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 Customer Reviews
Be kind to yourself. . .One step at a time.. ., 29 Nov 2008
Have suffered from depression for over 30 years on and off! . . I am not sure if a book can help. I have read loads and still find that if I am kind to myself and allow the depression to run its course, don't fight it or hide from it. (AND DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT.) Then this too will pass. We each have to find our own way through our maze! Do we not. I wish all who are depressed a brighter future. Open your heart and let yourself in! (I FIND MEDITATION HELPS THE MOST. .JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES AND BREATH. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE WHO YOU ARE. FIRST STEP IS TO LEARN HOW TO EXCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE, THEN MAYBE ADMIT YOU NEED HELP. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. This is a real good book to start with.Then maybe you could find a Buddhist meditation group and join . It will help you find yourself. oooooommmmmm!Good luck
gumdrops :-)
Dont let the title put you off, 05 Oct 2008
This is a wonderfully honest and open book.The four authors are experts in their respective fields of psychology,psychiatry,psychotherapy and meditation so you know right from the start your in good hands.There are too many books out there written by so called experts that really do more harm then good this however is a breath of fresh air.
You dont have to be depressed to find value in this book in fact the authors recommend steering clear of it if you are suffering with a bout of depression.Read this book when you have some clarity in your mind,try to implement the techniques and maybe a clear mind will become more common.This book will show you how to befriend your feelings even the bad ones and you will look at the breath in a whole new light.The body scan is introduced and also the three minute breathing space and at the end of the book is an eight week mindfulness program that i personally found helpful and intriguing.This book is accompanied by a CD of guided meditations that will prove to be invaluable.This is a must read for anyone interested in mindfulness or looking for some relief from the "black dog".
There is light at the end of the tunnel!!
Simply Fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
Before I start I just have to say that this book is FANTASTIC and is a really exciting step forward in the treatment of depression. At last - a non-drug approach to one of societies most overwhelming problems: Depression.
As a person who has suffered from depression in the past and as a therapist, I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It told me all I needed to know about mindfulness and taught me the process in a very comprehensive yet easy to follow way.
I had read several books on mindfulness by various authors before receiving this book. Compared against the others that I read, I found this one to be the most clear, so even if you do not suffer from depression, but are looking to learn mindfulness, this book could be just what you are looking for. The other bonus with this title is that it is not repetitive like similar titles I have read - it just tells you what you need to know.
Some observations that I would make though are as follows.
1. There were a few spelling and grammar mistakes throughout, however they didn't affect my `reading flow', so this should be an issue.
2. The layout of the separate sections could have been better laid out. It shows you how to follow an 8 week program in the end of the last chapter. I would have liked to seen it laid out so that you read and practice a section at a time rather than learning everything before you start.
3. There is a warning in a couple of places in the book that warn you not to us the program in is entirely now if you are experiencing an episode of clinical depression. This somewhat confused me as the title of the book is `The Mindful Way THROUGH Depression.
4. The book comes with a CD... It was recorded using the voice of one of the authors, Jon Kabat Zinn. The meditation entitled `The Body Scan' seemed a little rushed. As a personal preference, I used an old CD that I had from Jon that was much better quality for me and worked well.
These were the only negative things that I picked up and wanted to include them to make this review as balanced as possible. There were so many things right with this book though that the comments above are small concerns against all the things that you will get out of reading it.
So in conclusion: this book is easy to follow, very inspirational and motivates you to learn mindfulness and overcome your depression. It is simply fantastic.
Warmly,
Richard MacKenzie
Author of Self-Change Hypnosis
wonderful, 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent guide to the technique of mindfulness. The principles of mindfulness are essentially very simple but amazingly effective. It's something that we all forget to do, and this book serves as a powerful reminder to bring our attention away from our thoughts and into our experience. The authors are free of academic jargon and are clearly passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the benefits of mindfulness, and the book is clearly not just for people who might be suffering from depression. I recommend it highly along with Eckhart Tolle's the Power of Now, and Steve Taylor's Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which uses mindfulness as a way of living in the present and becoming free of the future and the past.
The Penny Dropped, 14 Jun 2008
Having suffered depression for 2 years following a particular incident and very bad year this book allowed me to connect my emotional and physical systoms. Explaining in plain english what to do to stop the self turmoil. I am not saying this offers a cure but it certainly offers everyday coping mechanisims that are easy to introduce and stop decline. Highly recommended.
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Customer Reviews
Be kind to yourself. . .One step at a time.. ., 29 Nov 2008
Have suffered from depression for over 30 years on and off! . . I am not sure if a book can help. I have read loads and still find that if I am kind to myself and allow the depression to run its course, don't fight it or hide from it. (AND DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT.) Then this too will pass. We each have to find our own way through our maze! Do we not. I wish all who are depressed a brighter future. Open your heart and let yourself in! (I FIND MEDITATION HELPS THE MOST. .JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES AND BREATH. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE WHO YOU ARE. FIRST STEP IS TO LEARN HOW TO EXCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE, THEN MAYBE ADMIT YOU NEED HELP. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. This is a real good book to start with.Then maybe you could find a Buddhist meditation group and join . It will help you find yourself. oooooommmmmm!Good luck
gumdrops :-)
Dont let the title put you off, 05 Oct 2008
This is a wonderfully honest and open book.The four authors are experts in their respective fields of psychology,psychiatry,psychotherapy and meditation so you know right from the start your in good hands.There are too many books out there written by so called experts that really do more harm then good this however is a breath of fresh air.
