Insights and Inspiration from Visiting Charles Darwin’s Home
Image by David Clode/Unsplash
This weekend, Laura and I made the hour-long journey to visit Down House, the family home of one of my scientific heroes, Charles Darwin. Despite the torrential rain, it was a wonderful day. The great man lived here with his family for 40 years until his death in 1882, conducting botanical research and painstakingly building the evidence to support his – at the time, wildly controversial – theory of evolution by natural selection. He wrote On the Origin of Species here and we were able to stand, reverently, in the very study where he wrote this remarkable book.
It reminded me of my many visits to Freud’s house, now a museum in Hampstead, another great man of science. Despite the many controversies surrounding his work – and some of his ideas, which were either completely misguided or deeply sexist and very much of their time – Freud was an intellectual giant upon whose shoulders all therapists, including myself, now stand. It’s largely thanks to Freud that we now have a ‘talking cure’, he was a pioneering explorer of the unconscious mind, and helped medical professionals understand that the psychological ills which most plague us are treatable, with kindness and understanding, not the medieval treatments that existed before his clinical work, writing and teaching.
Of course, the fact that history focuses almost exclusively on these men, airbrushing out the many brilliant female scientists, researchers and artists who also shaped human civilisation, should not be ignored. The great man theory has been heavily criticised, both for its patriarchal assumptions and the fact that many key human developments are in fact communal, incremental and evolutionary. As we celebrate pioneering thinkers like Darwin and Freud, let’s also champion brilliant women like Anna Freud, Sigmund’s daughter, who was a groundbreaking therapist and whose legacy lives on in the Anna Freud Centre, which does wonderful work helping parents and children who are struggling. I could write at great length about other remarkable women, in my field and many others.
Evolutionary lessons for us all
Let’s circle back to Darwin. One of the wonderful things about visiting his home was being reminded of his strength of character, bravery and sheer guts. Because Darwin’s central idea – that creatures evolved from their ancestors, rather than being created by God’s hand alone – was so bold at the time, it’s hard to imagine the firestorm that greeted him. In fact, Darwin was not alone in provoking controversy. Other scientists and explorers published treatises, books and articles making similar arguments. And they were vilified.
Darwin took 20 years after returning from his globetrotting adventures on the Beagle to finish Origins. He engaged in painstaking research, constructing a watertight theory and preparing to rebut his detractors’ many criticisms and attacks. And the long wait was worth it because he eventually produced a remarkable book that advanced human knowledge and the scientific understanding of our world exponentially.
As I prepare for the publication of my first book, this June, I drew great inspiration from the willingness of this man to take such a profound risk, put his reputation and whole career on the line, because he was determined to tell the truth. And I think there are lessons for us all here, because we all have an idea, a theory, some passionate desire we extinguish before it is even born because we fear criticism, or rejection. My book is no Origins, of course! But it does challenge conventional wisdom in many ways, such as the usefulness of personality-disorder diagnoses or narrow definition of trauma still widely accepted in psychiatric circles.
Meeting challenges safely
And I have parts who fear being attacked, shot down, put in my place. So I have to reassure them that I (wise, adult Dan) can handle a little criticism, some intellectual debate and disagreement. Couples therapist Terry Real writes about a really helpful strategy he uses when his inner child fears being attacked or hurt. He asks Little Terry to stand behind him when he’s about to deal with some conflict. And says: It’s OK, I will handle this – big, strong, adult Terry. I can protect you and deal with this, whatever happens.
It’s such a nice, simple move that I often use this, putting Little Dan safely behind me whenever conflict looms. I reassure him that he will be safe and to sense my big, strong, adult body shielding him from harm. This also helps me embody and draw upon all of my strength, resilience and determination, which I have in abundance when adult me is in charge.
Why not try this yourself, whenever you have to deal with something scary, daunting or overwhelming. It only takes a minute and can really help.
And if you ever find yourself in my little corner of England, I strongly recommend a visit to Down House. It really is an enchanting place, full of history, wonder and inspiration for us all.
Love,
Dan ❤️
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