'I Had a Black Dog says with wit, insight, economy and complete understanding what other books take 300 pages to say. Brilliant and indispensable.' - Stephen Fry 'Finally, a book about depression that isn't a prescriptive self-help manual. Johnston's deftly expresses how lonely and isolating depression can be for sufferers. Poignant and humorous in equal measure.' Sunday Times There are many different breeds of Black Dog affecting millions of people from all walks of life. The Black Dog is an equal opportunity mongrel. It was Winston Churchill who popularized the phrase Black Dog to describe the bouts of depression he experienced for much of his life. Matthew Johnstone, a sufferer himself, has written and illustrated this moving and uplifting insight into what it is like to have a Black Dog as a companion and how he learned to tame it and bring it to heel.

'A very thoughtful, balanced and practical approach.' - J.John, Evangelist Worry has reached epidemic proportions. Many are suffering in silence, unsure if psychological solutions are appropriate for them, or if biblical teaching can lead them to freedom. The Worry Book offers a fresh solution: seeing the process of worry as the problem, rather than getting stuck into individual concerns. We can often use worry to create a sense of certainty and control, but the illusion is temporary, and we generate even more problems in the process. Here we learn about the factors behind worry, and how to disable the cycle of worry and tolerate uncertainty - principles we can apply to every situation. This is a journeyman's guide through the comedy and heartache of discovering worry's function, and so removing its power. Good theology and psychology combine here to offer new perspectives and real hope. You will find real lives and real people, and solutions which are both practical and doable.

This book provides an introduction to mindfulness, the concepts and theory behind it and how it can help manage not only anxiety, but a number of physical and emotional issues. It includes step-by-step practices to manage your anxiety and depression, and links to an audio download of guided meditations. Topics include: Understanding anxiety and mindfulness No magic pills How did I get to be like this? Anxiety and depression in context The stress response Breaking the cycle Effects of mindfulness on the brain Moving forwards - take care

This book addresses the dying process and the nature of death itself with the intention that it might help us to accept and embrace both these things as a part of life. Intended to provide a shift in perception, this book aims to alleviate some of the fear, resistance and denial surrounding death. Much has been written about death by spiritual teachers, psychologists, philosophers and palliative specialists, but this book is an entry into the conversation from a viewpoint that is not medical, religious, nor postulating any form of belief system. It is partly a survey of our attitude and resistance to dying and death, and partly an examination of the options available that could serve as a non-denominational enquiry into this unavoidable eventuality. The principle belief is that the tools required for this shift in perception are to be found within us - we already possess what we need that would allow us to drop the heavy weight of fear and anxiety. This book will help the reader to find these tools, guiding the reader towards their own, most direct route, and focuses on the validity of individual experience.

"One of the best books I've ever read on suffering!"--BRITTANY PRICE BROOKER, speaker "Lisa Appelo is the wise and trustworthy friend we all need to help us navigate life on the other side of devastating circumstances."--BECKY KEIFE, author of The Simple Difference and No Better Mom for the Job Life has shattered all around you. Now what? What do you do when you are suddenly navigating a life you didn't sign up for? You never saw this pain coming, and you're facing a future you'd pass up if you could. Lisa Appelo understands deeply. She has experienced the raw emotions and uncertainty that come when everything falls apart. Lisa went to bed married and woke up a widow and single mom to seven children. She wrestled with impossible questions about her future--and then found life-changing answers that gave her the strength to move forward with true joy. With compassion and rich biblical insight, Lisa will help you * find your footing when circumstances bring massive change; * process hard emotions with God, who welcomes them; * overcome paralyzing fear with three scriptural steps; and * anchor your faith when your hope seems threadbare. Your unexpected future may feel like Plan B, but it's God's purposeful Chapter Two for you as He reshapes your shattered heart. With each tender, intentional step, you'll see you will not merely survive this, but that life can be good again.