You dont have to be depressed to find value in this book in fact the authors recommend steering clear of it if you are suffering with a bout of depression.Read this book when you have some clarity in your mind,try to implement the techniques and maybe a clear mind will become more common.This book will show you how to befriend your feelings even the bad ones and you will look at the breath in a whole new light.The body scan is introduced and also the three minute breathing space and at the end of the book is an eight week mindfulness program that i personally found helpful and intriguing.This book is accompanied by a CD of guided meditations that will prove to be invaluable.This is a must read for anyone interested in mindfulness or looking for some relief from the "black dog".
There is light at the end of the tunnel!!
Simply Fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
Before I start I just have to say that this book is FANTASTIC and is a really exciting step forward in the treatment of depression. At last - a non-drug approach to one of societies most overwhelming problems: Depression.
As a person who has suffered from depression in the past and as a therapist, I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It told me all I needed to know about mindfulness and taught me the process in a very comprehensive yet easy to follow way.
I had read several books on mindfulness by various authors before receiving this book. Compared against the others that I read, I found this one to be the most clear, so even if you do not suffer from depression, but are looking to learn mindfulness, this book could be just what you are looking for. The other bonus with this title is that it is not repetitive like similar titles I have read - it just tells you what you need to know.
Some observations that I would make though are as follows.
1. There were a few spelling and grammar mistakes throughout, however they didn't affect my `reading flow', so this should be an issue.
2. The layout of the separate sections could have been better laid out. It shows you how to follow an 8 week program in the end of the last chapter. I would have liked to seen it laid out so that you read and practice a section at a time rather than learning everything before you start.
3. There is a warning in a couple of places in the book that warn you not to us the program in is entirely now if you are experiencing an episode of clinical depression. This somewhat confused me as the title of the book is `The Mindful Way THROUGH Depression.
4. The book comes with a CD... It was recorded using the voice of one of the authors, Jon Kabat Zinn. The meditation entitled `The Body Scan' seemed a little rushed. As a personal preference, I used an old CD that I had from Jon that was much better quality for me and worked well.
These were the only negative things that I picked up and wanted to include them to make this review as balanced as possible. There were so many things right with this book though that the comments above are small concerns against all the things that you will get out of reading it.
So in conclusion: this book is easy to follow, very inspirational and motivates you to learn mindfulness and overcome your depression. It is simply fantastic.
Warmly,
Richard MacKenzie
Author of Self-Change Hypnosis
wonderful, 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent guide to the technique of mindfulness. The principles of mindfulness are essentially very simple but amazingly effective. It's something that we all forget to do, and this book serves as a powerful reminder to bring our attention away from our thoughts and into our experience. The authors are free of academic jargon and are clearly passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the benefits of mindfulness, and the book is clearly not just for people who might be suffering from depression. I recommend it highly along with Eckhart Tolle's the Power of Now, and Steve Taylor's Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which uses mindfulness as a way of living in the present and becoming free of the future and the past.
The Penny Dropped, 14 Jun 2008
Having suffered depression for 2 years following a particular incident and very bad year this book allowed me to connect my emotional and physical systoms. Explaining in plain english what to do to stop the self turmoil. I am not saying this offers a cure but it certainly offers everyday coping mechanisims that are easy to introduce and stop decline. Highly recommended.
A disappointment, 05 Jan 2009
I suppose that it falls to me to provide a negative review of this book. I've not given the book a low rating because while it didn't meet my expectations, it's certainly well written and interesting.
Having read Dennett's "Consciousness Explained" in which ( I think) this book is referenced, I chose this book hoping that Sacks would provide some insight into how or why a man might mistake his wife for a hat. Unfortunately the book turned out to be a rather less ambitious series of case histories of his patients. True, they're interesting and tragic histories and certainly Sacks does empathise with his patients, treating them as more than just medical subjects. However the book was, for me, profoundly unsatisfying as it didn't go into the mechanics of their problems or shed any insight (at least for a neurological layman like myself) on the inner workings of even undamaged brains. Return to Dennett for that, perhaps?
I was also a little perturbed by the occasional foray into less than scientific discussions about whether the more deeply damaged patients could be thought of as having "souls". I think that I would be deeply concerned if, had I been brain damaged, my neurologist spent any time worrying about the state of my soul!
I didn't find the book hard to get into although I agree that there's plenty of jargon that could/should have been explained (a glossary at least?) and I certainly didn't find it over-academic - quite the reverse in places. However, I neither did I manage to get more than half-way through before dropping it so maybe aI missed something in the later chapters.
Interesting read, 27 Mar 2008
Fairly well written, and as someone who has no prior background in this field, it was easy to understand and descriptive enough to be interesting. it was not too technical that i got bogged down with terms, unlike some other neurology books i've read.
A little disappointing, 19 Mar 2008
An interesting book though I have to admit I didn't enjoy the writing style. I find Sacks to be overly academic (I'm in the medical field myself) and his use of technical jargon can be somewhat off putting. Unlike the popular work Phantoms of the Brains Sacks seems uninterested in explaining the ideas in scientific terms in any great detail, he instead takes a more anthropological approach and merely details the cases. Whilst the cases themselves are off considerable interest I found his analysis to be lacking. His writing style didn't sit well with me, though this may be more my fault than his, and ultimately I didn't find myself much wiser after having read the book.
The book is still worth reading, however for a non-medical reader I'd recommend the far superior Phantoms of the Brain before approaching this work as it'll help you understand a lot of what Sacks talks about. There were, within the book, one or two cases that viewers of House M.D. would recognise.
