5 comments about Living the Truth: Transform Your Life Through the Power of Insight and Honesty.

1. Dr Keith is a well-known TV personality so when I happened to watch him promoting his book on a morning talk show I was tempted to turn the channel. But he was plain spoken and passionate about the topic of dealing with the reality of one's life and facing one's demons. I bought the book and must say although it is a difficult journey to face one's fears inadequecy's and failures--he gently guides you through the process without allowing for self deprecation but building strenght in oneself based on a foundation of truth. Highly recommend.



2. Not only did this book help me with issues in my life but it made me realize some things that I didn't know I was bothered by. It started a path for me to actually start living the truth in my life. I cannot see anybody not finding something appealing in this book. It's not about covering things up, punishing the past, it's about learning why throughout the reader's story. Have you ever felt uncertain about something because you just didn't know why? This book helps you to realize the why in your life and sharing your personal story with people in your family can be a very positive thing. Reading the book itself and answering the questionnaires provided a source of therapy that was very unique. Thank you Dr. Keith Ablow!



3. You know I've purchased my share of self-help books, tapes, etc., over several years. This book is no different than the rest. Just another money maker for a doctor who holds you at bay throughout 320 pages. All the while you are thinking he's going to give you the reason for for your dismay in life. This book falls way short of anything.
   I'm just in a simple mid-life "is this all there is" crossroads in life at 45 and this book will do nothing for you. The "Truth" is you know all along what you need to do. Don't line anymore overpaid doctor's pockets with purchases of books like these. If it was humorous, that's one thing.
   But to lead a nieve purchaser into thinking he's going to "Transform your life through honesty" ?? Ha ha ... let's all get a grip and quit blaming
   someone else for your shortcomings. If all it takes to become a doctor
   of psychology by being able to write books like this and others then apply for med school and be a psychologist and rake it in like Ablow.
   Nice guy but this book is voodoo.



4. He encourages us to examine the incidents that have been so painful in our lives so that we can fully comprehend their impact and work them out with the same compassion we would show someone we love. I feel he has empathy and a true desire to help people understand themselves and others they have to live with.
   
   I liked the book very much.



5. I disagree with the person who said this was just like every other self-help book he/she had ever read. It was different for me. It really helped me. I discovered the root of my weight problem and I remembered some things in my childhood that shaped my current behavior. I've also been able to remember many details of my childhood that were blocked before. I recommend this book very highly.

5 comments about Exuberance: The Passion for Life.

1. I have yet to finish the book but within pages I was both crying and laughing from the EXUBERANCES of the folks highlighted. This is a great reminder to get on with it and stop taking yourself so seriously. I am giving it to many in my family for Christmas.



2. This refreshing book about passion is welcome as it characterizes some behavior what others might think was excessive as exuberance. A nice shift in perspective with a positive spin. Sees bi polar activity as many faceted and differing in each person



3. Absolutely beautiful. Jamison has a really wonderful way of drawing you into her writing. Not an easy feat, especially in nonfiction, non-memoir genres. But Jamison's writing style, her descriptions, and her beautiful language almost suggest a style similar to Jeannette Winterson and other fiction authors, while still bringing the credibility that Jamison has, by virtue of her other books, her own experience, and her education/training/experience with clients.



4. You must read it to know how wonderful it is. Yes, I know that is vague, but this book is well worth the investment.



5. Jamison writes near the opening of this work, "Exuberance is an abounding, ebullient, effervescent emotion. It is kinetic and unrestrained , joyful , irrepressible." She tells us Exuberance "lures us from common places and quieter moods." It "carries us to places we would not otherwise go".
   Here she studies examples of Exuberance from a wide variety of areas of life. There are politicians like T.R. F.D.R. and Winston Churchill. There are scientists like James Watson and Richard Feynmann. She looks at legendary characters like 'Snowflake' Bentley whose enthusiasm and passion for a wonder of nature led him to become the world's great expert and student of it. Perhaps because she has written of Literary figures and creativity in another work she does not focus on Literary figures here.
   She does however repeatedly show us how 'exuberance' moves towards greater creativity and towards real expansion of self and world. Jamison is an excellent, and learned writer with an ability to study both the natural and human worlds and make them come alive for the reader. I learned a great deal from this work, and I believe all interested in human life and character have much to learn from it.
   I have a certain reservation about the book which may say more about me than the book itself. Though the book is about 'Exuberance' and gives wonderful examples of how exuberance has moved others in life- the feeling in reading the work for me was not 'exuberance'. Some times one reads and one feels one is on a great adventure and opening up new worlds. Here I no doubt was learning new things, but I did not feel the great joy of exuberance. I did feel that when reading Jamison's most well- known work her great memoir 'An Unquiet Mind'. But this is perhaps because that book treated a subject , 'Manic-Depression', which meant so much to me personally, and I felt was being illuminated in remarkably new and yet familiar way.
   In any case this is a book which hopefully will inspire many to better feeling about themselves and their own personal adventures.
   While reading it I kept thinking of this verse from Emily Dickenson.
   
