This new series of articles will explore what creativity is and isn’t; its relationships to art, innovation, imagination and artistic expression; and the importance of creativity as an essential element of inspired living.

How good are you at being unhappy? Need a little help? In his book “The Situation Is Hopeless but Not Serious: The Pursuit of Unhappiness”, psychologist Paul Watzlawick gives you all the advice you need. You can even use it to become happier, if only by smiling at all the crazy little ways humans have to keep misery alive.

Neurotics are generally uncomfortable with the “symptoms” of their illness and seek help on their own. While others may be upset with signs and symptoms of their disturbance, disordered characters like who they are and how they operate and rarely get into therapy unless pressured to do so.

An article by an eminent philosopher promises to stir up controversy about introspection (metacognition) and understanding the mental states of others (mindreading), on the one hand, and autism and schizophrenia on the other.

Is psychotherapy about “cases” to be explained, or about individual persons who need and benefit from understanding? In this review of an article by psychotherapist Janet L. Etzi, we look at therapy and counselling as a complex interaction based on understanding the client as a human phenomenon, an interaction that is informed by both the client’s and the therapist’s emotions and thought processes.

When I politely but firmly stopped accepting “I don’t know” for an answer from my character-disturbed clients, I was astonished at how easily I began to get more straightforward answers that actually made sense.

Once you have taken one step forward, one thing which is certain is that everything will look different. And you cannot see things from that position until you are standing there…