Books

Not everyone finds it easy to say what they feel, or even know what they feel.

Familiarity with emotion helps us understand the true value of anger as a force for change in the face of so much injustice in the world, it emboldens us to be honest with those we love and care for when it would be far more comfortable to keep quiet, it teaches us the power of love as a transformative emotion, that vulnerability is to be cherished, never despised, and that opportunities to experience joy and gratitude present themselves most days of our lives.

In Trusting the Heart, Anne Dickson brings a wealth of experience to helping us understand and process our feelings. She explains how we can live with and learn from our feelings more productively, and above all makes clear that emotion is part of everyday life and need not be seen as a problem.

Do you sometimes struggle to state what you want (or don’t want)? Do tricky conversations go wrong? Does it at times seem easier to suffer in silence? This book has the solutions you need.

Despite recent advances in gender equality in education, the workplace and the home, in practice many women and girls still find it a challenge to speak up and be heard. Assertiveness – defined by psychologist and assertiveness trainer Anne Dickson as clear, honest and direct communication – is an art, which can be learned. Instead of being governed by the desire to please – the Compassion Trap – assertiveness teaches us to take charge of our own feelings and behaviour, without blaming others.

In her pioneering handbook, now fully updated to mark its 40th anniversary, Dickson draws on her long experience of in-person training to give all women the practical skills and tools we need to assert what we feel and want, manage difficult conversations, avoid being sidetracked by culturally learned behaviours, say ‘No’, and find self-acceptance.

Teaching Men to be Feminist is for any man who feels excluded by feminism; who finds himself believing there's some truth in the frequently heard rationalisation that a female rape victim was 'asking for it' even though he may not acknowledge this out loud. This book is for men who love their partners and daughters and don't want to see them hurt or unfairly disadvantaged but can't find a way to speak out. It is for anyone who believes feminism is just an outdated 'woman's thing' and above all it is a rallying cry for men and women who still believe in a feminism that can lead to genuine and lasting equality.

Sexuality is a very private and personal part of our lives but lack of self-esteem and a poor body image can still affect our sexual experience. Many women find themselves subject to contradictory demands and expectations, unable to say ‘no’ clearly or inhibited from being more fully self-expressive. Equality in sexual relationships is often constrained by our dependence on the other person’s approval.

The Mirror Within is not a sex manual: the emphasis is on information and exploration and above all, it helps the reader to become more self-confident in her own sexual being. It challenges many myths and assumptions about male and female sexuality and replaces them with clear and practical information as well as offering clear guidelines for effective communication with sexual partners.

As the title suggests, the focus of this book is on tackling those difficult conversations that all of us – men and women – face initiating at some time in our lives. How, for example, do you communicate your irritation about a partner’s persistent habit or a friend’s behaviour without it all ending in a row? How do you criticise a colleague or junior without generating all sorts of regrettable repercussions? How do you tell someone you want to end a relationship or say no when you know this will cause disappointment? How do you inform a client or patient of distressing news without either being too vague or too abrupt and unhelpful?

This books tell you how to communicate clearly in these and many others difficult circumstances – personal , social or professional – instead of letting things build up for too long and then resorting to an all-out attack. You can follow the guidelines described which are simple but extremely effective and find that situations that you thought were impossible, can actually be transformed.