Our Strange Thoughts

David Adam in conversation with Oliver James

Have you ever had the sudden fear that you didn’t lock the back door? Or the disturbing thought of jumping in front of an oncoming train?

You are not alone. Most of us experience strange thoughts and compulsions that occur to us ‘out of the blue’. They can sometimes be distressing and embarassing, but they are also very common. For many people, they spiral into the living nightmare of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

OCD is estimated to afflict roughly 750,000 people in the UK alone. But what exactly is it? Where do its characteristic thoughts and compulsions come from? And can a psychoanalytic approach shed light on this debilitating condition?

Join David Adam and Oliver James for an intimate exploration of the experience of OCD and its possible explanations.

David Adam is an award-winning journalist, formerly of the Guardian, and currently an editor at the science journal Nature. He is the author of The Man Who Couldn’t Stop, an intimate look at the power of intrusive thoughts, how our brain can turn against us and what it means to live with Obsessive-compulsive Disorder.

Oliver James is a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist. Since 1988, he has worked as a writer, journalist, broadcaster and television documentary producer and presenter. His books include the best-selling Affluenza, They F*** You Upand Love Bombing.

Part of a season of performances, talks, workshops and events accompanying the 'Festival of the Unconscious' exhibition, 24 June - 4 October 2015.