A Fascinating Read, 15 Feb 2008
A neurologist, Oliver Sacks, discussed and brought to light the neurological disorders in case by case in this book with an interesting choice of the title: "Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat." This is the first book by Sacks that I have read, and I found his writing style to be quite enjoyable.
Not only that, this book contains an extraordinary collection of cases of individuals with neurological disorders that brings one to understand a bit on how human brain works. While this book was first published in the early 1970s and the understanding of the human brain mechanism has changed and increased since then, I found this book to be very insightful.
Out of all the cases I have read from this book, I found the following cases (or stories) to be of great interest to me: "Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," "The Man Who Fell Out of Bed," "Witty Ticcy Ray," "Cupid's disease," and "The Autist Artist."
This book is a fascinating read and deeply recommended.
A lovely book, 03 Feb 2008
I first came across Oliver Sacks in a doctor's waiting room. There, lying on the table, was a copy of his first book, "Migraine". Since I suffer from bad headaches, I picked it up and started reading. Thoroughly intrigued by the elegantly written case studies it contained, I asked the doctor if I could borrow it, took it home, and finished it that evening. I then began to notice that Mr. Sacks periodically wrote articles for the New Yorker on strange neurological cases, and every time one came out I read it with delectation. So when I saw Mr. Sack's book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" at my local bookstore I bought it immediately.
I was not let down. The book is a fascinating compendium of neurological case studies, classified into four parts: Losses, Excesses, Transports, The World of the Simple. Mr. Sacks takes us on a journey through a series of neurological disturbances with extreme effects. Initially, one reads them with appalled fascination, with a feeling of being at the Circus staring at the Bearded Lady or the Elephant Man; I was forcefully reminded of Sylvia Plath's lines in "Lady Lazarus":
The Peanut-crunching crowd
Shoves in to see
Them unwrap me hand in foot --
The big strip tease.
But Oliver Sacks writes soberly and with great compassion about his cases, and drags us away from mere peanut-crunching voyeurism to finally contemplate what the cases tell us about what it means to be us.
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Overcoming Depression
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Customer Reviews
Be kind to yourself. . .One step at a time.. ., 29 Nov 2008
Have suffered from depression for over 30 years on and off! . . I am not sure if a book can help. I have read loads and still find that if I am kind to myself and allow the depression to run its course, don't fight it or hide from it. (AND DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT.) Then this too will pass. We each have to find our own way through our maze! Do we not. I wish all who are depressed a brighter future. Open your heart and let yourself in! (I FIND MEDITATION HELPS THE MOST. .JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES AND BREATH. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE WHO YOU ARE. FIRST STEP IS TO LEARN HOW TO EXCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE, THEN MAYBE ADMIT YOU NEED HELP. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. This is a real good book to start with.Then maybe you could find a Buddhist meditation group and join . It will help you find yourself. oooooommmmmm!Good luck
gumdrops :-)
Dont let the title put you off, 05 Oct 2008
This is a wonderfully honest and open book.The four authors are experts in their respective fields of psychology,psychiatry,psychotherapy and meditation so you know right from the start your in good hands.There are too many books out there written by so called experts that really do more harm then good this however is a breath of fresh air.
You dont have to be depressed to find value in this book in fact the authors recommend steering clear of it if you are suffering with a bout of depression.Read this book when you have some clarity in your mind,try to implement the techniques and maybe a clear mind will become more common.This book will show you how to befriend your feelings even the bad ones and you will look at the breath in a whole new light.The body scan is introduced and also the three minute breathing space and at the end of the book is an eight week mindfulness program that i personally found helpful and intriguing.This book is accompanied by a CD of guided meditations that will prove to be invaluable.This is a must read for anyone interested in mindfulness or looking for some relief from the "black dog".
There is light at the end of the tunnel!!
Simply Fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
Before I start I just have to say that this book is FANTASTIC and is a really exciting step forward in the treatment of depression. At last - a non-drug approach to one of societies most overwhelming problems: Depression.
As a person who has suffered from depression in the past and as a therapist, I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It told me all I needed to know about mindfulness and taught me the process in a very comprehensive yet easy to follow way.
I had read several books on mindfulness by various authors before receiving this book. Compared against the others that I read, I found this one to be the most clear, so even if you do not suffer from depression, but are looking to learn mindfulness, this book could be just what you are looking for. The other bonus with this title is that it is not repetitive like similar titles I have read - it just tells you what you need to know.
Some observations that I would make though are as follows.
1. There were a few spelling and grammar mistakes throughout, however they didn't affect my `reading flow', so this should be an issue.
2. The layout of the separate sections could have been better laid out. It shows you how to follow an 8 week program in the end of the last chapter. I would have liked to seen it laid out so that you read and practice a section at a time rather than learning everything before you start.
3. There is a warning in a couple of places in the book that warn you not to us the program in is entirely now if you are experiencing an episode of clinical depression. This somewhat confused me as the title of the book is `The Mindful Way THROUGH Depression.
4. The book comes with a CD... It was recorded using the voice of one of the authors, Jon Kabat Zinn. The meditation entitled `The Body Scan' seemed a little rushed. As a personal preference, I used an old CD that I had from Jon that was much better quality for me and worked well.
These were the only negative things that I picked up and wanted to include them to make this review as balanced as possible. There were so many things right with this book though that the comments above are small concerns against all the things that you will get out of reading it.
So in conclusion: this book is easy to follow, very inspirational and motivates you to learn mindfulness and overcome your depression. It is simply fantastic.
