ Appointments available at 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm (morning appointments could be available too)
💷 £75 | 50-minute sessions

If you'd like to book, send us a message or get in touch via our website. We'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. 💚

Receiving feedback like this is such a lovely reminder of why I do what I do. 💚

I'm so grateful to every client who trusts me with their story. It's a real privilege to walk alongside people as they make sense of their experiences, develop new skills, and begin to see themselves with greater compassion.

Thank you to my client for these incredibly kind words, they truly mean a lot!

💙 An Exciting New Chapter 💙

I'm so excited to share some wonderful news!

As many of you know, Sara Rae - Psychological Therapy Fife is part of Rae's Anatomy Physiotherapy which will soon be ⭐ Rae's Anatomy Mind and Movement Ltd, our newly formed limited company, where my husband, Marcus, and I have brought together our two professions to care for both the body and the mind 🌱

Marcus continues to provide expert physiotherapy and manage the physiotherapy services, while I lead our psychological therapy service. Our vision has always been to create a place where people can access compassionate, evidence-based care for their physical and mental wellbeing under one roof 🙌

As our therapy service continues to grow, I'm delighted to welcome Jana to the team as our second Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology (CAAP).

~ Jana has over five years' experience working within NHS mental health services, providing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for anxiety, low mood and other common mental health difficulties. She offers a warm, compassionate and personalised approach, helping people understand what's keeping them stuck and develop practical skills for lasting change.

Jana is also a certified yoga teacher with over 13 years' experience and may incorporate gentle body-based principles into therapy where appropriate 🧘‍♀️

✨ Appointments with Jana will be available from August at our 📍Burntisland clinic

I'm incredibly proud of how far we've come and so grateful to everyone who has trusted us with their care. Your support has allowed us to grow, and I couldn't be happier to welcome Jana to the team so we can help even more people across Fife.

If you'd like to book an initial consultation or find out more, please get in touch through:

📧 [email protected]

or call 📞 07445839224

Here's to the next chapter of Rae's Anatomy supporting healthier bodies, healthier minds, and healthier lives 💙

🧠 The Painful Truth About Pain

The more we learn about pain, the more we realise just how complex it is.

In truth, saying we fully understand pain would be an overstatement.

Even pain scientists continue to explore and debate exactly how pain works.

What we do know is that pain is influenced by many factors.

And perhaps most importantly:

🌍 Pain is contextual.

We have all experienced this.

Imagine you stub your toe.

If you're relaxed and having a good day, you might swear for a few seconds and move on.

If you're stressed, exhausted, running late, and feeling overwhelmed, that same stubbed toe can feel much worse.

Same toe.
Same force.
Different context.

Let's take another example.

How often have you gone on holiday and found yourself saying:

My back felt much better while I was away 🏖️🚶

What changed?

* Warmer weather?
* More walking?
* More exercise?
* Better sleep?
* Less stress?
* More time with family and friends?
* A break from work pressures?

The reality is, it's often difficult to pinpoint exactly what changed.

More often than not, it's likely a combination of factors rather than a single cause.

Pain is influenced by much more than what's happening in our tissues, including:

• Sleep
• Stress
• Previous experiences
• Beliefs
• Expectations
• Confidence
• Mood
• Social connection
• General health and wellbeing

This doesn't mean pain is "all in your head."

Pain is always real.

But pain is not always a measure of damage.

Pain is an experience shaped by the brain and nervous system using information from many different sources.

One thing we do understand is that when the body perceives greater threat, pain often becomes more protective.

Part of rehabilitation is helping people:

✔ Better understand their pain
✔ Build confidence in movement
✔ Reduce unnecessary threat
✔ Reconnect with the activities that matter to them

Because recovery isn't always about fixing damaged tissues.

Sometimes it's about changing the context in which pain exists.

**Pain is real.**

**Pain is complex.**

**Pain is contextual.**

And perhaps that's one of the most important things we understand about pain today.

Fridays are my favourite, working alongside my husband, both of us back-to-back with clients all day. But in the middle of the chaos, we steal 15 minutes for a cuppa, a kiss, and a moment to ground each other before the next round begins. We both truly love what we do, and building a family business together makes it even more special 🥰

Perfectionism, what people think it is vs what it really feels like.

What people often see:

Someone who is organised.
Someone who works hard.
Someone who has high standards and cares deeply.

