What story?

I often get approached to review psychology books. I normally refuse but this book piqued my interest. Based around the work of Jung, 'What Story Are You Living' looks at the unconcious patterns that underlie the way we live our lives. Jung termed these archetypes. There's many different archetypes but, in reality, most us usually follow the same ones repeatedly. When I reflect on my life so far, I often think my life has more repeats than Seinfeld.

The introductory chapter of 'What Story Are You Living' uses a Native American story to illustrate the idea of archetypes and narratives. With some of the concepts a little difficult to grasp, this increases the accessibility of the book. What makes this book particularly useful is the inclusion of a measurement tool (The Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator - PMAI) to help discover the archetypes that are unconsciously influencing your life patterns.

Innocent, Orphan, Warrior, Caregiver, Seeker, Destroyer, Lover, Creator, Ruler, Magician, Sage, Jester.

I took the test before reading the book, before reading what each archetype truly represented. It's important to do that because to do otherwise could influence your answers. The PMAI isn't complicated to score and the book has an excellent work section to help with understandng and validating the results.

Reading up on the archeypes later was a revelation. I scored highly on archetypes I wouldn't have expected, lower on ones I thought were a sure thing. The book gives a breakdown of each archetype: the archetypal character, plot, imagery, gifts, social support, in nature, in spirituality, as leaders, at its best, what to guard against, when problems emerge, what others appreciate, what is noticed, activities or qualities that are beneficial, what happens with a low score on the archetype. Thought provoking indeed.

So, Health Psych, Sage? Jester? Caregiver? I'd love to tell you but then, as the saying goes, I'd have to kill you.

The authors Carol Pearson, PhD, author of The Hero Within and Awakening the Heroes Within, and Hugh Marr, a Jungian psychologist claim 'What Story?' will help individuals discover the archetypal patterns and themes unconsciously influencing their lives and replace unproductive life patterns by awakening unrealised potential. Well. I'm still working through the book so I can't yet tell you whether a new and improved Health Psych will emerge. However, as a self-discovery tool, 'What Story' is a revelation as to the unconsious patterns and roles that shape our lives.

A final word, as with any self-assessment instrument, the PMAI and exercises contained in this book should be used with respect, particulary if sharing results with others, and I was particularly pleased to see the authors emphasise this.

FREEBIE ALERT!!!!

When I agreed to review this book, I requested an additional copy to make available free of charge to a reader of this blog. If you are interested in receiving a copy of 'What Story Are You Living?', please register your interest in the comments section. On Friday the 2nd November, I' will, following a strict scientific protocol involving pieces of paper and a hat, announce the lucky winner. Whoever you are, I'll then contact you for a mailing address. DO NOT POST PERSONAL DETAILS IN THE COMMENT SECTION!!!!

UPDATE

Given that there were only two interested parties for this book, the hat and pieces of paper seemed a little redundant. As I've now read the book, I'll pass on my copy too. So, Dreaming Again and KMT, if you email me your details, I'll get the books in the mail early next week. Enjoy!

You don't have to be famous....

I was a woman on a mission. The idea was to coast the local library, succumb to an hour's reading of trashy magazines accompanied by a good latte and something naughty to eat and then to trawl the shelves for some light, fun (and non-psychological) reading. I'm psych-booked out, what can I say?

First part went according to plan. All those things I never knew about Oprah, Britney, Diana and didn't need to. Coffee was perfect, naughty treat, yum. My hips aren't thanking me though.

Second part, not so good. Had a few titles in mind I wanted to get. I need to get back to reading for pleasure. It's an art that's all too easily lost. All were out. So I ended up browsing and finally end up in the Psychology section.

I did find the book pictured above though. Titled 'You don't have to be famous to have manic depression' (yet featuring a foreword by Stephen Fry ironically), it's written by Jeremy Thomas and Dr. Tony Hughes. Jeremy was diagnosed with manic depression, now renamed bipolar disease, over twenty years ago. Although not ground-breaking in any sense, it's nonetheless proving to be an interesting read. The first section is a series of conversations between Jeremy and Tony, detailing Jeremy's experiences with this condition. If you've ever read the fabulous book by John Cleese and Robin Cook (Families and How to Survive Them), you'll get an idea of what the book is like. The second part of the book is more practical with resources for understanding mental health and getting life back on track. In any case, worth a read.

And, just to point out, I didn't receive anything to mention the book.....not even the yummy treat.

Walking the Black Dog

The benefits of exercise on our physical health are a given. Now, a recent study conducted by the Black Dog Institute and published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry confirms that Australians diagnosed with clinical depression rate exercise as the most successful self-help strategy for managing their symptoms.

The study interviewed 2692 people who had received treatment for clinical depression, asking about their use of medication and professional psychotherapy as well as self-help and alternative methods. Self-help strategies were rated as good as or better than antidepressant drugs, with exercise the most effective tool, followed by yoga/meditation, massage and relaxation.

However, the author of the study, Professor Gordon Parker, highlights the danger inherent in a comparison of drug therapies to self-help strategies such as exercise. Professor Parker stresses people generally tend to prefer non-drug approaches and would therefore be more likely to emphasise their usefulness. Thus, while the study suggests the usefulness of exercise as an adjunctive therapy, it is important to remember that a range of treatments, including drug therapy, are appropriate in clinical depression.