Core Development – Counselling, Somatic Psychotherapy or Emotional Learning?

by Donald Marmara, Somatic Psychotherapist and Emotional Learning Facilitator, Artarmon, Sydney, Australia

Are you experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties or other emotional challenges?

What is core development and how can it help you?

Core Development can help you discover for yourself, in your own unique way,  the root cause of your emotional challenges and how you can deal with them effectively.

It can take you further than problem solving, further than overcoming your anxiety, depression, stress or whatever is stopping you from living your life more fully.  It can help you create a healthier and more fulfilling life. read more

Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning and its relevance to Somatic Psychotherapy, Counselling and Education.

by Donald Marmara

I will share an experience that I had when I was 20 years old. This is a true story and one of the formative experiences of my life.

I grew up in Malta, and I happened to meet an interesting guy at a party one night. I started chatting with this man, and discovered that he was one of England’s leading meteorological experts and that he had been hired by the government to help set up a met office in Malta. read more

Do I have to be Extraordinary to be OK?

I’ve been to many networking events, workshops and seminars that place so much emphasis on being extraordinary that I’d come out feeling that there must be something very wrong with me for not aspiring to reach the dizzy heights of extraordinariness(!)  that these people claim to have achieved. read more

Creating Results

When I tell people that Core Development is results- focused, they often remark, “ that ’s solution focused, right?�? No. Whilst solution- focused behaviour is driven by a problem – or by the need to solve or eliminate a problem, results-focused act ions are driven by the desire to create a certain result.

Time to smell the roses

Time to smell the roses

Stress leading to burnout has become a major problem in our society, costing us millions of dollars a year and having a major impact on our health.

So how can we deal with stress more effectively to improve our health and avoid burnout?

Many of you, like myself, will be receiving more mail than you can reasonably deal with.  So why should I add to your stress levels by inflicting another newsletter on you? read more

Increase Productivity & Create a Strong & Sustainable Culture

How to increase your employee's productivity and create a strong sustainable business culture - Most business leaders have a very good understanding of their business and of the industry they’re in – arguably they would not be in leadership roles if they didn’t. Not many, however, are as well versed in people-management and relationship skills, which is not surprising as you can’t expect to be good at everything!

Success Failure and Motivation

PART TWO

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

In Part One, the difference between fear of failure, where the driving force progressively diminishes and therefore requires constant effort to maintain, and desire for success, where the driving force increases as you approach your goal and therefore requires no external force to maintain, was discussed. read more

What Is Massage? Is It Just A Rub?

Massage is a dialogue, a communication through the medium of touch. It is more than just a rub.

Touch is a form of communication and the essence and potential of massage is diminished when it is perceived as no more than a mechanical process.

Another popular misconception is that massage is something that the therapist does to the client. When massaging, my hands are both giving and receiving touch. read more

Ecology Begins In You


Ecology is about relationships – our relationship with the environment, which includes other people as well as animals, plants, the air we breathe etc – and our relationship with ourselves, which is something we often forget or take for granted.

If it is so obvious that we cannot alter the environment without affecting ourselves, and that we are not only in intimate contact with the environment but that we are part of the environment, how come some individuals, politicians and industrialists continue to damage the environment – and therefore themselves? read more

What I Think About Climate Change

Recently my wife and I attended a Buddhist Chinese New Year Ceremony in Eastwood.

We  enjoyed the emphasis that was placed on accepting everyone’s beliefs, with no attempt to persuade or convert anyone, and on encouraging people to cooperate and take action to help one another, especially those most in need. read more