One might think working as a physician would lead to disrespect for the human body. After all, most of the bodies we see are broken or malfunctioning in some way. In my case, however, the opposite is true. My practice as a pain specialist (particularly chronic pain) has drawn me into areas beyond the usual options for medical treatment. In the process, that has led to a fascination with the human brain and its myriad properties. I think it's safe to say that most of us take our brains for granted. If we think about them at all, it's in terms of comparative mental accomplishment (in our prime of life) or dysfunction (beyond our prime). Rarely do we stand in awe of all that this eight-pound organ does for us. With this book, I'm hoping to do my part to change that. The focus is on the brain's relationship with pain, but discussing that opens a door to broader considerations. Meanwhile, the potential readership is literally universal -- all of us have brains, and almost all of us (except for those with a rare condition described in the book) have felt pain. What most of us may not realize is that research into the causes of pain began thousands of years ago. The ancient Egyptians pondered the question, and Greek philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, and Galen made it an important part of their overall philosophies. Hippocrates was laying the foundation for modern brain and pain study as early as the late fifth century and other scientific icons, such as Rene Descartes and Charles Sherrington, built on what he had discovered and postulated. By the 20th century, some new revelation about pain and its possible treatment was being reported in the scientific journals nearly every month. That has only accelerated over the past few years, which makes the study of the brain and pain one of the livelier medical specialties. Meanwhile, there has been a significant change in the attitude toward pain by 20th century physicians, researchers and hospital personnel. Previously, pain was simply linked to whatever condition might be afflicting a patient, leading to the belief that when that condition was cured or managed, the pain would automatically disappear. Now, though, it has become apparent that pain might be more than just a symptom. In some cases, it becomes a condition all to itself. Since pain is literally a product of the brain, which announces it after being warned by a small army of nocioceptors stationed throughout the body, it is also open to glitches in that process. Chronic pain often occurs when the brain "remembers" pain, even though the condition that caused it may have been dealt with. This book has a clinical core, but I have broadened the scope to include not only research history but touch on several peripheral issuers involving pain. That includes a chapter on masochism and congenital insensitivity to pain, another on the opioid epidemic.

Severe anxiety affects a huge number of women in pregnancy and the postnatal period, making a challenging time even more difficult. You may be suffering from uncontrollable worries about pregnancy and birth, distressing intrusive thoughts of accidental or deliberate harm to the baby, or fears connected to traumatic experiences. This practical self-help guide provides an active route out of feeling anxious. Step-by-step, the book teaches you to apply cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) techniques in the particular context of pregnancy and becoming a new parent in order to overcome maternal anxiety in all its forms. Working through the book you will gain understanding of your anxiety and how factors from the past and present may be playing a role in how you feel. Together with practical exercises and worksheets to move through at your own pace, you will gain the tools you need to help you move forward and enjoy parenthood.

This beautifully illustrated and sensitive therapeutic fairy tale has been created for children experiencing feelings of loneliness and social isolation. With engaging and gentle illustrations to help prompt conversation, it tells the story of a young girl encouraged to feel more confident in herself by an animal guide, using nature as a support. Therapeutic Fairy Tales is a series of short modern tales dedicated to exploring challenging feelings and life situations that might be faced by young children. Each short story is designed to be used by parents, carers, teachers, and therapists as they support children's mental and emotional health. This book is also available to buy as part of the Therapeutic Fairy Tales, Volume 2 set, which includes The Waves and Into The Forest. Other books in the series include: Storybook Manual: An Introduction To Working With Storybooks Therapeutically And Creatively The Waves: For Children Living With OCD Into The Forest: For Children With Feelings Of Anxiety The Night Crossing: A Lullaby For Children On Life's Last Journey The Storm: For Children Growing Through Parent's Separation The Island: For Children With A Parent Living With Depression The Sky Fox - part of the Therapeutic Fairy Tales series - is born out of a creative collaboration between Pia Jones and Sarah Pimenta. .

Annie Skinner explores the challenges and obstacles faced by children who were removed from their families by the state in the nineteenth century. The children in this study were rescued from neglected, abusive or dangerous situations and committed to care, but in the process were criminalized and incarcerated in industrial schools until they turned sixteen. Using letters from the children, their parents and correspondence from the authorities, the author focuses on the children's experiences of their removal. We hear first-hand how children growing up in a controlled environment learnt how to navigate their way through the tough regimes of the institutions and resisted authority. The author shows how attitudes towards children in care were dominated by the belief that removing contact with their parents was essential in order to avoid repeating a negative history. A wholly new life was needed for a healthy and secure social development. At the heart of this new life was a future in domestic service. However, here children also faced stigma from employers and authorities. Skinner positions the voice of the child at the forefront of her study by offering close readings of children's letters, taken from source. And so she allows us to see the impact of such policies on lives, as well as their isolation as a result of removal and their search for identity.

An average of 1400 people call the South African Depression and Anxiety Suicide Helpline every day. And those are just the people who know it exists and are able to reach out for help, either for themselves or for a loved one.

