In this issue
Features
Yoga for the mind
Jane Ryan outlines the emerging听neuroscientific evidence of yoga鈥檚 benefits听for mental health.
The deceptions of the pharmaceutical听industry
James Davies reveals how drug听manufacturers manipulated trial data听to market antidepressants.
Counselling in a cold climate
Counselling in Sweden is unregulated and听barely recognised as a profession, argues听Lysanne Sizoo.
Standing up for counsellors
Davy Hutton asks if it is the role of the听supervisor to challenge employers who听demand too much of counsellors.
Regulars
Talking point
Alison Faulkner: Are we listening?
In the client's chair
Amy White: I needed to make sense of my story
In practice
Rachel Freeth: Mental health by numbers
News feature
Happiness for all
As evidence grows of the direct links between social inequalities and mental听wellbeing, Catherine Jackson talks to people in counselling and public mental听health about what makes people happy.
Questionnaire
Andrew Powell
Dilemmas
Transference in couples therapy
My life
Rhona Cameron: Learning to live with myself
How I became a therapist
Jon Treanor
Letters
香港六合彩精准资料
From the chair
Amanda Hawkins: My dream came true
Articles from this issue are not yet available online. Members and subscribers can download the pdf from the听Therapy Today听archive.
Editorial
I remember being very irritated by one of听the other mothers at the primary school听gates when she used to insist that her children听tell her three good things about their school听day. I tried it once with my kids but they听just laughed. I struggle with certain aspects听of positive psychology and the happiness听agenda. It can feel so contrived and it seems听increasingly irrelevant and inappropriate听to be talking about happiness when so many听people are struggling for survival. It鈥檚 as if听we have all dropped down a level or two听in Maslow鈥檚 hierarchy of needs so that the听pursuit of happiness is now a luxury a great听many cannot afford.
But, as our news feature听鈥楬appiness for all鈥� reports, the Government听is busy measuring our wellbeing and life听satisfaction. And, although times are tough,听the average level of contentment with life in听the UK is reported as being seven out of 10听(although almost half of unemployed people听rated their life satisfaction as below average).
It would take a huge paradigm shift in听politics and values before governments really听start to prioritise wellbeing and currently our听world leaders are more focused on rescuing听failing economies than anything else. But what听is encouraging about the happiness agenda听is that people are finally beginning to really听understand that consumerism isn鈥檛 the answer听and that, as the income gap between rich and听poor grows ever larger, life satisfaction and听mental ill health are likely to worsen.
Perhaps in future yoga will make it onto听Richard Layard鈥檚 Action for Happiness list听of 50 action points for happier living. In our听cover feature, Jane Ryan updates us on the听latest research into the neurobiology of听yoga and mental health. In a听 world where,听she reminds us, emotional disruption is听increasingly endemic and attachment听relationships are often broken or insecure,听yoga may be 鈥榓n emerging prescription鈥櫶齮o help us self-regulate.
Sarah Browne
Editor