Hi. My name is Jim Sheehy. I live in a very beautiful part of the world here in Donegal, Ireland. I work as a psychotherapist and life-skills trainer. This weekly blog is based on a project I’m starting called reallyhuman.ie. I have worked with individuals in therapy over many years, helping them in their healing and recovery. I also present workshops in schools and communities around developing skills in managing life-issues and moods read more

I really understood tribes and their importance when living in North Belfast for 21 years. My wife and I had lived up to then in the Republic of Ireland where tribes exist but the contact between them was respectful and cordial, the exceptions being immigrants and travellers. Belfast exposed how deeply and easily we can label, judge and blame the neighbour next door or street. We had a young couple right behind our house – middle-class, profes [ ... ]
Read more...
Up to age of eighteen, and sometimes older, how we are seen by others and how we see others is very much influenced by family. In this presentation, I am focusing on siblings and reflecting on their impact on a child and teenager. If I’m an only child or the middle child of 10, the twin or the adopted /fostered additional child – each personal experience is so varied and random. How significant are sisters and brothers for the young adult em [ ... ]
Read more...
Let me start with a poem I once wrote: Friendship Simplicity insists on radical truth A soil manured and flecked in joyous interaction Minds grapple, tease, shudder and rebuild Hearts simmer, bloom, co-exist and lie in sensitive exposure Globally connecting with Friends Inc. Is this the Way … … Across divides of colour, creed and cultural bias … … Through fogs of F-off Zones and cracked boundary-settings … Café chat and mobile lin [ ... ]
Read more...
Angry is the feeling which harnesses the most powerful energy when understood and used positively. Why? Feeling angry is an alarm triggered inside us when something happens that reacts with the message: THIS IS NOT FAIR. I AM NOT BEING RESPECTED! So far, the experience of feeling angry is healthy. What follows as a behaviour will depend on your own sense of what you're worth. If you believe you are worth a lot, you will respond and manage the sit [ ... ]
Read more...
Stay in Balance - body, mind, spirit We sometimes ignore the simple. We are very special as a species in that we take a lifetime trying, and often failing, to juggle the three elements that need equal attention. With the body, we can become obsessed or neglectful with sleep, exercise, food and drink. There are specialists who make a living advising us how to sleep enough hours, shape and weigh our body mass, caution us as to what we allow int [ ... ]
Read more...- Blog 24: A Philosophy for staying and feeling alive What gives purpose, motivation and energy Part 3
- Blog 23: A Philosophy for staying and feeling alive What gives purpose, motivation and energy Part 2
- Blog 22: A Philosophy for staying and feeling alive. What gives purpose, motivation and energy Part 1
- Blog 21: Sex and Love