The latest series of apps includes one for those who want to stop biting their nails. I was amused to see a comment about nailbiting recently in the obituary column of The Times. Brigadier Malcolm Cubiss had lost a hand in battle and wore a steel hook. Brigadier John King added this memory:

“As a regimental colleague, Malcolm Cubiss once had occasion to stay with me in my married quarters. On exiting the bathroom after his morning ablutions — and dressed only in vest, underpants and minus his prosthetic arm — he came across my 7-year-old son on the landing. Noting the look of mild alarm and curiosity on my son’s face, Cubiss pointed to his stump and said: “See, boy, this is what happens when you bite your fingernails.” My son, now 32, has had pristine fingernails ever since.”

The second series of apps has now been available for a couple of weeks and the launch coincided with the following recommendation from Sally Brampton, writing in the Sunday Times:

“Sally’s rescue remedies

And relax… Many people find hypnotherapy a powerful tool, not simply for cracking  addictions, but as a way to calm a racing mind. Let’s face it, though, it is  expensive. Self-hypnosis is equally powerful, but best learnt from an  expert. Patrick Browning, a member of the faculty of the Institute for  Clinical Hypnosis and a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, has  produced an app. His voice is so soothing, and I was so relaxed, I was  almost comatose.

Learn Self-Hypnosis with Patrick Browning for iPhone, free; itunes.com”

App downloads have increased considerably. So  far the popular topics

from the second series appear to be anxiety, confidence and alcohol. There are also some very positive reviews and I hope users will send reviews to Apple or, indeed, email me if they have anything they want to discuss.