David Brandon (2) (1941–2001)

This is a very personal book by the author, invested with enough of his personal experiences that I've tagged it as biography (though perhaps memoir would be more accurate).

The first chapter begins with an old Zen saying, When a wise man points a finger at the moon, a fool looks at the finger. Brandon then goes into what I would describe as a curmudgeonly diatribe about the ills of Western society, picking out amongst his targets counselling, and in particular a couple of counselling authors I like, whilst mocking Rogerian therapy, which I'm curently studying. So, I felt much aggrieved, annoyed and a growing dislike for the author. However... I was looking at the finger!

Persevering, I warmed to Brandon's down-to-earth manner, self-deprecating wit (I laughed out loud three times (I counted)) and searing honesty as he talked about his life experiences.

Amongst the quotes from Taoist and Zen masters, left-wing economists and Enlightenment essayists, there seemed little directly relating to counselling (somewhat more to social work), but on reflection (about which activity Brandon has mixed views) I found that there is much that the author says which resonates with the person-centred theory of Carl Rogers. They both encourage us to live and embody qualities such as empathy and unconditional love/positive regard, rather than slavishly following religious creeds or instrumentally applying techniques.

A challenging (for me, anyway) and rewarding book.… (mehr)