I had thought about writing something about keeping sane during the COVID-9 lockdown, but it seems that wherever you look there is an endless, infinite stream of news about Coronavirus and most of the news isn’t good. The fact is that we are rarely awa …

Briefly: Meditation is about reducing suffering and the causes of suffering in my life and the life of others; also increasing happiness and the causes of happiness in my life and the life of others.  In more detail: Meditation for me is the basis of e …

Who is your enemy? Mind is your enemy. No one can harm you more than your own mind untamed. And who is your friend? Mind is your friend. No one can help you more than your own mind, wisely trained—not even your own mother and father. —Buddha One of the …

In our last newsletter we introduced the four gremlins – those roles tricky people take on – not just other people – ourselves too (sometimes): the blamer, the placator, the cold analyser type, the whirlwind. If the blamer gremlin takes you over, it is …

It is one of the most common reasons for coming to see us in Cantabria. “I am without a partner. I want to find the man/woman of my life.” Finding a partner and having children is hardwired into most of us. It can feel like a hunger or emptiness that w …

In the last retreat the subject of tricky, difficult people came up. There are people we get on well or relatively well with but with others it’s not so easy. This is no big deal if it’s a person we will probably never meet again in the future – for ex …

Some facts before we start. Everything I write here is based on independent science by some of the best researchers in the field. Alcoholism is not an incurable disease.  It is a fact that most people who get addicted get free. There is no gene that ca …

A common experience I encounter is that of a sense of emptiness – the feeling that “there must be something more”, that “I am missing something”, the sense of “my life should feel more fulfilling, more meaningful”. This empty feeling is behind all addi …

Our culture prizes the illusory idea of personal autonomy. This severely limited perception and the behaviour it creates is making us unwell and destroying the planet. Many people have described the experience of life arising from this idea as the sens …