Warmly,
Richard MacKenzie
Author of Self-Change Hypnosis
wonderful, 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent guide to the technique of mindfulness. The principles of mindfulness are essentially very simple but amazingly effective. It's something that we all forget to do, and this book serves as a powerful reminder to bring our attention away from our thoughts and into our experience. The authors are free of academic jargon and are clearly passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the benefits of mindfulness, and the book is clearly not just for people who might be suffering from depression. I recommend it highly along with Eckhart Tolle's the Power of Now, and Steve Taylor's Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which uses mindfulness as a way of living in the present and becoming free of the future and the past.
The Penny Dropped, 14 Jun 2008
Having suffered depression for 2 years following a particular incident and very bad year this book allowed me to connect my emotional and physical systoms. Explaining in plain english what to do to stop the self turmoil. I am not saying this offers a cure but it certainly offers everyday coping mechanisims that are easy to introduce and stop decline. Highly recommended.
A disappointment, 05 Jan 2009
I suppose that it falls to me to provide a negative review of this book. I've not given the book a low rating because while it didn't meet my expectations, it's certainly well written and interesting.
Having read Dennett's "Consciousness Explained" in which ( I think) this book is referenced, I chose this book hoping that Sacks would provide some insight into how or why a man might mistake his wife for a hat. Unfortunately the book turned out to be a rather less ambitious series of case histories of his patients. True, they're interesting and tragic histories and certainly Sacks does empathise with his patients, treating them as more than just medical subjects. However the book was, for me, profoundly unsatisfying as it didn't go into the mechanics of their problems or shed any insight (at least for a neurological layman like myself) on the inner workings of even undamaged brains. Return to Dennett for that, perhaps?
I was also a little perturbed by the occasional foray into less than scientific discussions about whether the more deeply damaged patients could be thought of as having "souls". I think that I would be deeply concerned if, had I been brain damaged, my neurologist spent any time worrying about the state of my soul!
I didn't find the book hard to get into although I agree that there's plenty of jargon that could/should have been explained (a glossary at least?) and I certainly didn't find it over-academic - quite the reverse in places. However, I neither did I manage to get more than half-way through before dropping it so maybe aI missed something in the later chapters.
Interesting read, 27 Mar 2008
Fairly well written, and as someone who has no prior background in this field, it was easy to understand and descriptive enough to be interesting. it was not too technical that i got bogged down with terms, unlike some other neurology books i've read.
A little disappointing, 19 Mar 2008
An interesting book though I have to admit I didn't enjoy the writing style. I find Sacks to be overly academic (I'm in the medical field myself) and his use of technical jargon can be somewhat off putting. Unlike the popular work Phantoms of the Brains Sacks seems uninterested in explaining the ideas in scientific terms in any great detail, he instead takes a more anthropological approach and merely details the cases. Whilst the cases themselves are off considerable interest I found his analysis to be lacking. His writing style didn't sit well with me, though this may be more my fault than his, and ultimately I didn't find myself much wiser after having read the book.
The book is still worth reading, however for a non-medical reader I'd recommend the far superior Phantoms of the Brain before approaching this work as it'll help you understand a lot of what Sacks talks about. There were, within the book, one or two cases that viewers of House M.D. would recognise.
A Fascinating Read, 15 Feb 2008
A neurologist, Oliver Sacks, discussed and brought to light the neurological disorders in case by case in this book with an interesting choice of the title: "Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat." This is the first book by Sacks that I have read, and I found his writing style to be quite enjoyable.
Not only that, this book contains an extraordinary collection of cases of individuals with neurological disorders that brings one to understand a bit on how human brain works. While this book was first published in the early 1970s and the understanding of the human brain mechanism has changed and increased since then, I found this book to be very insightful.
Out of all the cases I have read from this book, I found the following cases (or stories) to be of great interest to me: "Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," "The Man Who Fell Out of Bed," "Witty Ticcy Ray," "Cupid's disease," and "The Autist Artist."
This book is a fascinating read and deeply recommended.
A lovely book, 03 Feb 2008
I first came across Oliver Sacks in a doctor's waiting room. There, lying on the table, was a copy of his first book, "Migraine". Since I suffer from bad headaches, I picked it up and started reading. Thoroughly intrigued by the elegantly written case studies it contained, I asked the doctor if I could borrow it, took it home, and finished it that evening. I then began to notice that Mr. Sacks periodically wrote articles for the New Yorker on strange neurological cases, and every time one came out I read it with delectation. So when I saw Mr. Sack's book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" at my local bookstore I bought it immediately.
I was not let down. The book is a fascinating compendium of neurological case studies, classified into four parts: Losses, Excesses, Transports, The World of the Simple. Mr. Sacks takes us on a journey through a series of neurological disturbances with extreme effects. Initially, one reads them with appalled fascination, with a feeling of being at the Circus staring at the Bearded Lady or the Elephant Man; I was forcefully reminded of Sylvia Plath's lines in "Lady Lazarus":
The Peanut-crunching crowd
Shoves in to see
Them unwrap me hand in foot --
The big strip tease.
But Oliver Sacks writes soberly and with great compassion about his cases, and drags us away from mere peanut-crunching voyeurism to finally contemplate what the cases tell us about what it means to be us.
