Health, Mind & Wellbeing > psychology

The bestselling author of "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat" describes how we experience the visual world. In "Musicophilia", Oliver Sacks explored music and the brain; now, in "The Mind's Eye", he writes about the myriad ways in which we experience the visual world: how we see in three dimensions; how we recognize individual faces or places; how we use language to communicate verbally; how we translate marks on paper into words and paragraphs, even how we represent the world internally when our eyes are closed. Alongside rem... read more

When The Passionless People was first published in 1976 it was a publishing sensation, selling tens of thousands of copies. Its title became part of the language. Over 30 years on - have we changed? Are we still 'smiling zombies'? There is no doubt that this book will be as topical and controversial as the original!

World-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Kerry Spackman shows you how to use and customize the groundbreaking tools he pioneered for elite athletes, Olympic champions, and upper-echelon businesspeople to permanently rewire your brain and transform your life. The Winner's Bible gives you mental and emotional tools that can change your natural desires and rid you of habits that limit your happiness or potential. Dr. Spackman provides practical, proven techniques for acquiring the strengths necessary to grow into a better, happier and more ... read more

"You have to begin to lose your memory, if only in bits and pieces, to realise that memory is what makes our lives. Life without memory is no life at all... Our memory is our coherence, our reason, our feeling, even our action. Without it, we are nothing." - Luis Bunuel, "Memoirs". "'It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,' the Queen remarked" - Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass.". This intriguing anthology introduces us to arguments and experiences, evocative moments and hard scientific debate on the subject... read more

Lynette Whale was addicted to pokie machines for seven years. This book tells her searing story

"All Dogs Have ADHD" takes an inspiring and affectionate look at Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), using images and ideas from the canine world to explore a variety of traits that will be instantly recognisable to those who are familiar with ADHD. Following the style of the award-winning "All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome", charming colour photographs of dogs bring to life familiar ADHD characteristics such as being restless and excitable, getting easily distracted, and acting on impulse. This delightful book combines ... read more

Mike Handcock's understanding of music, personal development and spirituality show the way that readers can play a bigger game with their lives.

What would it be like to be a 10-year-old seeing your parents get blown up by a roadside bomb, and then spend the next 12 years in a refugee camp? How would you cope if you lost your farm, your means of livelihood, and your wife within a short period of time? How might you find the moral and physical strength to stay alive in the ocean for four days without seeing any evidence of a search for you? Many people cannot imagine physically surviving such situations, let alone bouncing back psychologically as a result. Yet by analysing t... read more

Can we really ALL be the best? Is the idea of innate ability holding us back? Could the ability to fail - and then get over it - be fundamental to success? Matthew Syed, bestselling writer and international table-tennis champion (after many hours of practice) takes us on a revelatory exploration of being the best and the true nature of talent. In so doing he debunks many cherished myths - that we can be born brilliant (and that child prodigies prove it); that we are restricted by our genetic make-up; and that social backgr... read more

Behavioral neuroscientist Lambert takes readers on a surprising and engaging guided tour into the sophisticated mental, emotional, and behavioral worlds of these frequently maligned and often misunderstood little creatures.

Uses revolutionary techniques to enhance memory and brain power, so readers will find everything they need to maximise their success in studies and exams.

A problem shared is a problem halved? Not necessarily... Talking about our problems isn't always a good idea. World-renowned psychologist Timothy Wilson reveals how this, and many other conventional therapies and interventions, can often do us more harm than good. Presenting the very latest research, Wilson argues that the key to transforming our lives lies simply in learning to redirect the stories we tell ourselves. His revolutionary approach reveals how reshaping our internal narratives can increase our personal well-being and t... read more

Madness, in our culture, is defined by visibility. From the popular press to TV soaps and films, the depiction of madness always borders on the extreme: violent outbursts, fits, hallucinations. But what if madness is not exactly what we think it to be? What if it is the rule rather than the exception? And what if its defining features are not visible and dramatic but, on the contrary, highly discreet, shared by average citizens who will never come to psychiatric attention? What if, in other words, there is a difference between bein... read more

Dr Kay Redfield Jamison is one of the foremost authorities on manic-depressive illness. She has also experienced it first-hand. For even while she was pursuing her career in academic medicine, she was affected by the same exhilarating highs and catastrophic depressions that afflicted many of her patients.
An Unquiet Mind is a memoir of enormous candour, courage, wit and wisdom, which examines manic depression from the dual perspectives of the healer and the healed, revealing both its terrors and its cruel allure.
First ... read more

Let's face it, life can be hectic. These days we run into stress at home, in the office, in relationships, in traffic and even on vacation. Everyday situations leave us with steam coming out of our ears and our blood pressure sky high. Everyday Calm:365 ways to a better you offers a step-by-step way to turn your stressful world into an ocean of calm. Each of the 365 beautifully designed pages offers a daily exercise, activity or reflection to practice and slowly integrate into your lifestyle. With daily prompts on diet, sleep, rela... read more

A gripping, triumphant memoir about the power of addiction and its effect on the brain. Marc Lewis knows addiction: that desperate ambition to get high accompanied him around the world for many years. In the 1960s, Lewis was a teenager in boarding school, experimenting with cough syrup and alcohol to assuage his depression. When he moved to Berkeley, California, the pulsing heart of the counter-cultural movement, he began using LSD and heroin. His spiralling journey of addiction eventually led him to Asia, where he sniffed nitr... read more

How does the brain remember faces? What makes us choose one decision over another? Where does language come from? With the use of images, quotations from all the major thinkers, and explanations that are easily understandable, this book demystifies hard-to-grasp concepts and shows how these have shaped our knowledge of the human mind.

You've met a new man who seems too good to be true. He's charming, confident and impulsive. He shares so much in common with you and you seem to be the perfect match. But things aren't quite as they seem, you soon realise his charm doesn't run deep, he gets bored easily, he's irresponsible and he has a string of exes and one night stands in his wake, he thinks a lot of himself but little of others. Or perhaps your boss takes too many big risks and treats you like a pawn in their game or your friend is always asking favours of you. ... read more

In productive classrooms, teachers don't just teach children skills: they build emotionally and relationally healthy learning communities. Teachers create intellectual environments that produce not only technically competent students, but also caring, secure, actively literate human beings."Choice Words" shows how teachers accomplish this using their most powerful teaching tool: language. Throughout, Peter Johnston provides examples of apparently ordinary words, phrases, and uses of language that are pivotal in the orchestration of... read more