This week I met a friend for a coffee and he told me about a deep family feud which has its roots in much more than can be seen on the surface. The vitriol and animosity coming at him and his family looks initially to be childish and wholly without foundation, but scratching beneath there is a whole … [Read more...] about Why We Self Destruct
Recovery
Why We Don't Want To Get Better
I’m coming down with a cold. I felt it when I woke up this morning, the itchy throat, the blocked nose. When we’re sick people tend to treat us differently, and illness brings upon us an altered persona which makes others react in a different and often more positive way. Sometimes it feels as if it … [Read more...] about Why We Don't Want To Get Better
The Trouble With Therapy
Travelling on a train from Broadstairs my friend asks me whether my training and experience have helped me navigate more easily the tricky waters of human relationships. Without hesitating to consider the question, because it is one with which I am so familiar, I find myself answering more … [Read more...] about The Trouble With Therapy
How Your Beliefs Damage You
Last night I was watching a recent episode of “Comic Relief Does Bake Off” with my daughter. One of the contestants was a woman who seemed completely bereft of any confidence in her baking ability. A constant stream of self deprecation came tumbling from her mouth and, unsurprisingly, she narrowly … [Read more...] about How Your Beliefs Damage You
The Truth About Depression
This week, after a number of random conversations about how difficult it is to lose weight I had written a post about how easy it is to lose weight. Then I heard that Sally Brampton had died. Sally Brampton was an editor, columnist, author and, most notably for me, writer of a book called “Shoot … [Read more...] about The Truth About Depression