In The Shyness Guide I say that if you accept your shyness you will become less shy. This is not a contradiction. If you were born shy – and most of us are – when you try to not be shy you are creating a problem, not solving one. Here are some comments about this … Continue reading The Shyness Guide | Be Yourself
Autism | When they admire you
For some years now I've been editing my old journals, condensing them, getting rid of the paper. This morning I came upon the entry for Sept 12, 1969, one of the most important dates in my life. In an upscale bar frequented by the insurance industry, I had met Matthew, a young underwriter who I … Continue reading Autism | When they admire you
Skol republished|A return to the 23rd century and the future of shy people
If I could have written only one book in my life, it would have been Skol. Yet the first version of the book, published in 2015, did not sell at all. Yes, this story of the future of shy people, told through one shy young man's odyssey across three centuries, remained the most unread of … Continue reading Skol republished|A return to the 23rd century and the future of shy people
Autism | Where did it come from? |A review of The Autism Matrix
Sociologist Gil Eyal's 2010 book The Autism Matrix: The Social Origins of the Autism Epidemic was a bombshell in the debate over autism. Yet you almost never hear of it. The concept of autism was first presented in the 1940s, more or less simultaneously, by New York psychiatrist Leo Kanner and Austrian psychologist Hans Asperger. … Continue reading Autism | Where did it come from? |A review of The Autism Matrix
This time The Birdcatcher ebook really is on sale
After the fiasco in January, when I said my first novel was on sale, when it wasn't, I'm trying again. As I've said before, my books are not just a different look at shyness, but a new way of seeing the world. and this is especially true of The Birdcatcher. Most people think we're all basically … Continue reading This time The Birdcatcher ebook really is on sale
Paranormal World|Children who talk of past lives | Kumkum Verma
Sinduhaja 'Kumkum' Verma, was born March 14, 1955 in Bihara, a village 40 kms from the city of Dharbanga in northern India. Her father, doctor B. K. Verma, and her mother Subhadra were educated Hindus of a relatively high caste. According to psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, this case is one of the strongest he encountered. It … Continue reading Paranormal World|Children who talk of past lives | Kumkum Verma
Where did insensitive people come from?
In my book The Shyness Guide I discuss psychologist Elaine Aron's concept of the "highly sensitive person". She came to the conclusion that that her HSP diagnosis was necessary because of the profound difference in the sensitivity of people. There is a sensitive/insensitive divide in us. Dr Aaron would caution me to say – ‘more … Continue reading Where did insensitive people come from?
Rescuing Shyness|C. S. Lewis
When Clive Staples Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia, etc) was a boy and was sent away to a public boarding school, he was miserable because he was acutely shy. Eventually realizing that Clive was too shy for such a place, his father took him out and sent him to live in the country … Continue reading Rescuing Shyness|C. S. Lewis
Shyness |Accept yourself, but don’t expect them to accept you
My book The Shyness Guide basically does three things: It presents the evidence that shyness is natural It tries to convince you to accept yourself as a shy person It shows how you can function in the social world in a shy way, rather than in the outgoing way that is constantly urged on you. … Continue reading Shyness |Accept yourself, but don’t expect them to accept you