Highly recommended, 06 Nov 2008
I have read a number of books in the overcoming series and they were all helpful. This book addresses depression in a kind, understanding and compassionate way. It looks at things that I never understood about depression, such as issues around perfectionism and anger. I was recommended to the overcoming books by a friend ... I could honestly say they have been a lifesaver in difficult times and I wouldn't hesitate in passing on that recommendation.
well done, 24 Oct 2008
i came across this book after buying another book
[the calling of your true self] it was under this book as people who bought this book also bought this one, glad i came across both as i can certainly say both have brought me back to a better way of thinking, and lifted me from my dark hole,recommend both as one helps the other in a funny kind of way
a positive step forward, 05 Oct 2008
I don't think this book is not for anyone who is in the middle of a deep depression though it might help their family and friends to understand a bit of what is going on in their mind. Bu it and save it for when you start to feel a bit better. It also shouldn't just be used on its own but as an extra to the help your GP can give you.
As someone who has suffered chronic depression throughout my adult life I have found this book invaluable. Not only has it helped me to understand what was/is happening to me but has been good to dip in and out of.
There are practical exercises to do, it asks you some very difficult questions and you may find you pick it up and put it down a lot of times before you feel up to reading it but I think this is an excellent book which has helped me through some very dark times.
My crutch, 11 Apr 2008
I was lent this book by my CPN not long after I was first diagnosed with quite severe depression in August 2007 & it soon became something of a crutch for me - I had to order a copy for myself so her other patients could benefit from her copy. I agree that, initally at least, it probably wouldn't work on its own but in conjunction with therapy and/or medication it is a great book. It was good to read & think 'I know that feeling' - it made me feel like there was still some fine thread linking me to the world people around me inhabit.
In a strange way it helps that Paul Gilbert is a clinical psychologist who has himself suffered with depression; it means he writes in both a practical and informative style. The book is medical without being hard to follow & helpful without being pink fluffy cloudy.
overcoming depression, 28 Mar 2008
Having had a 12 month bout of depression and ending up on medication, I was advised to read this book. It offers a fascinating insight into how our thoughts and feelings can be misinterpreted and gives methods into dealing with negativity which often leads to depression. The book does require some commitment but once you start to feel better and start to understand your thought processes, you want to continue reading and learn more. I want to work through the whole series!
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Customer Reviews
Be kind to yourself. . .One step at a time.. ., 29 Nov 2008
Have suffered from depression for over 30 years on and off! . . I am not sure if a book can help. I have read loads and still find that if I am kind to myself and allow the depression to run its course, don't fight it or hide from it. (AND DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT.) Then this too will pass. We each have to find our own way through our maze! Do we not. I wish all who are depressed a brighter future. Open your heart and let yourself in! (I FIND MEDITATION HELPS THE MOST. .JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES AND BREATH. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE WHO YOU ARE. FIRST STEP IS TO LEARN HOW TO EXCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE, THEN MAYBE ADMIT YOU NEED HELP. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. This is a real good book to start with.Then maybe you could find a Buddhist meditation group and join . It will help you find yourself. oooooommmmmm!Good luck
gumdrops :-)
Dont let the title put you off, 05 Oct 2008
This is a wonderfully honest and open book.The four authors are experts in their respective fields of psychology,psychiatry,psychotherapy and meditation so you know right from the start your in good hands.There are too many books out there written by so called experts that really do more harm then good this however is a breath of fresh air.
You dont have to be depressed to find value in this book in fact the authors recommend steering clear of it if you are suffering with a bout of depression.Read this book when you have some clarity in your mind,try to implement the techniques and maybe a clear mind will become more common.This book will show you how to befriend your feelings even the bad ones and you will look at the breath in a whole new light.The body scan is introduced and also the three minute breathing space and at the end of the book is an eight week mindfulness program that i personally found helpful and intriguing.This book is accompanied by a CD of guided meditations that will prove to be invaluable.This is a must read for anyone interested in mindfulness or looking for some relief from the "black dog".
There is light at the end of the tunnel!!
Simply Fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
Before I start I just have to say that this book is FANTASTIC and is a really exciting step forward in the treatment of depression. At last - a non-drug approach to one of societies most overwhelming problems: Depression.
As a person who has suffered from depression in the past and as a therapist, I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It told me all I needed to know about mindfulness and taught me the process in a very comprehensive yet easy to follow way.
I had read several books on mindfulness by various authors before receiving this book. Compared against the others that I read, I found this one to be the most clear, so even if you do not suffer from depression, but are looking to learn mindfulness, this book could be just what you are looking for. The other bonus with this title is that it is not repetitive like similar titles I have read - it just tells you what you need to know.
Some observations that I would make though are as follows.
1. There were a few spelling and grammar mistakes throughout, however they didn't affect my `reading flow', so this should be an issue.
2. The layout of the separate sections could have been better laid out. It shows you how to follow an 8 week program in the end of the last chapter. I would have liked to seen it laid out so that you read and practice a section at a time rather than learning everything before you start.
3. There is a warning in a couple of places in the book that warn you not to us the program in is entirely now if you are experiencing an episode of clinical depression. This somewhat confused me as the title of the book is `The Mindful Way THROUGH Depression.
4. The book comes with a CD... It was recorded using the voice of one of the authors, Jon Kabat Zinn. The meditation entitled `The Body Scan' seemed a little rushed. As a personal preference, I used an old CD that I had from Jon that was much better quality for me and worked well.
These were the only negative things that I picked up and wanted to include them to make this review as balanced as possible. There were so many things right with this book though that the comments above are small concerns against all the things that you will get out of reading it.
So in conclusion: this book is easy to follow, very inspirational and motivates you to learn mindfulness and overcome your depression. It is simply fantastic.
