Firstly thank you to everyone who responded to the last email about ‘woo’ and intuition. I was really touched and so interested by all the responses. I hope I replied to everyone but in case I did not, please nudge

This newsletter goes out at UK General Election time, and shortly before that in USA, at a time when we are seeing the growth of the far-right and risk of fascism powerfully present in the Western world, as just seen in France and in so much of Europe.

What can we really hope for, or fight for, in a time of such danger but also such divisiveness? In the UK many feel the best that can be hoped for is a centre-right labour government, shod of most of socialist traditions, and that some healing might take place, and the social fabric can start to be repaired.

Where does psychotherapy fit here? I deeply believe that we shouldn’t split the political, social and the individual, nor indeed the biological, nor the natural world, especially when there are quite enough splits in the world as it is. There has been a bad history of the political left attacking psychotherapy, and attachment theory too, Bowlby particularly was pilloried, his thinking being seen as not taking the social and political sufficiently into account. And too many therapists have argued the opposite, that the only important space is the internal one. I believe neither position is OK.
The paper I attach below is one written for Soundings a few years back in which I tried to argue that we need to approach the change we believe in at all these levels, the micro and macro and in-between, the social, economic, political and the individual.
The likes of Marmot have for years shown incontrovertibly how inequality and poverty affect physical but also psychological health, and in his great book, The Health Gap, he powerfully makes this case and argues for interventions and investment. Others such as Richard Wilkinson have shown in massive studies how inequality is linked to poorer mental health, eg in the bestselling The Spirit Level.George Monbiot’s book on neoliberalism is on the list below and powerfully critiques the philosophy behind a world geared on individualism and profit as opposed to community and mutual care, a scenario that breeds worse mental and physical health.
If we change society and invest in communities and services, we make a huge difference. One recent study showed how spending money on people in poverty not only increased their material wellbeing but that such investment directly and positively affected their children’s brain development. Interventions at the level of the state change life chances, including the cognitive capacities and brains of the beneficiaries eg here. We all know now that adverse social experiences, whether poverty, racism and environmental disadvantage, have a terrible long-term effect at so many levels.

But we need interventions at all such levels, including in mental health. If people feel psychologically better then society benefits in so many ways. Hence I am saddened by the lack of any real mental health policies, especially child mental health, in any of the British political party manifestos. We know that if we create a world in which we feel safe, in which there is more trust, more hope, more belief in human goodness, then that leads to better relationship, more compassionate parenting, better services and communities and so much more. We still need to fight for this.
While I often feel reluctant to vote and wonder what difference it

will make, and we know that voting certainly is not enough on its own, still I for one feel grateful that I can vote, and think of the battles so hard fought to enable this. Helping a traumatised child is a political act, as is educating about abuse, helping a neighbour, and voting and so much else. As my colleague and friend Karen Treisman says.. EVERY INTERACTION IS AN INTERVENTION

This month’s free paper for subscribers has a political theme as much of the newsletter has, its a paper written for Soundings in which I tried to argue that the bad press given to attachment theory and neuroscience by many on the left is misguided, and that political change can be fought for at multiple levels.

If you’re not subscribed then do so here to enable download

Personal news and questions for you, feel free to skip

I am going to be offering a module on trauma and the body
on the Tavistock trauma service’s course next year (see events listings for details) and I will be running it probably as a half day over a term.

To get the juices/ideas flowing I am planning to offer a one term pilot, in person, in North London for a small number, probably about 7. I am envisaging experiential and supervisory components and also looking at some of the less known theory. It will be for child and adult qualified therapists. If anyone is interested drop me a line.

ONLINE COURSES

I am also experimenting with the idea of setting up a few online courses. There is a pilot one about prenatal life on the website in case anyone is interested? It’s £10 for a few weeks

Cheeky question, but the software and time makes this newsletter expensive to produce each month. I am thinking about adding an optional donate button, please let me know if you have strong feelings about this??

This poem is from the Little Prince (Petit Prince) which meant a lot to me when I discovered it in my adolescence . Its not political but I cannot but feel that the root of so much hatred we see is hurt we cannot bear ..

“It’s madness
to hate all roses
because you got scratched with one thorn,
to give up all dreams
because one of them didn’t come true,
to give up all attempts
because one of them failed.
It’s folly to condemn all your friends
because one has betrayed you,
to no longer believe in love
just because someone was unfaithful
or didn’t love you back,
to throw away all your chances to be happy
because something went wrong.
There will always be another opportunity,
another friend,
another love,
a new strength.
For every end,
there is always a new beginning…..
And now here is my secret,
a very simple secret:
It is only with the heart
that one can see rightly;
what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,

The Little Prince

Thanks Michael Mosley

It was hard not to be sad at his untimely death. I loved his insatiable curiosity and enjoyment of pushing the boundaries of his knowledge and his excitement at finding the unexpected. I have given a few talks since his death and in preparing each one I found a previously used clip of him talking about the brain, or something psychological. Did curiosity kill the cat? I so hope not as we need so much more curiosity these days when so many are retreating into entrenched positions. Here he is having his brain tampered with in the interests of science and our education. Goodbye and may your spirit of curiosity (with a little less adventure!) live on

If of interest I contributed to this column by Annalisa Barbieri in the Guardian recently

Some upcoming events

A few events of mine and a few others of interest below:
July 6, 2024

When Empathy is Not Enough: The role of challenge

Event Link
CPD event for Sunflower, primarily for child and adolescent therapists
online
July 13, 2024

