In Essence: Selected Writings has evolved from my scholarly monthly blogs. This volume of the 67 blogs has shifted from obesity, which was the focus of my previous book, to encompass a much wider range of topics, including loneliness, cancer, pregnancy, synesthesia, hypochondriasis, and counterfactual thinking. It includes seven essays I initially wrote for the online medical humanities journal Hektoen International. My underlying perspective remains medical and psychological, as does the format of lavishly illustrating my writings with some of the world’s most beautiful works of art.