Warmly,
Richard MacKenzie
Author of Self-Change Hypnosis
wonderful, 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent guide to the technique of mindfulness. The principles of mindfulness are essentially very simple but amazingly effective. It's something that we all forget to do, and this book serves as a powerful reminder to bring our attention away from our thoughts and into our experience. The authors are free of academic jargon and are clearly passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the benefits of mindfulness, and the book is clearly not just for people who might be suffering from depression. I recommend it highly along with Eckhart Tolle's the Power of Now, and Steve Taylor's Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which uses mindfulness as a way of living in the present and becoming free of the future and the past.
The Penny Dropped, 14 Jun 2008
Having suffered depression for 2 years following a particular incident and very bad year this book allowed me to connect my emotional and physical systoms. Explaining in plain english what to do to stop the self turmoil. I am not saying this offers a cure but it certainly offers everyday coping mechanisims that are easy to introduce and stop decline. Highly recommended.
A disappointment, 05 Jan 2009
I suppose that it falls to me to provide a negative review of this book. I've not given the book a low rating because while it didn't meet my expectations, it's certainly well written and interesting.
Having read Dennett's "Consciousness Explained" in which ( I think) this book is referenced, I chose this book hoping that Sacks would provide some insight into how or why a man might mistake his wife for a hat. Unfortunately the book turned out to be a rather less ambitious series of case histories of his patients. True, they're interesting and tragic histories and certainly Sacks does empathise with his patients, treating them as more than just medical subjects. However the book was, for me, profoundly unsatisfying as it didn't go into the mechanics of their problems or shed any insight (at least for a neurological layman like myself) on the inner workings of even undamaged brains. Return to Dennett for that, perhaps?
I was also a little perturbed by the occasional foray into less than scientific discussions about whether the more deeply damaged patients could be thought of as having "souls". I think that I would be deeply concerned if, had I been brain damaged, my neurologist spent any time worrying about the state of my soul!
I didn't find the book hard to get into although I agree that there's plenty of jargon that could/should have been explained (a glossary at least?) and I certainly didn't find it over-academic - quite the reverse in places. However, I neither did I manage to get more than half-way through before dropping it so maybe aI missed something in the later chapters.
Interesting read, 27 Mar 2008
Fairly well written, and as someone who has no prior background in this field, it was easy to understand and descriptive enough to be interesting. it was not too technical that i got bogged down with terms, unlike some other neurology books i've read.
A little disappointing, 19 Mar 2008
An interesting book though I have to admit I didn't enjoy the writing style. I find Sacks to be overly academic (I'm in the medical field myself) and his use of technical jargon can be somewhat off putting. Unlike the popular work Phantoms of the Brains Sacks seems uninterested in explaining the ideas in scientific terms in any great detail, he instead takes a more anthropological approach and merely details the cases. Whilst the cases themselves are off considerable interest I found his analysis to be lacking. His writing style didn't sit well with me, though this may be more my fault than his, and ultimately I didn't find myself much wiser after having read the book.
The book is still worth reading, however for a non-medical reader I'd recommend the far superior Phantoms of the Brain before approaching this work as it'll help you understand a lot of what Sacks talks about. There were, within the book, one or two cases that viewers of House M.D. would recognise.
A Fascinating Read, 15 Feb 2008
A neurologist, Oliver Sacks, discussed and brought to light the neurological disorders in case by case in this book with an interesting choice of the title: "Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat." This is the first book by Sacks that I have read, and I found his writing style to be quite enjoyable.
Not only that, this book contains an extraordinary collection of cases of individuals with neurological disorders that brings one to understand a bit on how human brain works. While this book was first published in the early 1970s and the understanding of the human brain mechanism has changed and increased since then, I found this book to be very insightful.
Out of all the cases I have read from this book, I found the following cases (or stories) to be of great interest to me: "Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," "The Man Who Fell Out of Bed," "Witty Ticcy Ray," "Cupid's disease," and "The Autist Artist."
This book is a fascinating read and deeply recommended.
A lovely book, 03 Feb 2008
I first came across Oliver Sacks in a doctor's waiting room. There, lying on the table, was a copy of his first book, "Migraine". Since I suffer from bad headaches, I picked it up and started reading. Thoroughly intrigued by the elegantly written case studies it contained, I asked the doctor if I could borrow it, took it home, and finished it that evening. I then began to notice that Mr. Sacks periodically wrote articles for the New Yorker on strange neurological cases, and every time one came out I read it with delectation. So when I saw Mr. Sack's book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" at my local bookstore I bought it immediately.
I was not let down. The book is a fascinating compendium of neurological case studies, classified into four parts: Losses, Excesses, Transports, The World of the Simple. Mr. Sacks takes us on a journey through a series of neurological disturbances with extreme effects. Initially, one reads them with appalled fascination, with a feeling of being at the Circus staring at the Bearded Lady or the Elephant Man; I was forcefully reminded of Sylvia Plath's lines in "Lady Lazarus":
The Peanut-crunching crowd
Shoves in to see
Them unwrap me hand in foot --
The big strip tease.
But Oliver Sacks writes soberly and with great compassion about his cases, and drags us away from mere peanut-crunching voyeurism to finally contemplate what the cases tell us about what it means to be us.
Highly recommended, 06 Nov 2008
I have read a number of books in the overcoming series and they were all helpful. This book addresses depression in a kind, understanding and compassionate way. It looks at things that I never understood about depression, such as issues around perfectionism and anger. I was recommended to the overcoming books by a friend ... I could honestly say they have been a lifesaver in difficult times and I wouldn't hesitate in passing on that recommendation.
well done, 24 Oct 2008
i came across this book after buying another book
[the calling of your true self] it was under this book as people who bought this book also bought this one, glad i came across both as i can certainly say both have brought me back to a better way of thinking, and lifted me from my dark hole,recommend both as one helps the other in a funny kind of way
a positive step forward, 05 Oct 2008
I don't think this book is not for anyone who is in the middle of a deep depression though it might help their family and friends to understand a bit of what is going on in their mind. Bu it and save it for when you start to feel a bit better. It also shouldn't just be used on its own but as an extra to the help your GP can give you.
