Prodding the wound

Recent experiences in my personal life and spiritual practice have led me into a deep contemplation of how I “prod the wound”. For those on a healing path, the metaphor of the wound is familiar: we bear scratches and cuts from relational environments that don’t allow our emotional, psychological, physical, spiritual needs to be met. …

Ten reasons

I was recently approached by the editor of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s spirituality journal “Thresholds” to write a piece for their upcoming Ten Reasons: a series that will focus on why therapists chose to integrate their faith as part of their therapy work. It was timely, as I have felt these past …

Call to awaken

Awake early this morning; and so I start my day of writing in the (pitch) dark. There is a synergy in this situation with writing – awakening and the dark; being a buddha and a human being. With a history of insomnia, such early morning awaking does not trouble me…in fact I enjoy these early …

Kid in a sweet shop

On Tuesday evening I celebrated the launch of my book with friends, colleagues and sangha – a real weave of my worlds across Buddhist-therapist-educator, and Helen as the thread that ran through. It was a joyous occasion. And that emotion itself was testimony to these past 10 years, much of the story told in the …

Stories to tell

As I complete one book’s birthing, thoughts have turned to what comes next on the writing front: I have many ideas. I sense there will always be many stories to tell along my life path as Buddhist-therapist-educator. Two ideas that I hope to come to fruition* are vying for my attention and affections. I am …

Good, not great

Autumn equinox. A watershed into the ‘next’. What ‘was’ was the summer, and on going back to work that inevitable question “how was your summer?” I have found myself replying “Good, not great”. I could have been answering the inquiry with that typical British phrase of “Not too bad thank you”, but I promised myself …

Becoming an author

I wake up a published author: today marks the official publication of my first book “Weaving the paths of Buddhism and Psychotherapy: the practice of human being”. Fittingly, I am in Normandy; staying in the house where much of the book came to be – both experientially and in taking written shape. I was here …

The wounded writer

If you’ve been following this blog over the past few years you will have witnessed how much more central writing has become in my life path and my work as therapist and educator. It’s come to a kind of a “peak” with the publication of my first book this summer. And I’ve shared previously how …