A moment that changed me

Reflections from a counsellor in Bath on the quiet moments that bring people to therapy.

The Guardian runs a regular feature titled A moment that changed me. It’s the sort of piece I often read at the beginning or end of a day of client sessions - personal stories that leave you feeling connected to the writer and their experience, and quietly hopeful.

The premise is simple: the storyteller shares a moment or experience that altered how they saw themselves, their lives, or the world around them. Often there’s a sense of healing in these stories, sometimes arriving from unexpected places. While the title might suggest a single, dramatic turning point, the moments described can also be less precise.

Some stories are amusing, some surprising, others sad. What they all share is not the scale of the event, but its impact. Each moment causes the storyteller to pause. To reflect. To recognise that something needed to change, or that they were finally allowed to make a change.

We might imagine that moments like these arrive with clarity. That when they happen we immediately understand their meaning and know what to do next. More often, though, life-changing moments are quieter. They linger. They stay with us.

The moment that brings someone to therapy

In my work as a counsellor in Bath, I often meet people who come to therapy because of a moment or moments like this. It may not have felt dramatic at the time, but it wouldn’t let go.

A conversation that keeps replaying. A growing sense of exhaustion or numbness. The feeling of not quite being yourself anymore. A voice that’s been silenced for a long time, finally demanding to be heard.

Clients sometimes describe it like this:

“I can’t keep living like this.” “The same patterns keep repeating, and I don’t understand why.” “This isn’t just stress.” “I don’t know who I am anymore.”

Rarely is there a single event that explains everything. More often, it’s an accumulation, and then a moment that creates a pause and brings a question to the surface: Why did that affect me so much? Why can’t I shake this feeling?

Bringing the moment to counselling

Counselling doesn’t aim to rush these moments or turn them into quick solutions. Instead, therapy offers a space to stay with them. To explore what they might be connected to, what they’ve stirred, and what they may be asking of you.

Often, change doesn’t begin with answers. It begins with being listened to without judgement, pressure, or expectation.

As a counsellor offering face-to-face therapy in Bath, I work with adults who are looking for a safe, supportive place to explore their thoughts and feelings. If you’re considering counselling in Bath and wondering whether now might be the right time, you’re very welcome to get in touch or find out more about how I work.