Journalist Marion Scher has spent years speaking to people suffering from depression or some other form of mental illness and felt compelled to share some of these stories in Surfacing. Each chapter tells a different and very personal story, from a Springbok rugby player faced overnight with mental illness to a successful businessman who attempted suicide three times in one day. A new mother whose horrific real experiences didn’t match the Instagram photos of blissful motherhood she had expected, and a mother’s heartbreaking story of surviving the loss of her teenage daughter to suicide. The common thread that runs through the stories is how each person learnt to deal with their illness, conquer their personal mountains and go on to lead healthy, fulfilled lives – more than they’d ever hoped for.

Most stories of mental illness go untold, hidden away, for fear of the stigma that mental illness holds. Marion hopes this book will inspire you to reach out for help for yourself or to offer encouragement to people you know who are battling secret demons.

This beautifully illustrated and sensitive therapeutic fairy tale is designed to be used therapeutically by parents, caregivers and professionals supporting children with feelings of anxiety. With engaging and gentle illustrations that can be used to prompt conversation, it tells the story of a boy who is taught by an animal-guide how to live in the present rather than fear the future. Therapeutic Fairy Tales is a series of short modern tales dedicated to exploring challenging feelings and life situations that might be faced by young children. Each short story is designed to be used by parents, carers, teachers, and therapists as they support children's mental and emotional health. This book is also available to buy as part of the Therapeutic Fairy Tales, Volume 2 set, which includes The Waves and The Sky Fox. Other books in the series include: Storybook Manual: An Introduction To Working With Storybooks Therapeutically And Creatively The Waves: For Children Living With OCD The Sky Fox: For Children with Feelings of Loneliness The Night Crossing: A Lullaby For Children On Life's Last Journey The Storm: For Children Growing Through Parent's Separation The Island: For Children With A Parent Living With Depression Into The Forest - part of the Therapeutic Fairy Tales series - is born out of a creative collaboration between Pia Jones and Sarah Pimenta.

Drawing on a multitude of breathing practices from different healing and spiritual traditions, The Power of Breathwork includes 25 simple exercises that you can practice alone or with a partner. Knowing how to breathe and how to use your breath purposefully has been proven to reduce negative mental and physical issues and actually heal the body and mind. A regular home breathwork practice is an affordable and easy way for you to engage in self-healing practices that can have a profound impact on your overall health. Harness the power of breathwork to: Facilitate proper immune function Enhance connection, creativity, joy, and intuition Reduce physical pain as well as tension, depression, anxiety, and trauma Author, practitioner, and grief worker Jennifer Patterson begins by explaining what breathwork is, why you should try it, and how it can be used to heal the bodymind. Then, you'll learn what happens in your physical body, energetic body, and emotional body as you practice it. Before you start the exercises, find useful tips on building an altar, using scent, visualizations and grounding, and somatic writing prompts to help support your practice. After achieving collaboration and deeper trust with your body through practices such as a nurturing body scan and learning to catch and shift out of breath-holding patterns, return to yourself with these solo breath patterns: 4-7-8 Breath, Energizing Breath, Box Breath, Pursed Lip Breath, Lion's Breath, Diaphragm Breath, Alternate Nostril Breath, Skull Shining Breath, Ocean Breath, and Multi-Part Fast-Paced Breath. With a partner, use breath to work with witnessing and being witnessed, giving and receiving touch, and navigating conflict. Through these practices, you can breathe into a deeper relationship with another. For more focused breathwork practice, you will also find exercises that work with themes such as creativity, easing perfection narratives, inviting laughter and joy, cutting energetic ties to harmful dynamics, plus dedicated practices for welcoming the new day and then, when it is done, releasing the day and inviting sleep. The Power of Breathwork provides you with simple and approachable ways to intentionally and effectively breathe to bring healing and joy.

Transforming Generalized Anxiety: An Emotion Focused Approach examines an approach to treating generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) which attempts to uncover the deeper, underlying emotional experiences that clients are afraid of. It also demonstrates how these painful experiences can be transformed in therapy into a form of emotional resilience by generating experiences of self-compassion and healthy, boundary setting, protective anger. Though most of the literature on treating GAD is dominated by Cognitive Behavior Therapy, this book presents emotion-focused therapy as an alternative treatment of this condition. The emotional resilience this particular approach instils serves as a resource when encountering triggers of emotional vulnerability, but also decreases the client's need to avoid hitherto feared triggers and the emotional experiences they bring. Developed in a series of research studies, and illustrated with reference to case examples, this book offers a practical, theoretically informed, evidence based guide, to conducting therapy with clients. Using clinical material, and applying the outcome of a series of research studies, Transforming Generalized Anxiety will equip psychotherapists and counsellors with the means to help GAD clients transform core painful experiences into a sense of empowerment and inner confidence.