   "Exulation is the going
   Of an inland soul to sea
   Past the houses , Past the headlands
   Into Deep Eternity.
   
   Bred as we among the mountains
   Can the sailor understand
   The Divine Intoxication
   Of the First Leagues out from Land?"

5 comments about What You Can Change . . . and What You Can't*: The Complete Guide to Successful Self-Improvement.

1. I don't understand how this book received so many good reviews, unless the author has a lot of friends who shop at Amazon.
   
   I'll keep this short. If you're looking for help, you won't find it here. If you like outdated rhetoric, this is the book for you. For example, the author explains that one of the four cures "that work" for depression is electro-shock therapy. The last time I heard of someone actually receiving electro-shock therapy was forty years ago.
   
   In another section, the author spends several pages explaining that depression is more prevalent now than it was fifty years ago. Is there anyone on earth who doesn't know that?
   
   In short, please don't waste your money on this drivel! There's nothing new here, the author can't write a readable sentence, and the print is small and dark and smudgy. A difficult and useless read.



2. The self-improvement industry spends billions to convince people that their psychological and physical problems are fixable. The magazine covers at the checkout counter extol the latest miracle diet, but most of the people in line with you are overweight. Seasoned mental-health professional and former president of the American Psychological Association, Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., has bad news for the seriously overweight: Diets don't work. Plus, he tells alcoholics and people with deep-seated emotional afflictions, there are no definitive cures for them. He notes, however, that a large minority of alcoholics do recover, though no approach is guaranteed. Seligman, whose views have generated both gratitude and controversy, details which psychological problems are treatable and which are not. His candid attitude is laudable and his advice seems well-informed, if perhaps generalized. If you've gotten thin, you've beaten the odds. Meanwhile, he recommends that people learn to live bravely with daunting emotional issues they cannot completely master - because, he says, mastery probably isn't possible. getAbstract finds this treatise about what is and isn't fixable both sobering and valuable.



3. First off, this book is very good.
   Martin Seligman, ever the excellent research psychologist provides an overview over the big mental diseases and disorders. From everyday anxiety to panic attacks, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder to sexual disorders, overweight and alcoholism Seligman has reviewed the literature and provides concise advice on what works for each condition and what does not. In between he mentions VERY interesting research results and historic developments in the treatment of psychological ills. These newest findings have changed his opinions as well. While in his 1993 Bestseller "Learned Optimism" he still supported the more behaviorist approaches of f.e. pessimism - the primary risk factor for later-life depression - being conditioned through "bad role modeling" by parent's dealing with adverse events (which could be UNLEARNED), he now, due to identical-twin studies, attributes virtually all mental disorders to heritability.
   In a fascinating account on pages 39ff. ("Your genes and your personality") a picture of the human being as an essentially inflexible biological machine emerges, whose innate mental tendencies towards for instance anger, anxiety or depression can be at most mitigated by therapy and medication, but never cured.
   Albeit I - as I'm sure he'd want to - stress that heritability in all twin-studies accounted for at most 50% probability that the personality trait of a parent would be present in the child. Incredible for example is the genetic link for criminal behavior in children and biological parents vs. adoptive parents.
   
   But I have two points of criticism:
   What I find very likeable about Seligman is that, as he pointed out in "Learned optimism" as well as this book, he is really a innate pessimist.
   As such, I think he, like another reviewer here, paints a too bleak of a picture of the treament efficacies.
   For starters I seriously question his claim that depression treatment works only in 2/3 of patients. I'd really guess it's more like ¾.
   Second of all, he thinks it's a real disappointment, that drugs and therapy don't cure.
   
