These hugely entertaining books have completely changed the way I see myself and others. Now, when I find myself fretting and feeling the unpleasant flood of cortisol, I see a picture of the unhelpful well-trodden chemical feedback loop that’s going on. I understand that it’s just my mammalian brain helping me to survive by alerting me to social threats of all kinds. When I see unpleasant emotions as an unfortunate survival quirk I stop making judgements about my feelings, forgive myself, understand (and forgive others) and let the feelings pass through me rather than taking them so personally. You made the complicated world of brain chemistry accessible. I now see my neural pathways can be changed rather than simply be at the mercy of them.
Sarah Kearon
Cambridge, UK