Meet the Therapist: George Cumming-Bruce
George Cumming-Bruce is a psychotherapist in South West London
What attracted you to become a therapist?
Studying philosophy I was initially looking for practical wisdom, but often found it too abstract. Then studying psychology I found the opposite – very specific practical solutions to problems, but without enough context to truly understand them. I felt that too often human suffering and dilemmas were only seen through a behaviourist and/or medical lens.
Becoming an existential psychotherapist felt like a natural meeting ground between both philosophy and psychology.
Where did you train?
The New School of Counselling and Psychotherapy in Hampstead, London.
Can you tell us about the type of therapy you practise?
Mainly existential therapy. It’s phenomenological, which means that it focusses on the lived experience of the client. By trying to best describe and uncover the experiences, dilemmas, values, and ways of seeing the world a client has, their aims and choices within their particular context become more explicit.
Existential therapy has philosophical roots, and emphasises that there are certain ‘givens’ when it comes to being human. We will all die, experience loss, and feel anxiety and depression to some degree. Also that we are all responsible for our actions, even though we might not know exactly what will come of them.
Understanding our emotions and thoughts as part of the range of natural human experience, rather than as unintelligible and discrete disorders, allows for them to related to in a different way, where the meaning in the experience can be better understood. Difficult periods in our lives, if respected and paid attention to, can be useful signposts towards what makes our lives meaningful.
Existential therapy offers a space in which a person can talk about their lives which aims at helping them better understand themselves and the lives that they lead. This, my clients tell me, is the main benefit of the process – that they understand their struggles and their ways of being in the world a little better. It isn’t an easy process, but it can be a very worthwhile one.
How does existential therapy help with symptoms of depression and anxiety?
Existential therapy helps with symptoms of depression and anxiety by trying to understand their causes. This makes them meaningful, which makes them easier to bear and to navigate.
Existential theory sometimes understands depression and anxiety to be on a continuum, with one being the opposite to the other. For example, the more ‘out there’ and engaged in our life and our possibilities we are, the more anxiety we will experience because we are confronting the uncertainties inherent in pursuing anything of value to us. Whereas if we retreat too much from anxiety, and we shut down the opportunities (and simultaneously the uncertainties in our life), things can constrict and depression can arise as fewer opportunities there seem to be in our lives.
Of course, anxiety and depression can occur for reasons other than explained by this particular framework too. But it is an example of how an existential lens can offer a new way of looking at depression or anxiety we might be experiencing.
What sort of people do you usually see?
Generally people who get in touch resonate with the philosophical aspect of the modality.
Have you noticed any recent mental health trends or wider changes in attitude?
It is entering conversation more and more. The various options out there for help are still quite complicated to navigate if you don’t have a background in the area however. This is a good opportunity to talk a little bit about one of those options!
What do you like about being a therapist?
It’s an honour to be with people as they try to navigate difficult moments in their lives and talk about things they might not feel able to in other relationships.
What is less pleasant?
The assumption that a person might make that a therapist has it all figured out! It’s not true and can be disempowering for a client who might underestimate their own intuition and insight.
How long have you been with Welldoing and what you think of us?
Only a few weeks. I like the fact that a diary system exists online – it makes it much easier for those looking for therapy to make bookings.
Do you ever suggest books or apps to clients?
Very rarely, but sometimes if they are asked for. What I recommended would be very dependant on who was asking and what for.
What you do for your own mental health?
Exercise, meditation, and talking things through.
You are a therapist in London. What can you share with us about seeing clients in this area?
One of the good things about London is that there is a very diverse group living here. Most of the people I see are professionals, but there is a wide variety of ages and reasons for coming to therapy.
What’s your consultation room like?
I have two different consulting rooms which are quite different. My Battersea room is large and comfortable but slightly noisy due to being close to a main road. My Pimlico room is small but quieter!
What do you wish people knew about therapy?
That the point is not judgement, but understanding and perspective.
What did you learn about yourself in therapy?
Many things. One was that I spent a lot of time procrastinating because of fears of failure. Once I saw it, it much easier to counteract because it’s irrational. A fear of possible failure is scary, but without trying failure is guaranteed. So suddenly really going for my goals didn’t seem so risky.
Another main theme would be becoming aware of how self-critical I was. Too much negative bias is anathema to change, which requires belief that change is possible. As Heidegger put it, “everything begins with the future”.