   Why did anybody ever think you could DISCONTINUE mental treatments after time.
   Why do people pray for divine help 5 times every day and incessantly go to church on Sundays.
   Obviously mental issues are deeply engrained into the brain physiology. These disorders are not outside invaders that could be cast out by drugs or therapy. They are construction flaws in one's mind that must be steadily contained through long-term treatment as long as there is no such thing as "psycho-surgery".
   
   Also i got the impression except for alcoholism and overweight he unduly plays down the improvements on many of the treatments. Be it OCD, depression, everyday anxiety or especially PTSD, whose improvements he describes as "marginal" these "marginal" improvements can mean the difference between suicide and a bearable, even content existence in many people. But of course he is right to point out, that whatever of these conditions you have, they're never gonna go completely away, and relapses are common. "But you can still manage", I would add to that.
   
   Bottom line is, if you got any of the above disorders this is a good book. If you want more of as the title suggests a "successful guide to self-improvement" go with "Three-minute therapy" by Michael Edelstein. He covers also less pathological issues like money problems, dealing with overeating and smoking, depression, anger, panic, (social) anxieties, chronic worrying and even procrastination. Very good self-help book.
   Seligman's is more like a reference book.



4. Martin Seligman first came to notice for his introduction of the concept of learned helplessness, which has given birth to the practice of cognitive therapy. Here he addresses psychological problems ranging from unipolar and bipolar depression to phobias and evaluates the merits of several types of treatment for each.
   
   One might expect him always to recommend cognitive therapy for each problem, but he does not. He is consistently objective and humble. Moreover, his prose is clear, concise, and frequently witty, and this book his stimulated me to a great deal of additional thought, both about the things with which I immediately agreed and some things about which I disagree somewhat.



5. Unlike other so-called "self-help" books, What You Can Change and What You Can't* surfaces the root of a range of discussed problems ranging from obsessions & compulsions to alcoholism. What makes this book different and thus invaluable as a "self-improvement" book is the inherent honesty, brought about by scientific scrutiny and the author's intention to provide professional, complete and unbiased assessments on what one can change, and what one cannot.
   
   Whilst numerous other books of this category attempts to instil optimism but does nothing more than skim the surface, this book provides clear scientific details to each condition/disease discussed along with the corresponding treatments available, and how well each works.
   
   Unbiased and very specific, the author is very clear on what to conclude on and mark as definitive and what remains unclear based on the most recent studies available, and the data they yield. When the author exerts a professional opinion, he articulates the reason behind it and provides clear data to support it, which comes across as responsible and confident.
   
   For a category of reading so saturated with ideas that do not much more than skim the surface, I see What You Can Change and What You Can't* as a rare breed that gets to the core of the problem, and hence makes it truly useful in facilitating change and accepting what cannot, yet, be changed.

5 comments about It Will Never Happen to Me: Growing Up With Addiction As Youngsters, Adolescents, Adults.

1. claudia black is a respected author in the field of addictions. she writes for adults and children for both alcoholics and their families. i have read many books in this area and she is one of my favorite authors. the book is short, accutate,compassionately written, and forever timely. worth reading!



2. This book was recommended by my therapist and after reading it I gave it to a friend who is also an adult child of an alcoholic. I haven't got the book back so I'm buying another copy for myself. I NEED to read it again and again. It opened my eyes and put a lot of the pieces of the puzzle together for me. Although it's hard to face some of the realities this book points out, I believe it to be one of the vital steps I am taking in trying to change my life for the better. It's never too late.



3. This is a great read for anyone who has grown up or is growing up in an alcoholic family. It helps the reader in very simple ways to understand the dynamics of alcoholic families and offers concrete ways of dealing with issues and problems. I recommend it to anyone currently dealing with alcoholism or dealing with the aftermath of an alcoholic upbringing, or even for someone just curious about the effects of alcoholism on families.



4. Still the best introduction to the impact of chemical dependency on the family. I must give about 5 copies of this away to my students every year.



5. This book was a requirement for my Drug and Alcohol Awareness Class. It was a VERY easy and QUICK read. Completely informative and so helpful. Very well written!!!

