A long time ago I was in the Boy Scouts (yes, a very long time ago). For several weeks a paramedic came to our meetings to teach us basic first aid. He once told us how he had attended a…

The year 1790. The scenario: A large asylum (as they were then called) outside Paris. Inhuman unhealthy conditions prevailed with many inmates kept physically restrained by various devices. Each afternoon the asylum was opened to the public who, for a…

My heart was beating faster but not through excitement. The cause? The remark “A number two scalpel please nurse”. Normally dentists use gentler phrases such as “this may cause some discomfort” (carefully avoiding words like ‘pain’). But not this time.…

Not many people outside the world of psychiatry and psychology will have heard of DSMV. This is a massive American publication and is the psychiatric bible not only in America but many other countries too. DSMV stands for Diagnostic and…

I did a lot of telephone counselling work in the past for EAPs (employee assistance programmes). These are set up by companies, who usually employ a specialist body to provide counselling and, often, other support for employees suffering stress. However,…

A statistic: a recent survey came up with the finding that just over 60% of all songs ever written are about love. I imagine the same is true, or more so, of poetry and of course most novels contain a…

Given the demanding times we live in, I thought resilience would be a good topic. What makes for resilience? Why are some people more resilient than others to life’s pains and stresses? One person can go through a stressful experience…

Many Eastern approaches to medicine and healing would see the stomach (the gut) as the seat of our emotions. A surprising discovery in recent years that tends to reinforce this belief – and which has raised some fascinating questions –…