This entertaining memoir takes the reader at pace through Dr Gabriel Symonds’s unusual career as an English doctor in Japan, but there is much to his story before he got there: hitch-hiking to India on leaving school, disturbing incidents in the dissecting room at medical school, the antics of an eccentric bisexual fellow student, trials of life as a junior hospital doctor, attack by a drunken Irish colleague, and work in ‘heartsink’ general practices in deprived areas of London.

Life in Japan is equally eventful, and includes encounters with incompetent physicians and a Japanese surgeon known as ‘the butcher’.This is contrasted with the ‘ideal’ practice he eventually set up, the Tokyo British Clinic, where we meet a host of colourful characters: minor royalty, a clutch of ambassadors, visiting pop singers, and a famous pianist—as well as many ordinary patients with extraordinary stories.

Of particular interest are Dr Symonds’s perhaps outspoken views on general check-ups, statins, animal experiments, psychiatry, and smoking.

Although it may raise a few hackles, he does not shy away from discussing controversial issues such as circumcision, female genital mutilation, and his critical observations on terminal care in Japanese hospitals.

This book is the distillation of the professional wisdom of Renata Symonds (1913 – 2007), a London-based Jungian psychotherapist.

She deals with the perennial problems of humankind that may particularly become evident at the threshold of the second half of life: finding meaning in one’s existence; facing conflicts in work and marriage; dealing with depression, loneliness, and sexuality; and fear of death.

These great themes are explored from the perspective of the writer’s experience in helping people become aware of the unconscious aspects of their problems, especially through dream analysis. Many cases are described of how clients in this way – rather than by resorting to medical drugs to suppress symptoms – make real progress not only in resolving their difficulties but also in achieving inner growth.

No dry treatise or self-help book – how to recognise if you’re going through a midlife crisis and what to do about it – Renata Symonds speaks with warmth and enthusiasm of her approach to her clients’ difficulties. The text is enriched by references to Jung and Freud and contains many literary and mythological allusions.

This book will be of interest to the general reader with a basic knowledge of Jung’s ideas, as well as those undergoing or contemplating psychotherapy.

The true story of a boy whose parents could never say no to him.

Over-indulged, over-protected, and falling into the victim role, it’s not surprising that ‘poor Shmoogie’ grew up to be a very unhappy and embittered person.

When they were confused and enfeebled by old age, Shmoogie pressured his parents to change their wills to leave everything to him and disinherit his elder brother. He also gained control of his parents’ bank accounts, preventing them from spending their savings on end-of-life care at home as they wished, and they both died in misery in an NHS hospital geriatric ward.

Completely lacking insight, he was unable to benefit from understanding the psychological meaning of the undiagnosable pains that plagued him for much of his life.

Consumed by resentment and full of hatred towards his own brother for perceived slights, a psychiatric diagnosis remains elusive, but this book attempts to bring together the threads that led to the many examples of Shmoogie’s dysfunctional behaviour.

An illuminating background to the narrative is provided by the inclusion of a previously unpublished autobiographical account of the writer John Symonds’s early life.

In his inimitable satirical style, Dr Gabriel Symonds shines a critical light on the shortcomings of the orthodox approach to smoking cessation, especially the recommendation to use e-cigarettes (vaping) which he argues is both misleading and unnecessary. He shows how the concept of ‘smoking-harm reduction’ is not only flawed but counterproductive. The deceitful practices of Big Tobacco, particularly their repulsive use of animal experiments, also come under scrutiny.

Included in this wide-ranging anthology are examinations of the contentious issues of so-called gender dysphoria and transgender treatment, psychiatric research and the use of hallucinogenic drugs in depression, vitamin drips for healthy people, an inquiry into the meaning of consciousness, and an essay on misuse of the English language.

Originally posted on Dr Symonds’s website, these controversial articles will be sure to inform, amuse, and surprise.

Dr Gabriel Symonds is a British doctor living in Tokyo where for many years he ran the Tokyo British Clinic serving the expatriate community. Now semi-retired, he offers his unique method of smoking cessation as well as Jungian-based psychotherapy.

The recommendation to use e-cigarettes (vaping) as an allegedly safer alternative to smoking is a counsel of despair and almost an insult to smokers. It’s merely another way of continuing in slavery to nicotine which could last for the rest of one’s life.

Vaping means inhaling – often hundreds of times every day – a nicotine-laced aerosol also containing propylene glycol, flavourings, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, metal nanoparticles including arsenic, volatile organic compounds, and trace amounts of other toxicants and carcinogens.

Nonetheless, for former smokers (or for those who have not previously smoked) who find themselves hooked on vaping, with the approach explained in this book any vaper can quit without a struggle and become nicotine-free.

The Symonds Method is based on helping vapers to demonstrate to themselves the real reason they vape and why quitting seems so hard. Once these are understood, vapers will find there should be no difficulty in refraining from something they don’t want to do anymore!

Among other thought-provoking background material, Dr Symonds examines the foundation of the oft-repeated claim that vaping is 95 per cent safer than smoking and shows it to be built on sand.

This book sets out to reproduce in written form what takes place in Dr Symonds’s face-to-face stop smoking sessions that have proved so successful with hundreds of smokers; it is the distillation of his twenty years of experience.

The Symonds Method is based on helping smokers to demonstrate to themselves why they really smoke and why quitting seems so hard. Once these are understood, smokers will find there should be no difficulty in refraining from something they don’t want to do anymore.

Unlike other quit-smoking books, the unique Symonds Method is simple and quick to learn. No nicotine products (including e-cigarettes), drugs, hypnosis, scare tactics, or gimmikcs are used.

– Do not choose a ‘quit date’ — this is setting yourself up for failure
– Do not worry about smoking ‘triggers’ — just carry on with your life except for smoking
– Forget ‘cravings’, whatever these are

In spite of knowing the risks, why do smokers keep smoking? They feel compelled to do it because of mild anxiety and nervousness – produced by the smoking itself. The long lists of awful withdrawal symptoms trotted out by orthodox smoking-cessation counsellors are largely untrue: most smokers when they quit do not experience such symptoms – unless they think they will! Understanding this is the key to successful quitting.

In this ground-breaking book Dr Symonds exposes how the current approach of governments to the smoking problem is wrong-headed. It’s based on the idea that the way to reduce smoking prevalence is by so-called tobacco control – strong health warnings and horrible pictures on cigarette packs, plain packaging, restrictions on where you’re allowed to smoke, increased cigarette taxes, etc. Though this has some effect, it doesn’t get to the heart of the problem. Tobacco doesn’t need to be controlled; it needs to be abolished.

Furthermore, for smoking cessation the emphasis should shift away from nicotine products and drugs to being nicotine- and drug-free. More attention should be paid to evidence that shows the best way to stop smoking is – just stop! Many smokers achieve this on their own, but for those who need help, the Symonds Method is simple, quick, and gimmick-free.

Most smoking cessation methods emphasise how difficult it is to stop, list the awful withdrawal symptoms you are likely to suffer and warn you of the risks of cancer and heart disease. They then usually recommend the hindrance of nicotine replacement therapy (really nicotine maintenance) or drugs. You’re defeated before you start.

In contrast, based on a doctor’s actual experience of successfully treating hundreds of smokers, this book shows it’s easy to stop if you know how. You will find out why you really smoke, and once you understand that, you won’t want to do it anymore! It’s explained why nicotine products or drugs should not be used, there are no horrible pictures and willpower is not required.