Were you told as a child that you were special in some way? And do you now, as an adult, find yourself still striving for this to be true – to stand out, to be exceptional in some way? While, at the same time, a deep fear tugs at you: that you might simply be…
Hope in uncertain times As an Arab-British woman of Iraqi descent with an Iranian name, whose childhood homes were both Lebanon and the UK, hope is hard to find in these times. Emily Dickinson created an evocative metaphor for hope, ‘That thing with feathers’, described as perching within the soul, a presence that ‘sings the…
The algorithmic gaze In the crowded space of social media, our self-esteem can become symbiotically linked to the algorithmic gaze, where metrics really matter. Perhaps it is particularly pertinent at a time when we are questioning the potential harms of too much screen time and what lies beneath our compulsion to scroll. Where do we…
The concept of thinking might sound straightforward and instinctive. In many situations, particularly with practical matters, such as working out the best route to get to work or deciding what colour to paint your child’s bedroom, it could be as simple as going into problem-solving mode, doing some research, and making a decision. However, when…
I have previously reflected on the compulsive use of pornography and explored some of the origins of such a compulsion from an individual perspective. Here, I want to consider some relational aspects of the experience of compulsive use of pornography. We are relational beings and our sense of self develops through relations with others. The…
People rarely join cults because of a lack of education, intelligence or judgement. Many individuals who end up in such groups are highly educated professionals with no shortage of resources. Despite claims that ‘anyone’ could join a cult, clinical experience suggests otherwise. People who are gradually seduced into cults – always initially masked as something…