Everyman

The Mind Box (1985x4)

Air date: Feb 03, 1985

Anxiety, lack of confidence, isolation, depression ... these alarming feelings are often presented in doctors' waiting rooms and treated with drugs. But why are some people made ill by the stress and strains of life while others seem to sail through? Dr Dorothy Rowe , clinical psychologist and author, argues that the answer lies in the 'mind box'-the framework of unexamined beliefs about life and death which each person acquires in childhood. Psychology has traditionally dismissed such beliefs. Dr Rowe, however, sides with an older tradition which sees depression as a symptom of an underlying spiritual crisis. 'Ancient writers on the subject said it was a lack of wisdom in living, and I think that's true. Learning to be a bit wiser about yourself-that's the cure for depression.' This film examines how she passes on the ancient wisdom of self-knowledge - and what the people who come to her learn in the process.