Willie Nelson is 82, smokes pot every day and is still playing 150 dates a year (On The Road Again, And Again, 16 May). Ever get the feeling prohibitionists might be lying to us about the effects of drugs?
wasson on theguardian.com
Brilliant that you printed Suzanne O’Sullivan’s article (Now You See… 16 May). Psychosomatic “illness” isn’t imaginary, it’s real – distress manifesting in the body. Blindness is at the extreme end; headaches and stomachaches are more common presentations. We are more used to taking pills than considering psychological/psychotherapeutic interventions. Is it time we broke this habit?
Dr Susanne Vosmer, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist
Via email
If the starting point were to believe that the patient’s experience is real, and accompany this with compassion, maybe patients would be less angry and less likely to feel they are being blamed for what is wrong with them.
Becca Rowland
Surrey
Your article on migrants (The Water Has No End, 16 May) reflects what I see during my work at a centre for refugees: people who have often been traumatised through no fault of their own. They need help, not vilification.
Helen Knott
Wirksworth, Derbyshire
Stress is a thrill, a buzz (Oliver Burkeman, 16 May). However, for it to be these things, it also has to be on the edge of what you can cope with. Unfortunately, you can push too far. I go climbing and impose stress by pushing the limits of what is safe. The reward is the achievement. I suppose this is the difference between stress that you impose on yourself and that which is imposed externally.
gwinfi on theguardian.com
My heart goes out to the mother with cancer (What I’m Really Thinking, 16 May). After the trauma of my partner’s cancer diagnosis, the next most difficult aspect is dealing with people’s reactions. Sadly many others will be in this situation one day, and only then will they fully understand the feelings of isolation that come with such a devastating diagnosis in the family.
Name and address supplied
Oh, no! First, a national newspaper discovers Moseley, then Let’s Move To discovers Kings Heath (16 May). How long before someone discovers Cannon Hill and we have to leave after 27 happy years here? Is Birmingham becoming the new Islington?
David Spilsbury
Cannon Hill, Birmingham
Sophie Heawood sings the praises of adding the note E between a C and a G on the piano (16 May). May I suggest that instead of an E she tries E flat? She’d discover the sublime yearning of the minor triad. Just try it, Sophie.
Simon Reynolds
Wirksworth, Derbyshire
Marina O’Loughlin was this week named restaurant writer of the year 2015 at the Fortnum & Mason food and drink awards.
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