Women & madness

Our bodies, ourselves

Boston Women's Health Book Collective, Angela Phillips, Jill Rakusen, Alice Mayhew, Simon and Schster

This comprehensive resource offers women an in-depth exploration of their physical and emotional well-being, covering a wide range of health topics from anatomy and reproductive health to mental health and societal influences. It empowers readers with detailed information, presented accessibly, to make informed decisions about their bodies and advocate for their healthcare needs. The book fosters a holistic understanding of women's health, encouraging self-care and a critical perspective on medical and social norms.

Das Drama des begabten Kindes und die Suche nach dem wahren Selbst

Alice Miller

The “drama” of the gifted—i.e., sensitive, alert—child consists of his recognition at a very early age of his parents' needs and of his adaptation to those needs. In the process, he learns to repress rather than to acknowledge his own intense feelings because they are unacceptable to his parents. Although it will not always be possible to avoid these “ugly” feelings (anger, indignation, despair, jealousy, fear) in the future, they will split off, and the most vital part of the “true self” (a key phrase in Alice Miller's works) will not be integrated into the personality. This leads to emotional insecurity and loss of self, which are revealed in depression or concealed behind a facade of grandiosity.Alice Miller defines the ideal state of genuine vitality, of free access to the true self and to authentic individual feelings that have their roots in childhood, as “healthy narcissism.” Narcissistic disturbances, on the other hand, represent for her solitary confinement of the true self within the prison of the false self. This is regarded less as an illness than as a tragedy.The examples Alice Miller presents make us aware of the child's unarticulated suffering and of the tragedy of parents who are unavailable to their children—the same parents who, when they were children, were available to fill their parents' needs. In her psychoanalytical work, Dr. Miller found that her patients' ability to experience authentic feelings, especially feelings of sadness, had been for the most part destroyed; it was her task to help her patients try to regain that long-lost capacity for genuine feelings that is the source of natural vitality. Many people who have read her books have discovered within themselves for the first time in their lives the little child they once were. This may explain the unusually strong and deep reactions Alice Miller's books have evoked in so many readers from different countries. The Drama of the Gifted Child and the Search for the True Self is the origina

The Change

Germaine Greer

In this study of the real and fundamental change which women experience during the menopause and which, like other fundamental changes, needs mental preparation and acceptance if it is not to be found unbearable, Dr Greer examines medical theories and treatment over the ages, and finds them often contradictory, excessive and, at times, dangerous. She responds to the traditional attitude of men and society which has been responsible for the creation of an image of the older woman as fake damsel or old crone. Dr Greer has weighed up the facts, the theories and the outright fabrications.

Estrogen

Lila Nachtigall, Lila, MD Nachtigall, Joan Rattner Heilman, Lila E. Nachtigall

En la actualidad, la terapia de sustitución hormonal suscita un notable desconcierto y confusión en multitud de mujeres e incluso entre los médicos. Si se sigue correctamente, el tratamiento con estrógenos constituye uno de los medios más eficaces para afrontar los cambios físicos que sobrevienen en la mujer a lo largo de la menopausia, desde los sofocos y el insomnio hasta el entumecimiento de manos y pies. Esta guía, que incluye las investigaciones científicas más recientes, así como las terapias alternativas de que se dispone, ofrece información sobre la eficacia del tratamiento hormonal --junto con sus efectos secundarios y posibles problemas-- para aliviar los síntomas de la menopausia, prevenir la osteoporosis, mejorar la memoria, mantener una vida sexual activa y reducir la probabilidad de desarrollar la enfermedad de Alzheimer o un infarto de miocardio.

The Freedom of Life

Annie Payson Call

Annie Payson Call's "The Freedom of Life" offers a practical philosophy for achieving inner peace and mental well-being by emphasizing the power of conscious thought and disciplined will. The book guides readers toward self-mastery, asserting that true freedom lies not in external circumstances but in cultivating a serene and resilient inner life through consistent self-effort and a positive outlook. Call's enduring insights provide a framework for navigating life's challenges with greater equanimity and purpose, fostering personal growth and sustained happiness.

Creating love

Bradshaw, John

“Why are so many of us at times completely baffled by a relationship? How can we think we know someone so well and admit in the end that we hardly knew that person at all? Why do many people who work diligently and strenuously to gain wholeness and balance still feel so frustrated about having a fulfilling relationship? Why have so many people given up on love?”—from the Prologue John Bradshaw’s bestselling books and compelling PBS series have touched and changed millions of lives. Now, in Creating Love, he offers us a new way to understand our most crucial relationships—with our romantic partners and spouses, with our parents and children, with friends and co-workers, with ourselves, and with God. Bradshaw’s compassionate approach shows that many of us have been literally “entranced” by past experiences of counterfeit love, so we unknowingly re-create patterns that can never fulfill us. Here he provides both the insights and the precise tools we need to keep those destructive patterns from repeating in the present. And then he shows how we can open ourselves to the soul-building work of real love—and create healthy, loving relationships where we can be fully ourselves in every part of our lives.

The pause

Lonnie Barbach

The bestselling author of For Yourself gives women positive approaches to menopause in the only book to combine medical knowledge with first-hand accounts and a therapist's guidance. From hormone therapy to vitamin supplements, this practical guide offers a host of solutions to the changes menopause brings about.

Blink

Malcolm Gladwell

Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology and displaying all of the brilliance that made The Tipping Point a classic, Blink changes the way you'll understand every decision you make. Never again will you think about thinking the same way. Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant - in the blink of an eye - that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work - in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others? In Blink we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance. Here, too, are great failures of "blink": the election of Warren Harding; "New Coke"; and the shooting of Amadou Diallo by police. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren't those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of "thin-slicing" - filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology and displaying all of the brilliance that made The Tipping Point a classic, Blink changes the way you understand every decision you make. Never again will you think about thinking the same way.

Think Like a Monk

Jay Shetty

The Sunday Times Number One Bestseller Jay Shetty, social media superstar and host of the #1 podcast 'On Purpose', distils the timeless wisdom he learned as a practising monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life. Over the past three years, Jay Shetty has become a favourite in the hearts and minds of millions of people worldwide. One of his clips was the most watched video on Facebook last year, with over 360 million views. His social media following totals over 32 million, he has produced over 400 viral videos, which have amassed more than 5 billion views, and his podcast, 'On Purpose', is consistently ranked the world's #1 health-related podcast. In this inspiring, empowering book, Shetty draws on his time as a monk in the Vedic tradition to show us how we can clear the roadblocks to our potential and power. Drawing on ancient wisdom and his own rich experiences in the ashram, Think Like a Monk reveals how to overcome negative thoughts and habits, and access the calm and purpose that lie within all of us. The lessons monks learn are profound but often abstract. Shetty transforms them into advice and exercises we can all apply to reduce stress, improve focus, improve relationships, identify our hidden abilities, increase self-discipline and give the gifts we find in ourselves to the world. Shetty proves that everyone can - and should - think like a monk. Perfect for fans of Wim Hof, Robin S. Sharma and James Nestor!