What it can feel like on the inside:

Like you’re never quite doing enough.
Like there’s always something you could have done better.
Like resting has to be earned.
Like getting it wrong might say something about who you are.

Perfectionism isn’t really about being “perfect.”
It’s often a way of trying to stay safe, from criticism, from disappointment, from feeling not enough.

🌱 Where it can come from:

Sometimes it begins early, in environments where love, praise, or safety felt linked to achievement or “being good.”
Sometimes it develops when mistakes were criticised, or when expectations (spoken or unspoken) felt very high.
Sometimes it grows in people who had to take on a lot of responsibility, or who learned to keep things together for others.
And sometimes it simply comes from being someone who feels things deeply and wants to do well, in a world that can be quick to judge.

💬 Underneath, there are often quiet limiting beliefs like:

- “If I make a mistake, I might be judged or rejected.”
- “I have to get things right to be accepted.”
- “If I let my standards drop, everything will fall apart.”
- “Other people expect more from me than I can give.”

And over time, that can be really heavy to carry.

It can look like:

Overthinking and second-guessing.
Putting things off because it feels too much to start.
Finding it hard to switch off or relax.
Being much harder on yourself than you would ever be on someone else.

It can also show up in relationships, sometimes as pressure, sometimes as distance, sometimes as feeling like things have to be a certain way.

If any of this resonates, you’re not alone and it makes sense that this pattern developed in the first place.

👉A few gentle questions that will help you determine if you struggle with perfectionism:

- Do I feel uneasy or on edge when things aren’t “just right”?
- Do I hold myself to standards I wouldn’t expect from others?
- Do I find it hard to feel satisfied, even when things go well?
- Do I have quite fixed ideas about how things “should” be done?

There’s nothing wrong with caring or wanting to do well.

But you deserve space to be human in it too.

Little by little, it’s possible to soften the edges, not by lowering your worth, but by loosening the pressure around it.

You don’t have to earn rest. You don’t have to earn enough-ness. 💛

Sometimes we think “taking care of ourselves” has to look like spa days, bubble baths, or treating ourselves. And while those things are lovely, they’re only the tip of the iceberg.

Real self-care is often much quieter and much harder.

It’s unlearning the rules you created to keep others comfortable.

It’s noticing the limiting beliefs that tell you your worth is tied to how much you give.

It’s choosing to say no, even when it feels unfamiliar or uncomfortable.

Self-care can look like:
– Protecting your boundaries
– Resting without guilt
– Leaving things unfinished
– Doing nothing, on purpose
– Asking for support instead of pushing through

If you’ve spent years people-pleasing, these acts won’t feel natural at first. They might even feel wrong. But that doesn’t mean they are.

Sometimes the most powerful form of self-care is giving yourself permission to not be everything for everyone.

And that’s where real change begins.

As a therapist, I’ve been noticing a pattern in my work lately.

Many women come to therapy feeling anxious, stressed, or low. On the surface, it can look like overwhelm, burnout, or low mood. But when we take the time to gently piece together their story, to really understand where these feelings come from, we often uncover something deeper.

A set of long-held beliefs:

“I’m not good enough.”
“I’m not worthy of love.”
“I’ve failed.”

These beliefs rarely appear out of nowhere. They’re shaped over time, through past experiences, early relationships, and the powerful (often unspoken) expectations placed on women in society.

Somewhere along the way, many women learn rules like:

“I must put others first.”
“I should be able to cope with everything.”
“I can’t let people down.”

And while these rules might once have helped us feel accepted or safe, they often come at a cost. They can lead to people-pleasing, self-criticism, and a constant sense of falling short.

One part of therapy I really value is the educational piece. Helping people understand what’s happening inside their minds and bodies.

When we’re constantly criticising ourselves or carrying shame, we activate our threat system. And that threat doesn’t just come from the outside world, it can come from within.

When this system is switched on, we might notice:
• Feeling overwhelmed or on edge
• Struggling to make decisions
• Becoming more reactive
• Finding it hard to concentrate or remember things

Physiologically, the body is flooded with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Over time, this can become exhausting. Eventually, the system may push us into shutdown: feeling numb, disconnected, or losing motivation for things we once enjoyed.

This is why self-esteem work is so important.

It’s not about “thinking positively” or ignoring struggles. It’s about gently identifying these old belief systems, understanding where they came from, and updating them to something more balanced, compassionate, and true to who we are now.

Because when our beliefs begin to shift, our nervous system can begin to settle too.

And from there, change becomes much more possible.