Every Brilliant Thing… Reflections on a movie
On a recent flight back to Perth, I watched a HBO documentary, “Every Brilliant Thing”. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the brief blurb about it said “Adapted from the hit Broadway-show, and balancing sobering loss with cathartic laughter, this deeply poignant film recounts a life lived in the shadow of suicide.” I guess it’s a comment on the other options that I decided to watch, but it turned out to be one of those rare instances where low expectations had to be dramatically recalibrated and I sat thinking, “oh my, this is in a league of its own...
Read MoreWhen mental health is the issue…
Most of us are sympathetic when family or friends face an obvious physical ailment. We are often a lot less certain how to respond when it is a mental health issue. Yet all the statistics indicate that large numbers of people struggle in this realm. It’s something we talk about too little. Pleasingly, and going against the trend of silence, the latest edition of the Advocate is devoted to exploring issues of mental health. For those not familiar with the Advocate, it is an award winning Perth based Christian newspaper produced on a monthly basis. I write a regular column for it (and it...
Read MoreRedeeming Emotions…
Most studies of emotion suggest that there are seven basic human emotions, and that in one way or another, all emotions fit within the categories of anger, anxiety, surprise, trust, grief, fear and love – well that’s Diane Raymond’s list. Humintell suggests they are anger, contempt, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, and surprise – so there is some overlap, although they are hardly identical lists. Apparently a combination of basic emotions leads to secondary emotions. Thus another site (which suggests there are six not seven basic emotions – happiness, anger,...
Read MoreFaith and mental health…
One of the issues explored in my latest book When Faith Turns Ugly: Understanding Toxic Faith and How to Avoid It is the impact of faith on mental health. Predictably it’s a discussion where nuance is needed, and sweeping generalizations are best avoided. Some forms are faith are linked to positive mental health, others are likely to negatively impact it – and it is important to differentiate between them. Chapter 4 of the book asks the question if, as Freud alleges, faith is essentially an illusion, adopted to help us avoid some of the tougher realities of life. It pushes back...
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