People often start therapy with a commitment to change. Maybe they’ve had a lot of bad stuff happen to them – stuff that’s not their fault – and so they want to change how they deal with that bad stuff, work out new ways to cope. Makes sense – doesn’t it? People go through immense changes in their lives – house moves, new jobs, broken relationships, bereavements, illness, exams, you name it. And all changes tire us out... even positive changes. So when you start therapy – do you want even...

Something weird has happened in the last few decades: the buffer between the human mind and the rest of the world has all but vanished. Your phone – next to your bed, or in your pocket wherever you are – can bring you right up to speed with all the world’s wars and disasters, and with a single touch you can have instant access to other people’s traumas and fears. All of it: billions of voices at your fingertips, crying out for your attention 24/7. Wow. I’m not daft: I know there are clear and...

There’s a lot of words out there… and we need words, to tell stories. As adults, we leave childish things behind us, including stories; so our words sometimes become merely instructional, explanatory, rational, adrift from the fulness of life… Sure, we use words for lots of reasons – liberating, nurturing, or terrifying reasons – but words have only one purpose that is truly sacred: to tell stories, fictional or true. We need words to tell stories, so we can understand each other, and connect...