As someone who has suffered chronic depression throughout my adult life I have found this book invaluable. Not only has it helped me to understand what was/is happening to me but has been good to dip in and out of.
There are practical exercises to do, it asks you some very difficult questions and you may find you pick it up and put it down a lot of times before you feel up to reading it but I think this is an excellent book which has helped me through some very dark times.
My crutch, 11 Apr 2008
I was lent this book by my CPN not long after I was first diagnosed with quite severe depression in August 2007 & it soon became something of a crutch for me - I had to order a copy for myself so her other patients could benefit from her copy. I agree that, initally at least, it probably wouldn't work on its own but in conjunction with therapy and/or medication it is a great book. It was good to read & think 'I know that feeling' - it made me feel like there was still some fine thread linking me to the world people around me inhabit.
In a strange way it helps that Paul Gilbert is a clinical psychologist who has himself suffered with depression; it means he writes in both a practical and informative style. The book is medical without being hard to follow & helpful without being pink fluffy cloudy.
overcoming depression, 28 Mar 2008
Having had a 12 month bout of depression and ending up on medication, I was advised to read this book. It offers a fascinating insight into how our thoughts and feelings can be misinterpreted and gives methods into dealing with negativity which often leads to depression. The book does require some commitment but once you start to feel better and start to understand your thought processes, you want to continue reading and learn more. I want to work through the whole series!
Almost perfect, 08 Jan 2009
Just after reading a book on similar topics which I found disappointing (Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain), this was far better. Each chapter tackles a manageable issue, and most of them focus on a single individual who has overcome a brain-related problem, stiking a good balance between human interest and explanation of the underlying science. I was a bit surprised to see not a single picture in the whole book, but perhaps the simple truth (demonstrated quite dramatically in the other book!) is that printable pictures or diagrams of brains don't tell us that much.
A couple of minor gripes: there's a bit too much description of experiments as "brilliant" rather than saying why they're brilliant. And there's an irritating bit of design: paragraphs start in the sanserif font used for headings, and then lurch to a serif font after about five words. Not an elegant idea.
Interesting - but flawed., 26 Dec 2008
Norman Doidge has written an eminently readable and interesting book about advances in the understanding of brain function, perception, learning, and response to injury. He also illustrates how these advances are informing the development of more effective treatments and interventions for conditions as diverse as strokes and addiction.
However, the book is somewhat spoiled by the over-congratulatory tenor of the prose, and the over-enthusiastic application of these ideas to every aspect of human behaviour. It is ironic that he spends so much time lambasting the 'localizationalists' (bizarrely portrayed as a kind of establishment mafia hell-bent on stifling research) for over-extending their ideas whilst he undertakes similar mental gymnastics in his attempts to demonstrate that every condition - from autism to pornography addiction - can be wholly explained by brain plasticity.
And this is where the book ultimately falls down as a science book. In many cases he asserts 'facts' to support his hypotheses which are simply wrong - facts which the rather poorly referenced and constructed end-notes are silent on. The chapter on sexuality is particularly cringeworthy, as he trots out a number of bizarre assertions, social commentary and outdated Freudian concepts to build his arguments, apparently unaware of the rich depth and detail of research in this area which in some cases contradicts his hypotheses.
Is this an interesting book worth reading? Yes. But that comes with a warning that it contains the over-generalisations and unwarranted assumptions that, so often, are found in sloppy science - both 'popular' and academic.
Superb and easy to understand, 21 Nov 2008
This book, along with Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything", is how science books for ordinary people should be written. Clear and concise without being condescending but not so dry the Sahara is a water-sports marina in comparison.
Norman Doidge grips the reader's interest as he takes us back to the diastrous ideaology - soon medical orthodoxy - of the brain as a rigid inflexible computer and how pioneering scientists - often persecuted and ridiculed for ignoring the "accepted majority" - showed that the human brain is a marvellous creation superior to pretty much anything on the planet.
Forget all those claims and headline grabbers about "Artificial intelligence" being here in a decade and the Terminator movies becoming reality by 2050, Norman Doidge exposes just how great the human brain is, and just how hopelessly inadequate and vainglorious are our attempts to replicate and reproduce it.
Brains Flexibly Reconnect to Allow Optimal Functioning: New Treatments Abound!, 03 Jul 2007
This is the most interesting book I've read about brain science . . . and the most relevant. I highly recommend you read it!
If you haven't been following brain science, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Recent experiments have overturned a long-held tenant of brain science: That specific mental and bodily functions can only be directed from one location in the brain. Destroy that section and physicians have told you that you were out of luck. This conclusion doomed many who had suffered strokes and other brain injuries to having no hope of improvement.
The good news, as described in this easy-to-understand popular treatment, is that the brain can actually relocate functions to new areas if the primary site is destroyed. As a result, stroke victims can gain control over movements by therapy designed to disable their abler body areas . . . forcing the brain to establish new circuits to control the areas with little or no control; the blind can learn to "see" using sensor inputs from other areas of their bodies; those without balance can relearn balance through using other feedback mechanisms; and those with "phantom" pain tied to missing limbs can trigger elimination of that sensation. The only continuing limitation seems to be that some areas of the brain are only open to maximum flexibility during short periods of life. But promising research suggests that biochemical tools may be able to reopen those pathways to progress.