No comments about The Power of Joy: How the Deliberate Pursuit of Pleasure.

5 comments about When Am I Going to Be Happy?: How to Break the Emotional Bad Habits That Make You Miserable.

1. Very helpful book. Think everyone should take a look that needs direction in ur life.



2. It just wasn't. the book is for single people who like to party and sleep around... I'm not any of these things. It sounded like a mature book but turned out to be a bunch of stuff I already know about life.



3. This review goes out to the person(s)who are constantly lurking on my profile page and dropping negative votes.
   Insecure people and those who are not happy with themselves often take their insecurities and misfortunes out on others, and I thought this book would be helpfull to that mysterious person(s)who feel that they are gaining something by giving me bad votes. This person needs to relize that I'm not the sorce of their unhappiness, and only they can make the nessasary decitions to correct their own problems.
   Everyone in the world has obsticles to overcome, some more severe than others, and life isn't fair, but you have to make the best of the time you're given!!! It makes me angry to see superficial rich people(like that B.S. Bravo 'Housewife' show)complain about non-existant issues, but what they do is of no concern to me, and it has absolutly no effect on my life what so ever. So having said that, do you think lurking and stalking me(online)and trying to sabatoge my reviews is going to change anything and make you happy??? Get a life dude, find a job that makes you happy, go to school and get a degree, kiss a girl, and most of all, GROW UP!!!!!!



4. Overall I thought this book was very helpful. Though fifty percent of the book didnt apply to me.



5. I have owned at least 4 of these books and constantly talk about it. I have given them as gifts and some have been borrowed and never returned. Over the past 5 years I have recommended this book to all of my friends. It is great for anyone who has broken up with someone or who just feels down in the dumps. It is very uplifting and if you can actually make a change in your life this book will help you. Trust me!

5 comments about The One-Life Solution: Reclaim Your Personal Life While Achieving Greater Professional Success.

1. The One-Life Solution by Dr. Henry Cloud will help people in business create a domain and range for their personal and business decisions. Published by Collins Business in 2008, the self-help book is timely given the economic and political challenges facing us all. The domain is described in the subtitle, Reclaim Your Personal Life While Achieving Greater Professional Success. The range consists of a heuristic metaphor and good operational definitions.
   
   The metaphor is spatial with a focus on "boundaries" of personal "property." It helps to generate hypotheses, cause and effect statements that can be tested empirically. Following up on his earlier work, Dr. Cloud writes that conscious boundaries provide structure for successful business decisions. A major problem for many people is that they do not know enough about themselves to use their thought processes effectively. They let the external environment (e.g., other people, business situations, workplace setting) determine their emotions, relations, and performance. This is a conceptual problem. The good news is that people can learn to use cognitive methods to re-structure their internal property and create stronger boundaries. This is not easy because our current society seems to be "structureless," but it can be done with practice.
   
   The range of the book would be severely limited and could be criticized as psychobabble without Dr. Cloud's operational definitions of terms. These definitions consist of operations the business person can use to observe and measure the effects of hypotheses derived from the metaphor. One way to gather empirical data is to conduct a "time audit," recording the "time of your life." How many hours of the work week do you spend establishing and reinforcing your personal property? In contrast, how many hours do you experience anxiety, seek approval, and avoid making decisions as holes open in your "fences?" Dr. Cloud demonstrates how to keep a log, recording empirical results of the use of the metaphor that can be used for successful action.
   
   Another operational definition involves the "word audit." A major concept in the spatial metaphor is communication about boundaries. Words and phrases can be tabulated and used to develop effective spatial cognitive strategies. Phrases like "I think..." and "I will..." indicate your independence and resistance to encroachment into your property by other people and business situations even in restricted work environments. Dr. Cloud discusses words and phrases that weaken your boundaries and gives clear examples. Again, a log should be maintained so that frequencies of word usage can be changed and monitored for effectiveness. Rhetoric is an important aspect of the spatial metaphor and is essential for self-determination in the workplace.
   
   Dr. Cloud presents many other operational definitions in his book related to his metaphor. He reviews major themes and gives additional specific business examples in the last chapters and appendix. He concludes by showing the importance of the interaction of metaphor and objective measurement, thought and action, hypotheses and conclusions. Often, authors of self-help books present powerful metaphors but give few operational definitions (a useful explanation of the term psychobabble). Because it quantifies the integration of both ideas and performance, The One-Life Solution is an excellent practical manual for personal success and satisfaction in business.



