Gwen Adshead

The Sunday Times bestselling author of The Devil You Know and leading forensic psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead reckons with our attitudes towards violence and punishment.One of the most distinguished and brilliant minds in psychiatry. Marina Cantacuzino, The Forgiveness ProjectA bold message.Sunday TimesIs violence normal? Arent they all evil? Does trauma cause violence? And can we change violent minds?For Dr Gwen Adshead, these are the most common questions she is asked about her work as a psychiatrist and psychotherapist in secure hospitals and prisons. Her answers are drawn from over thirty years of working with violent perpetrators and the insights she has gained from listening to the stories of those who have committed brutal acts.Dr Adshead pays attention to an aspect of humanity we often find hard to comprehend and invites us to do the same as she considers the motivations, the risk factors, the social roots of violence as well as the rehabilitation of offenders. Compassion is central to her approach as she delves into the development of the mind and deepens our understanding of the human capacity for cruelty but also for change. Expanding on her galvanising 2024 Reith Lectures and including a new essay on good mental health, this is a potent, humane and transformative read.**Gwen Adsheads new book Unspeakable:The Language of Trauma and Healing will publish in February 2026**

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER BY THE 2024 BBC REITH LECTURER **Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Hornes new book, Unspeakable, is available for pre-order now**Compassionate and fascinating.GUARDIANExtraordinary.THE TIMESRecalibrated my empathy dial.NEW STATESMANFascinating.SUNDAY TIMESDeeply humane.IRISH TIMESExceptional.VAL McDERMIDExtraordinary.SEBASTIAN FAULKSEnlightening.PHILIPPE SANDSBeautifully written.CHRISTIE WATSONA perspective-shattering work into the minds of violent criminals that reveals profound consequences for human nature and society at large. Dr Gwen Adshead is one of Britains leading forensic psychiatrists. She treats serial killers, arsonists, stalkers, gang members and other individuals who are usually labelled monsters. Whatever their crime, she listens to their stories and helps them to better understand their terrible acts of violence. Here Adshead invites the reader to step with her into the room to meet twelve patients and discover how minds can change. These men and women are revealed in all their complexity and shared humanity. Their stories make a powerful case for rehabilitation over revenge, compassion over condemnation. The Devil You Know will challenge everything you thought you knew about human nature.Readers are saying:Remarkable and humane . . . compassionate and full of wisdom. Empathy and understanding shine through . . . not just informative but also deeply moving. Shows us how to be human, how to be empathetic in the most challenging of circumstances . . . essential reading. Cant really think of a downside at the moment . . . a gem of a read. I was gripped . . . I am left full of admiration. Thoughtful, thought-provoking and challenging . . . I really enjoyed this. Personal and candid . . . This will stay with me for a long time. Gwen Adshead and Eileen Hornes book The Devil You Know was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/c 02-07-2022 Gwen Adshead and Eileen Hornes book The Devil You Know was a Sunday Times Bestseller w/c 09-07-2022

A wise, deep, nuanced and profoundly moving book.Siri HustvedtThoughtful, important and a reminder that hope belongs to everyone.Christie Watson The Sunday Times bestselling authors of The Devil You Know return with a life-affirming myth busting exploration of trauma, resilience and healing.A widow dares not utter her husbands name. A prisoner of war buries the memories of his ordeal. A child hostage is rendered mute. What happens when trauma goes unspoken?The pioneering psychiatrist and psychotherapist Dr Gwen Adshead invites us to witness her work with patients struggling in the wake of a range of distressing and painful life events. Drawn from over thirty years of clinical practice, Unspeakable illuminates how language - and silence - can dramatically affect the quality of our recovery after disaster. Sometimes the hardest words to say out loud are the very ones to set us free and with Adsheads assistance and extraordinary insight, these courageous people step out of the darkness of shame and fear to discover new possibilities.This is not a book about trauma, it is about survival. In challenging prevailing misconceptions around trauma and by charting the transformation of patient identities, hearts and minds, Unspeakable makes a powerful case for hope.

Bem-vindo ao consultório de uma das principais psiquiatras e psicoterapeutas forenses do Reino Unido. O mal que nos habita questiona nosso entendimento sobre crueldade e violência e reflete sobre nos

La doctora Gwen Adshead es una de las principales psiquiatras forenses de Reino Unido. Durante décadas ha tratado a asesinos en serie, pirómanos, pedófilos y otros convictos sobre quienes recae el estigma de la sociedad, que los considera monstruos. En este libro la doctora Adshead nos invita a entrar con ella en la sala de terapia para conocer a doce de sus pacientes y tratar de comprender, a traves de una mirada radicalmente compasiva, el mecanismo por el que se activan las acciones mas crueles de que el ser humano es capaz. Guiados por ella, estos hombres y mujeres (y con ellos tambien nosotros) tendran que enfrentar sus propios actos terribles y penetrar en la armadura de defensa que se han construido para resistir a su propia historia, a su propio dolor. Cada proceso terapeutico nos revelara distintas facetas de la mente humana en toda su complejidad, sin abandonar nunca "el deber de la esperanza".El demonio que hay en ti desafia todo lo que creiamos saber sobre la naturaleza humana y reajusta permanentemente nuestros niveles de empatia.