Overview

The Silly Thing is an account of a woman's acceptance of and struggle with living and dying with a grade 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer of the brain. It is told from the perspective of her daughter, Esther Ramsay-Jones, a psychotherapist and academic. The book discusses the fears that people might have about dying and specifically about brain cancer: for the author's mother, the tumour affected her speech and, as an English teacher, whose life had so intimately been tied up with language the fear of language loss was at times unbearable. From a psychotherapeutic point of view, the book will explore what it means to be given a terminal diagnosis and what kinds of psychological responses the 'patient' and family members might have. It will touch on notions of family systems theory, and the roles people might then take up as reaction to the news. The author also looks at 'difficult conversations' in palliative care - what might help/what might hinder - and the value of listening skills, capacity for attunement and containment, in staff teams and in the medical profession at large. Though the main focus in this book is her mother's experience, vignettes from the lived experience of practising palliative psychotherapy will be woven into the narrative to highlight the value of talking and sharing fears, anger, confusion, loves and gratitude with those who are dying.

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9781911383444

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Reviews

'When caring for the dying you cannot know how the death will be. Not knowing is important to keep us open to the experience... beautifully constructed with its interweaving of the story and psychoanalytic insights. It's a book of integration.'Pam Firth, author of Loss, Change and Bereavement in Palliative Care ;'The Silly Thing is a brilliant read, part memoir & part educational, it is an account of the author's journey following her mother's diagnosis of a terminal brain tumour. This book weaves Esther's experiences as a Palliative Psychotherapist and as a daughter, with quotes and observations from academics, poets & scholars, alongside her mother's last year as she now becomes the keeper of her own mother's story.'The Brain Tumour Charit;'Enlightening and powerful, this is a unique and important book for all practitioners in palliative care, as well as a moving eulogy from a daughter to her mother.' Juliet Rosenfeld, Psychotherapist and author of The State of Disbelief;'A beautifully written, poignant book sharing as it does the personal journey of death and dying from the perspective of a talented therapist and daughter. This is a must read for anyone who has an interest in death and dying as well as those who tend to shy away from the topic.' Dr Kerry Jones, Lecturer in End of Life Care, The Open University; This book is an important reflection on love and loss. Beautifully written, tender and gentle in tone, yet so vital. Louise Winter, co-author of Life. Death. Whatever: Lessons about life and living from working with death and dying and founder of Life. Death. Whatever.

Author Information

The author is a practising psychotherapist and an associate lecturer in 'Death, Dying and Bereavement' at the Open University. Her previous book Holding Time: Human Need and Relationships in Dementia Care was published by Free Association Books is 2019.

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