If you’re looking for something interesting to read over the Winter break, I can recommend the following books, as well as my own series; Pain, Trauma and Anxiety are Really Strange.
Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life by Peter Godfrey-Smith
This is a fabulous, mind-bending book. It gives a whole new take on the problem of feeling in control of our body.
“If we want to understand other minds, the minds of cephalopods are the most other of all…. This is probably the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien.”
Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
This rocked my world. I’m a 6 to 7 hours sleeper and when teaching and travelling, it drops to 5 hours. A little bit of me held on to the notion that sleep was wasted, unproductive time.
I am now convinced I will die a painful, demented, inflamed and low-testosterone death, very soon, unless I shift to 8 hours! Some work to do……
Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance by Alex Hutchinson
Great book on the limits of human performance. Lots that is relevant to non-athletes. One of the consistent themes is that the brain, consciously and unconsciously, is the main governor in setting limits.
‘Believing that you have another gear’ maybe the ‘real secret weapon’.
The Inflamed Mind: A Radical New Approach to Depression by Edward Bullmore
This is an excellent book on inflammation being an underlying cause of depression.
“We can move on from the old polarised view of depression as all in the mind or all in the brain to see it as rooted also in the body; to see depression instead as a response of the whole organism or human self to the challenges of survival in a hostile world.”
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
Concentration is a superpower. The book was a timely reminder to avoid distractions and be really careful with my website surfing and social media. There is a huge cost to be being connected all the time. Practice getting bored, the downtime is good for your brain.
When you want to concentrate avoid multitasking (checking the little red buttons on your email and facebook) like the plague.
Mind In Motion: How Action Shapes Thought by Barbara Tversky
This is a stunning exploration of how spatial thinking is the foundation of abstract thought. We use maps to navigate the world and maps to navigate our thoughts. Recently discovered place cells and grid cells map out the world in 2D. We have co-opted grid cells, initially evolved for movement, to organising thought.
We have a huge capacity for knowing and extracting meaning from the world, that is not primarily coded by words and language, but coded by space, shape and location. Radical ideas explored in a far-reaching text.
My Books: Pain, Trauma and Anxiety Are Really Strange.
If you’re looking for a holiday gift for a body-worker or someone who is passionate about health, my books could be inspiring for them.
Pain is Really Strange – Understanding pain is a very good way of relieving it. This engaging, funny, and highly original research-based graphic book explains the nature of pain and how you can effectively relieve pain by changing your mind’s habits.
You can buy the book here.
Anxiety is Really Strange – The science behind anxiety is explained in this engaging and highly original graphic medicine book, with in-depth analysis of where anxiety comes from, what it means for your body, and how to turn it into something positive. The artwork simply and humorously depicts how to alleviate anxiety and take control of its negative symptoms.
You can buy the book here.
Trauma is Really Strange – Revealing the strange nature of trauma and exploring how trauma resolution involves changing the body’s physiology, this engaging comic explains the science of trauma in easy-to-understand terms. With a positive emphasis on human resilience, it encourages a better understanding of trauma and describes some simple Trauma Releasing Exercises.
You can buy the book here.
Upcoming 2020 Events:
January 16th: Webinar: Intro to Relational Touch
February 15th: Intro to Relational Touch, London
February 16th: Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) Introductory Day: London
March 9th: Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) Introductory Day: London
Mar 18th: Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy – 2 year practitioner course, London
April 22nd: Trauma Releasing Exercises Module 1: London
