Stephanie Dowrick

Look, 50% of non-fiction books are too long, and 95% of self-help books are too long, so invariably this book is 145% too long (according to my understanding of Bayes' theorem). However, it's still a great book. The basic gist is this: if you are unhappy or uncomfortable around others, it's probably because you are unhappy or uncomfortable on your own. If you can't be happily alone with others, then when you're with others you'll be terrified of being left alone. This really describes me. I am not capable of sitting comfortably alone for five minutes at a party. I'm also not happy alone in solitude. I thought I was, but Dowrick patiently explained how actually I'm not and she's 100% correct.

It's all very confronting and challenging, but Dowrick is a gentle, warm-hearted guide. She gives the sense that she's still learning and thinking about this stuff - that it's not settled and that if you disagree with anything, you don't need to throw away the whole lot. Her descriptive passages are lovely - evocative and varied and celebratory rather than judgemental. I skipped over a fair bit of the section on sex, because it seemed to echo [b:The Erotic Mind: Unlocking the Inner Sources of Passion and Fulfillment|174777|The Erotic Mind Unlocking the Inner Sources of Passion and Fulfillment|Jack Morin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1355968284l/174777._SY75_.jpg|168833], which I think probably does a better job of covering the topic.… (meer)

> LE PARDON ET AUTRES ACTES D'amour, de Stéphanie Dowrick. — Stéphanie Dowrick est psychothérapeute en Australie. Elle réexamine six grandes vertus humaines : le courage, la fidélité, la retenue, la générosité, la tolérance et le pardon. Elle repense ces qualités dans le contexte de la psychothérapie et plus largement, dans celui des grandes traditions spirituelles. Cet essai se nourrit des rencontres mais aussi des épreuves rencontrées dans la vie personnelle de l’auteur. Ed. le fil invisible, 2002. 370 p.
—3e millénaire, (66), Hiver 2002… (meer)