2. From spirituality to professional advancement to martial arts, the development of balance is the lynchpin to achievement and success. As creatures of mind, body, and spirit, we thrive only when we remain attentive to the fundamental equilibrium within our being. As a career services professional, I often encounter those who gauge success or advancement solely by monetary concerns or by the illusions of power. While these may be effective motivators for a time, eventually, when individuals find themselves in situations (whether in their jobs, relationships or other areas of life) contrary to their nature, the imbalance inevitably leads to a downward spiral that can result in unhappiness, frustration, and extreme cases, even catastrophe.
   
   Dr. Henry Cloud, the author if the bestselling INTEGRITY, offers an erudite, yet simply and directly written book concerning the importance of maintaining boundries as a means to maintaining that essential balance among competing demands in our life. He begins with the concept of boundaries in establishing individual differentiation, containing destruction, defining oneself, setting limits, owning and living our values, and developing self control to become and remain free and autonomous.
   
   Chapter Five, in which Dr. Cloud challenges us to conduct a self-audit so that we can realistically determine our strengths and weaknesses, is particularly valuable, and serves as an essential blueprint by which we develop our holistic understanding of ourselves.
   
   Building boundaries on the job takes general principles and applies them to the specifics of career and professional challenges. Dr. Cloud addresses specific topics related to business, including such demands on our time as technology, email, toxic relationships, and other distractions that cannot only impede our effectiveness, but can intrude onto other aspects of our life.
   
   With the skill of an accomplished professional, the author provides the perfect blend of principle, anecdote, and analysis in a brief, yet comprehensive and engaging book. It is a book that I will use in working with students and professionals, who seek to advance while maintaining balance and perspective in their lives.



3. The author does a good job of defining the grey area
   of boundaries. Dividing lines are needed to live a
   good life- one undisturbed by constant interruptions.
   
   A boundary provides structure so that work and other
   issues do not invade our spare time without escape.
   People need to gain control in order to relax, plan
   and catch up with an ever growing schedule.
   
   The author asks the question " Which areas of your life
   do you control? " . If work or play takes up 100% of the
   time, then realistic boundaries aren't being set.
   These problems are encountered by young people. For
   instance, friends may occupy an inordinate amount of
   time leaving no opportunity to complete studies or
   household duties. Resultingly, people need to develop
   and implement rules to ensure that important
   activities are scheduled/completed in every event.
   
   At some point, people need to be assertive when their
   valuable space or time is being taken up without
   a compelling rationale. The volume is excellent for
   any individual who seeks to plan to enjoy a more
   wholesome and pro-active lifestyle.



4. In an age when self-help, self-improvement books line shelves and racks of every bookstore, it's difficult to find a book that stands out. This one does. Author Henry Cloud offers a perspective that applies to many situations I have observed, many I have been a party to.
   
   How often have you watched interactions slide into disaster because someone, a boss, a spouse, a sibling, failed to define limits and then stick to those limits? How often have people crossed your personal limits without knowing they were? Could the disaster have been eliminated before it destroyed a relationship? Can you actually improve your life by clearly setting limits in your relationships? Those are the sticky wickets Dr. Henry Cloud tackles in "The One-Life Solution."
   
   For me, the whole book was a thought-provoking review - of people and situations I have observed, of situations in my own life I could have prevented or handled more effectively. I thought of friends who won't set limits for their children - and what a disagreeable experience it is to be around those children. I thought of times I allowed people to go beyond my personal boundaries because I was trying too hard to please. I thought of the times when work was routinely a 24-hour-a-day ordeal, and how I could have managed the demands placed on me more effectively. I decided what I would do in the future to avoid or mitigate such situations.
   
   Author Cloud will show you how to set limits effectively and actually improve situations that may now be causing you significant discomfort. He focuses primarily on work relationships, but the problems and solutions he presents fit many human interactions.
   
   You'll find this book especially helpful if you're hiring friends or relatives, so don't miss the tips found in the Appendix. They're pure gold.
   
