A life of one’s own by Marion Milner
Marion Milner, writing in 1934 under the name Joanna Field, had decided as a young woman of 26 to explore what would make her happy. She began recording what she remembered as making her happy each day. The nature of her journals changed quite a bit over the following seven years, as she explored various thought processes, ways of writing, ways of perceiving reality, and the nature of thought and psychology. She matured during the intervening time, apparently due to this journaling adventure. She wrote her journals and this book from the standpoint of an ordinary individual rather than a student of psychology, even though at the time she was transitioning into a lifetime of working as a psychoanalyst. She wanted to explore a way of developing as a person that would be available to anyone, without the need to consult a psychologist or study psychology.
“How often do we ask ourselves, "What will make me happy? What do I really want from life?" Marion Milner, the author of this remarkable book first published in 1934 under the pseudonym Joanna Field, set herself to grapple with this problem. Written in the spirit of a detective story searching out clues, the reader quickly becomes involved in the chase. Using her own intimate diaries, kept over many years, the author discovers ways of attending, of looking, of moving, that bring surprising joy - ways which can be practised by anyone. She summarises her discoveries in terms of a psychic bisexuality in all of us, realising that she "had not understood at all that a feminine attitude to the universe was really just as legitimate, intellectually and biologically, as a masculine one" - and just as necessary for both women and men.”
When I started reading this book years ago upon a recommendation, I was going through powerful radical changes in my life. One of the most fascinating things that I learned from reading "A Life of One's Own" was that it is a kind of book of self-revelation that does not aim to show the way, guide or present a didactic argument on how to be happy, as the author himself expresses in the introduction. It was a book that reflected your struggles with yourself, your mind, and your emotions like a mirror. It is a book with simple language but heavy questions. It will tire the mind, especially for those who are familiar with the labyrinths of their minds. It is very surprising when you realize that everything is too familiar and can be connected like a dynamo stone.
This book will not appeal to everyone, but for those interested in psychology or personal journaling, it's possible this is going to be a satisfying read. It may appeal more to women than to men. For me, it fits in with many other books I've read recently, from the writings of Jung and Jungians to Leonard Shlain's The Alphabet Versus the Goddess and my most recent reading about the journaling process.
An engaging record of self-discovery through the author's exploration of her own thought processes begins by asking questions about what would make her happy. The notion of "blind thinking," efforts to pay attention and train one's thoughts, is an extension of understanding to appreciation and personal relationships. Body awareness through breathing exercises and relaxation informs the journey. Appropriately Auden described it as a "detective story." One I didn't want to end.
About Author:
Marion Milner (1900-1998) was a distinguished British psychoanalyst, educationalist, autobiographer, and artist.
Milner was born in Kensington, London, as Nina Marion Blackett, the daughter of Arthur Stuart Blackett, a stockbroker, and his wife, Caroline Frances Maynard. She was the sister of Nobel physicist Patrick Blackett. She studied at University College, London, where she graduated with a 1st Class degree in psychology in 1924.
