Young London Asian writer draws upon years of his own experiences in therapy to launch Gen Z self-help book

It can sometimes feel as though we’re addicted to doing the wrong thing, to making the wrong choice. We allow this inner addict to call the shots. How can we learn to regain the control it has over our lives?

In his first self-help book, Rokhy Isharii takes a creative approach to personal development by labelling this negative voice the crackhead. Having undergone over five years of therapy, which included psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural therapies to improve his emotional intelligence and to better understand his own psyche, Isharii is uniquely placed to talk directly to readers — using straightforward language, relatable scenarios and honest, often raw emotion — about his emotional and psychological challenges, and the tools others can learn and develop in order to overcome similar issues in their own lives.

Isharii employs two fictional protagonists, Kaiya and Rio, to explore what it means to be a human being, infusing character and narrative with their own progress from teenage years to mid-twenties, examining universal issues such as grief, relationships, peer pressure, coming out in an ethnic family, the challenges of social media, and of having a sense of purpose in life. Young adults today face myriad complex issues which Isharii explores using the therapeutic tools they have learned and benefitted from themselves.

While the first part of the book takes readers on a journey with Kaiya and Rio, part two develops a “how-to-guide” for the reader, revealing the psychology behind the story, and providing exercises and challenges which the reader can use as a “brain reboot” at the end of the book, to reset themselves when they feel out of balance. Isharii understands from personal experience how valuable ongoing therapy can be. He hopes that by sharing his own stories of adversity and growth he can support others as they navigate their own struggles in life.

About the author: Isharii credits a serious childhood illness with affording him with the emotional maturity to tackle many of life’s problems at a relatively early age, and this experience inspired an interest in therapy; his own therapy journey serves to inspire and underpin this book. Rokhy Isharii is based in London where he works in the finance sector. An immersive EP to accompany the book will be released in summer 2022. For all details on the EP follow @the.professr

Conversations with a Crackhead by Rokhy Isharii published by Clink Street June 9th 2022, RRP £9.99 paperback, £4.99 ebook, is available from online retailers and can be ordered from all good bookstores.