   I highly recommend this book - for bosses, employees, spouses, lovers, friends, and parents, that is for everyone. If we take his advice, openly declare our boundaries, listen and observe the boundaries of others, our relationships will improve - for everyone involved.



5. Dr. Cloud has an amazing ability to articulate extraordinary complex psychological principals in a manner that any person can comprehend. This book gives the reader a blueprint of what is possible should he/she choose to take ownership of their life. The section that I love the most was "Follow the Misery and Make a Rule." Dr. Cloud does an excellent job in describing how despite all of the modern "advances" that technology has brought us (i.e., email, pda's, blackberry, cell phones, etc.) we, as a society, have become more "disconnected" from our loved ones due to the increasing demands placed upon us. The importance of creating structure and deciding where, when and with whom we will spend our energy and time is clearly evident as these can be a source of energy or a major distraction to accomplishing our goals. As I finished reading this book I felt a sense of empowerment, hope, excitement, and sheer joy for I read on it's pages exactly the tools which I have needed to assist me in completing the tedious process of completing my doctoral dissertation. I have already begun implementing the tools that I have learned from this book and they have made an amazing difference! This book can help anyone learn how to have balance in their work, home and family life. Dr. Cloud has done a stellar job and I recommend this book to anyone who desires to grow or who is in the growth process. Thank you Dr. Cloud! CD, MS

5 comments about The Blue Day Book.

1. One has a picture that is a little racy. And the Hallmark version has that picture substituted. The pictures are funny and worth a laugh, but this is definitely for adults. There is a children's version that is equally funny.The Blue Day Book for Kids: A Lesson in Cheering Yourself Up



2. If you've got photographer friends, this book will be an inspiration for them. But the black and white photos also provide a great pick-me-up for anyone you know who's down in the dumps.
   
   The volume describes myriad ways in which we all may feel under the weather sometimes--all of them illustrated with fetching postures and facial expressions of a large group from the animal kingdom--polar bears, pigs, lambs, monkeys, mice, dogs, kittens, lions, hippos, camels, sea lions, penguins, pelicans, even an anteater--and so on.
   
   But the bottom line is that life goes on--and that people are "only young once...and never old twice." In other words, pick yourself up and enjoy life to its fullest, despite your blues, while you can.
   
   Fabulous.
   
   --Alyssa A. Lappen



3. The Blue Day Book is the ultimate coffee table book. It always lightens my days when I'm feeling down. The pictures are well matched to the sayings.



4. I bought this for someone at a time when they were seriously contemplating suicide. This person had basically shut down. It was like nothing was getting through anymore. The Blue Day Book made him genuinely smile. That meant everything in the world to me. I knew he was still in there somewhere. It is now several years later and he is doing well (in case you're wondering). And maybe the book didn't save his life, I mean I can only attribute that to God. But the book is the first thing that was able to shine a light into his endless darkness. I guess it goes without saying that I HIGHLY recommend this wonderful little book.



5. I found this book at a thrift store. It is one of those books I will want to keep. The photos really tell it all even better than the words. It talks to you on every page. It already knows how you've been feeling and what your weaknesses, insecurities, work problems, and strengths are. It tells it all and makes you cheer up and take a fresh approach to life. The photos are worth a million words. It's no ordinary little book. It no ordinary little gift book. It just one of those gems of a book to keep on your coffee table and enjoy talking about and sharing with your company, or sending to a friend who is feeling a little lost in their life. It's a great book. Everyone should have a copy.

5 comments about Los cuatro acuerdos: Una guia practica para la libertad personal (Four Agreements, Spanish-language edition).

1. No words to describe the amazing content of this book.
   A must! It changed my life.



2. It is a good book about how you should act in your life. How our parents are doing what their parent do with them. It is good to read and try to put in practice.... It is dificult when you put in practice, but remember practice make the master!!



3. Helps free us mentally from the past. I started reading it and it's so true what has been past from our ancestors (grandparents, to our parents) affect our success in life and how we cope with our problems because of those believes.
   
   I recommend it to anyone that it's feeling tied up in life, one who is fearful or anxious. It's a great book for those who are willing to be open minded, and wants to receive the best. One who wants to move up in life and enjoy it while forgiving those who we have held captive in our insecurities and gruges.
   
   Must read and give as a gift. It's food for the mind, and easy to read.



