Regular readers might remember I wrote a piece in 2010 about dealing with the trauma of growing up in a homophobic society. It’s the subject of my forthcoming book Straight Jacket: How to be Gay and Happy, out in June. After listening to scores of people’s opinions on what would heal my anxiety, I decided to try The Hoffman Process — a retreat-style week of therapy — run by The Hoffman Institute and named after Bob Hoffman, who started it in the US. I did it in the summerof 2012.
I arrived at the picturesque country house where the process was being held to discover — horror upon horror — that I would be sharing a room with a stranger. Yes. Really. Luckily, he was nice: a straight chap who I immediately decided would be expecting me to try to molest him.