Is the goal of life to be happy? by Wendy Bramham
Why is it so hard to be happy? I have been giving much thought to this question lately. Is the goal of life to be happy, or is there a better way of looking at things? What affects our ability…
Is Therapy Selfish? More perspectives on ‘healthy selfishness’
"When someone is in therapy it can seem like self-absorption to those around them, but this is a necessary and temporary state. Regular, well-boundaried therapy ideally leads to people developing clearer awareness of themselves and how they relate to others.…
Is Therapy Selfish? – day five: Healthy selfishness – good for us and those we care about
This week we have been tackling the question of whether, by encouraging us to focus on ourselves, therapy can make us selfish. We have suggested that in fact therapy promotes a ‘healthy selfishness’ which enables us to take better care…
Is Therapy Selfish? – Day four: What happens when someone isn’t healthily selfish enough?
Jane* had been married for 18 years, and came to therapy with marital difficulties. She had always tried to please her husband, but recently he had become frustrated and withdrawn. The more she tried to please him, the more distant…
Day three: What is ‘good-enough’ parenting?
Donald Winnicott, the famous paediatrician and psychoanalyst, coined the term ‘good-enough mother’ in 1953, and his thinking went on to become pivotal in understanding child development. If we are lucky as infants we will have had good-enough parenting; our primary…