My first labour was harrowing. Hypnobirthing made my second like a dream

First-time mothers can be terrified because they’re rushed through labour, but I overcame my fears with the help of this meditative practice

Neurotribes review – the evolution of our understanding of autism

A life-affirming study shows how much attitudes have changed to the condition once known as ‘childhood psychosis’

Dangerous idealist or revolutionary hero? A nuanced look at a reforming psychiatrist

Mark Haskell Smith’s undercover view of nudism is both thoughtful and hilarious

Francis O’Gorman’s study of why we worry covers everything from medieval monastic life to modern cultural theory without really providing any answers

Natalie Dal-Bello says people are allowed to ‘tell little porky pies’ as she attempts a reconciliation with her daughter and grandson

A refreshingly honest account of one couple’s remarkable project: to open their family home to some of society’s most vulnerable people

Aziz Ansari entertains and illuminates as he observes how technology complicates relationships

Tobias Jones talks about the communal refuge he runs, the criteria for allowing newcomers in and the effect of his faith

‘Now it’s over, I can enjoy my holiday.’ It’s sometimes self-indulgent and often irrational. So why do many of us spend our lives fretting?

Sexting, snooping, cheating … the comedian takes a light-hearted tour through the minefield of dating in the age of the smartphone

A powerful study of how aversion therapy was used to ‘treat’ homosexuality exposes a nasty episode in recent British history

Chillax, feminism’s not just about equality … it’s about having fun and eating avocado and sleeping around and having your nostrils waxed

This reflection on ageing is also an intelligent and witty self-help book

Doctor and writer Gavin Francis’s essays on the human body, illness and injury are informative, eloquent and often very moving