Overcoming Trauma and the Power of Psychiatry

Dr Gwen Adshead is one of Britain’s leading forensic psychiatrists. She is the author of The Sunday Times bestseller, The Devil You Know, which inspired her series of BBC Reith Lectures in 2024.

On 24 February, she will come to the Kiln Theatre for a compelling conversation about trauma, resilience and the transformative power of psychiatry. Drawing on case stories and the themes of her new book, Unspeakable, she will ask questions that touch us all: What does a traumatic event do to someone’s identity? How do we talk about loss? What happens when trauma goes unspoken? And how can we overcome deeply traumatic experiences?

Drawing on three decades of experience, she will tell the stories of her patients struggling in the wake of life-altering events. Through these conversations, she will show how post-traumatic growth is as possible as post-traumatic stress, how psychiatry has a profound role in helping people to find new ways of thinking, and make the case that language is a vital part of recovery.