I tend not to recommend books on my blog as I get all sorts of requests from people asking me to  link to their work. However, on this occasion, I’m happy to make an exception.

The Master and his Emissary by Ian Mcgilhurst.

To any therapist – I would suggest this book will vastly enhance the way that you work. I frequently get emails asking for suggestions, and for the forseeable future, I shall point people in this direction.

I do have a caveat here – that the book is heavy. It’s certainly not light reading and will require absolute engagement. When the lightbulbs do start to flicker though and jigsaw pieces fall into place, to mix metaphors, it really is a wonderful moment.

The basic premise of the book is about the hemispheric differences in our brain and how these are represented in society. Simplistically, in this blog, the left hemisphere representing logic, reason, specificity and more recently – our business/commerical brain.

The right hemisphere representing creativity, wholeness and an entry point into the wider world. The artistic brain.

Traditionally, there was a balance between the two hemispheres – with information entering through the right, being assessed by the left and returning to the right for consideration. This, the book argues, is the healthiest way in which our mind/brain can work and is conducive to a balanced existence.

Over the past hundred years, mainly since the industrial revolution, the left side of the brain has gradually crept up and placed it’s influence on our thinking. This has resulted in short sightnedness, unfettered individualism and a rise in selfish greed. The book goes on to wax lyrical about political philosophy and tracks the differences in our ‘culture’ through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Reformation – tying in with neuroscience and the different implications this can have in how we percieve our world.

For the therapist, frequently when we work with issues whether it be phobias, lack of confidence or self esteem, depression or anxiety – more often than not, the underlying problem is that of hemispheric dissonance (or in other terms, a misalignment between the conscious and the unconscious mind) – although the book is not targeted at therapists, it’s clear where the dots can be connected and the future of our industry can be percieved to outline where we would like to go next.

If anyone would like to discuss any areas of the book with me, I’m always more than happy to recieve correspondence – on info@Zackpolanski.com

Zack Polanski is a Cognitive Hypnotherapist working in Central London at 1 Harley Street. He works both as a therapist and delivers training programmes to companies. Specialising in issues around confidence and self esteem, Zack also works utilising hypnosis and NLP around issues of anxiety and depression. Get in contact on 07738086632.