4. Estoy atravezando una crisis en mi relacion el cual me ha hecho sentir culpable al mismo tiempo que me han culpado de todo lo que ha pasado. Pero este libro me ha demostrado que no es asi. Ahora siento una gran paz interior. Me ha hecho entender que nada de esto esta en mis manos, y que solo tengo que esperar a que el huracan pase y vuelva de nuevo la calma.



5. One of the best books I have ever read. I did read that book long time ago but wanted my mother to read it. She found it very easy to read and she said that she finished the book so fast. I will recommend this book to younger people as older people. Anyone that will like to enlighten their lives....

5 comments about Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl's Principles for Discovering Meaning in Life and Work.

1. Meaning is an idea who time has come...and none too soon.
   
   Have you ever known someone you admire and respect and wanted their esteem?
   
   Alex Pattakos succeeds at this masterfully, i.e. Victor Frankl would indeed be proud of him, and we the readers are the beneficiaries.
   
   "Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Victor Frankl's Principles at Work" takes the wealth of Frankl's ideas out of the psychotherapist's office and makes it available for understanding, using and living in our professional, personal, interpersonal, intrapersonal and even transpersonal worlds.
   
   If you have ever stared into the darkness and wondered what is meaningful to you and come up empty, this book will help you fill your cup and then some.
   
   I highly recommend this book.
   
   -Mark Goulston, M.D.
   "The Leading Edge" at Fast Company
   "Solve Anything with Dr. Mark" at Tribune Media Services
   author: "Get Out of Your Own Way at Work" (Perigee, 2006)



2. In this inspirational book, Dr. Alex Pattakos takes the work of his mentor Dr. Viktor Frankl to a new level. With anecdotes and case studies that address the spiritual and pragmatic needs of the 21st century reader, the author shows how future-oriented thinking and applied intuition can help us retain an optimistic outlook regardless of external circumstances.
   
   In today's volatile times, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the multitudes of uncertainties that present to us every day.
   
   In "Prisoners of our Thoughts" we are given a set of cognitive and spiritual principles that we can use to form an imaginary periscope with which to look ahead to a meaningful future.
   
   Bravo, Dr. Pattakos!



3. Finding peace or happiness in every situation, no matter how dreadful the circumstances. Some are lucky enough to do it naturally, others need a book like "Prisoners of Our Thoughts" to guide them. "Prisoners" offers readers the principles, tools and examples that teach us to stop being carried away by our negative reactions to difficult situations, to step back, find perspective and creatively realize the good that can come from not getting what we think we want in the moment. Frankl's life and work epitomize the triumph of the human spirit in transforming suffering into peace and turning the sourest lemons into the sweetest lemonade. Pattakos has paid homage to this great man by interpreting and reframing his work for new generations.



4. There is a lot to like about this book. As a voracious reader of psychology/philosophy/mind/body material, I found the work well written, well organized, and in some places full of fascinating details. Frankl's life and work are known to me in connection with study of the history of anti-Semitism and the holocaust. Although his writings are inspirational and in large ways timeless, this book makes a good contribution by bringing Frankl's principles into modern parlance and context.
   
   I was surprised to see another reviewer mention that they did not think Pattakos added much to Frankl's work. I couldn't disagree more. In addition to reframing the principles, the author goes on a number of fascinating and relevant riffs that give Frankl's material added complexity and depth. I liked the quotes he adds to Frankl's (Einstein says "Imagination is more important than knowledge.") I like Pattakos' discussion of team play and how the personal rewards of successful team play are always most profound during the action.
   
   The author's professional experience and personal references lend a handle to some of the more difficult concepts, and his personal examples were helpful. At one point he references Buddhism. The Buddhist notion of mindfulness is all about creating meaning. Substituting the concept of meaning for achievement, ambition, recognition, money, and other buzz words of the New Age and our American speed-and-greed culture is itself an important enough contribution to merit buying and reading the book. Imagine if we taught our children to look for meaning in what they did. Imagine if we actually looked at relationships and work that way.
   
   "Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!"
   
   What a concept.



5. This book is an inspiration and must read for everyone looking for meaning in their lives. It's empowering and brings such freedom and space to learn how to identify our thoughts and make a change which Alex Pattakos teaches based on Viktor Frankl's principles.