Neglect and its relevance to sexual abuse survivors

for Survivors Network Brighton
September 13, 2024

Violence and Aggression in Children (Adoption Plus)

Days training for those working with children
Organiser: Adoption Plus
My other events here
And a few other amazing looking ones:
ICAPP (Institute of Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy) is hosting an evening with Dr Anne Alvarez, Sue Reid and Peter Blake who will discuss psychoanalytic psychotherapy with children and adolescents over the last 50 years of their work and practice. Sept 12th details here
MINDinMIND are honouring the trailblazing and brave therapist Valerie Sinason for a legacy interview on July 16th with special guests, details here
Amazing looking conference honouring Freud’s Standard Edition Relaunch , includes Karl Friston, Mark Solms, Daniel Pick, Jaqueline Rose and Alessandra Lemma , details here
The Tavistock trauma unit have a really exciting new course starting next year in the service led by Jo Stubley which is really at the cutting edge of trauma work details here
The Trauma unit’s monthly lectures continue and the next one on July 4th is with Jan McGregor Hepburn who has important things to say, I have learnt a lot from her about shame and guilt details here

Reveries: Dreaming Across the Lifecycle : Great speakers here, in Manchester 6th July details here

A few interesting podcasts

Firstly, before the recommendations, I have for years thought about starting a podcast but do you think there is room or appetite for yet another one? Let me know.
In the runup to the elections, I have been listening to more political podcasts than I would like, there is so much out there. Despite myself I often enjoy The Rest is Politics with Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart, here’s one on the Starmer-Sunak debates
There are lots more such as leftfield comedian Mark Steel’s What the F*** is Going on , here’s a recent one with psychiatrist Dr Benji Waterhouse about mental health listen here
The hidden candidate in the US elections is Robert F Kennedy jnr who has been pilloried as a conspiracy and anti-vax theorist but in fact has important points to make. This was a fascinating one some months back about war, corruption etc and also here he hosts a debate about peace in the middle east and
Rebecca Solnit, one of our most sensitive and deep thinkers, on the dystopian effect of Silicon valley listen here
And one sent to me by Laura Low-Douse, thanks, about unconscious communication between the psychoanalytic dyad, again following on from woo and forms of knowing listen here

A few recently read, mainly non-therapy books

( you can get links to the books by clicking on the pictures or titles)

George Monbiot: The Invisible Doctrine. A pretty devastating expose and critique of neoliberalism and the worst excesses of capitalism on our society in recent decades

The Maps We Carry by Rose Cartwright is one of the most sensitive and challenging books on mental health issues I’ve read in recent years, spanning psychedelics, the inadequacies of the mental health system in general, rich in personal narratives and fascinating interviews, including cross-cultural thinking and making sure that politics and society are ‘outed’ as what needs to change for better mental health

Womb by Leah Hazard: One I was reading for my prenatal book and was bowled over by the depth of fascinating knowledge and understanding, alongside personal narratives. There was so much I had no idea about and so much that needs to change in the NHS to give women the best chance of the kind of births they need

Foucault. I always go back to him when I think society and politics, a bit like I do with Bion and psychoanalysis

Doctorow is one of my favourite writers and this is his classic, recently re-read, again it has history, politics (even Emma Goldman, even Houdini and Henry Ford). It still stands up see here

Richard Powers, The Time of Our Singing: Powers is one of my favourite novelists, a man of big ideas, and in this book is telling a story that packs emotional punches yet has a lot to say about American culture. Given the political theme, this was one of his earlier ones but one of his best I think at the time of the Civil Rights movement, and yet all too apposite for today, with characters including

Shorter readings and blogs

An excellent politically informed piece critiquing contemporary trauma and the body theory, recommended by my good friend Doron Levene, read here
Following on from the last newsletter about Woo, here is a good piece from Aeon about telepathy, recommended by my friend and colleague Daniela Sieff read here
A beautiful account of polyvagal theory and the importance of the body on the inimitable Marginalian read here
Good piece about the great Foucault in the Conversation read here

While on the woo subject, an excellent piece by Alice Monroe sent to me by my good neighbour and former senior Freud Museum’er Ivan Ward read here

My writing, formats and Bookfunnel

Below are my books as always, with ways to buy. Hopefully my website will be revamped shortly with more possibilities.

My pregnancy/prenatal book is still in production and I hope to get it out after the summer

Nurturing Natures 3rd edition!

‘RESPARK’ is also available in all the formats below

A ‘cheaper than Audible’ audio version of Respark is available here

The ebook version is available and there is a 25% discount with this link
Audio here and on Spotify and other platforms

The physical book and ebook is available from amazon or psychological therapy books or Karnac here,

Please do leave a review anywhere you buy it, it really helps a lot

Affect and Emotion (the new edition)
An ebook version of Affect and Emotion is available here at £4.99 and a further 25% discount available with this code xedc7el on this link
Also on amazon … or psychological therapy books …. only about 6 quid too!
Click on links below to view or buy these:
Nurturing Natures,
Affect and Emotion
Nurturing Children,
The Good Life,
From Trauma to Harming others

For other journal papers and chapters and blogs etc see here

And finally …
2 terrible therapy jokes:
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
No, but it makes my mouth water.
and this is the worst ..
How do French psychoanalysts like their beverages?
Froid.

Phew, that’s it! Thanks for reading everyone