Chances are that your physician won't know about all of these advanced therapies. If you or someone you know has neurological disorders, you should read this book to see where to send them for help.
Be sure to check out the sections on how psychoanalysis can be used to rewire the brain to change sensations, reactions, and behavior, and the appendices on cultural impacts on the brain and the potential for perfectibility.
The Review That Wrote Itself, 30 Mar 2007
A revolution is now sweeping through the field of brain science, and this book chronicles the stories of the men and women who have ushered in a new age. The brain is no longer viewed as a machine that is hard-wired early in life, unable to adapt and destined to "wear out" with age. Instead, we learn that scientists are beginning to unlock the secrets of the powerful, lifelong, adaptability - or "plasticity" - of the brain. The implications are enormous for treating neurological conditions, for addressing the aging process and for dramatic improvements in human performance. Author Norman Doidge is a psychiatrist on the Columbia faculty and he tells one spell-binding story after another, as he travels the globe interviewing the scientists and their subjects who are on the cutting edge of these developments. Each story is interwoven with the latest in brain science, told in a manner that is both simple and compelling. It may be hard to imagine that a book so rich in science can also be a page-turner, but this one is hard to set down.
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Customer Reviews
Be kind to yourself. . .One step at a time.. ., 29 Nov 2008
Have suffered from depression for over 30 years on and off! . . I am not sure if a book can help. I have read loads and still find that if I am kind to myself and allow the depression to run its course, don't fight it or hide from it. (AND DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT.) Then this too will pass. We each have to find our own way through our maze! Do we not. I wish all who are depressed a brighter future. Open your heart and let yourself in! (I FIND MEDITATION HELPS THE MOST. .JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES AND BREATH. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE WHO YOU ARE. FIRST STEP IS TO LEARN HOW TO EXCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE, THEN MAYBE ADMIT YOU NEED HELP. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. This is a real good book to start with.Then maybe you could find a Buddhist meditation group and join . It will help you find yourself. oooooommmmmm!Good luck
gumdrops :-) Dont let the title put you off, 05 Oct 2008
This is a wonderfully honest and open book.The four authors are experts in their respective fields of psychology,psychiatry,psychotherapy and meditation so you know right from the start your in good hands.There are too many books out there written by so called experts that really do more harm then good this however is a breath of fresh air.
You dont have to be depressed to find value in this book in fact the authors recommend steering clear of it if you are suffering with a bout of depression.Read this book when you have some clarity in your mind,try to implement the techniques and maybe a clear mind will become more common.This book will show you how to befriend your feelings even the bad ones and you will look at the breath in a whole new light.The body scan is introduced and also the three minute breathing space and at the end of the book is an eight week mindfulness program that i personally found helpful and intriguing.This book is accompanied by a CD of guided meditations that will prove to be invaluable.This is a must read for anyone interested in mindfulness or looking for some relief from the "black dog".
There is light at the end of the tunnel!!
Simply Fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
Before I start I just have to say that this book is FANTASTIC and is a really exciting step forward in the treatment of depression. At last - a non-drug approach to one of societies most overwhelming problems: Depression.
As a person who has suffered from depression in the past and as a therapist, I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It told me all I needed to know about mindfulness and taught me the process in a very comprehensive yet easy to follow way.
I had read several books on mindfulness by various authors before receiving this book. Compared against the others that I read, I found this one to be the most clear, so even if you do not suffer from depression, but are looking to learn mindfulness, this book could be just what you are looking for. The other bonus with this title is that it is not repetitive like similar titles I have read - it just tells you what you need to know.
Some observations that I would make though are as follows.
1. There were a few spelling and grammar mistakes throughout, however they didn't affect my `reading flow', so this should be an issue.
2. The layout of the separate sections could have been better laid out. It shows you how to follow an 8 week program in the end of the last chapter. I would have liked to seen it laid out so that you read and practice a section at a time rather than learning everything before you start.
3. There is a warning in a couple of places in the book that warn you not to us the program in is entirely now if you are experiencing an episode of clinical depression. This somewhat confused me as the title of the book is `The Mindful Way THROUGH Depression.
4. The book comes with a CD... It was recorded using the voice of one of the authors, Jon Kabat Zinn. The meditation entitled `The Body Scan' seemed a little rushed. As a personal preference, I used an old CD that I had from Jon that was much better quality for me and worked well.
These were the only negative things that I picked up and wanted to include them to make this review as balanced as possible. There were so many things right with this book though that the comments above are small concerns against all the things that you will get out of reading it.
So in conclusion: this book is easy to follow, very inspirational and motivates you to learn mindfulness and overcome your depression. It is simply fantastic.
Warmly,
Richard MacKenzie
Author of Self-Change Hypnosis wonderful, 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent guide to the technique of mindfulness. The principles of mindfulness are essentially very simple but amazingly effective. It's something that we all forget to do, and this book serves as a powerful reminder to bring our attention away from our thoughts and into our experience. The authors are free of academic jargon and are clearly passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the benefits of mindfulness, and the book is clearly not just for people who might be suffering from depression. I recommend it highly along with Eckhart Tolle's the Power of Now, and Steve Taylor's Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which uses mindfulness as a way of living in the present and becoming free of the future and the past.
The Penny Dropped, 14 Jun 2008
Having suffered depression for 2 years following a particular incident and very bad year this book allowed me to connect my emotional and physical systoms. Explaining in plain english what to do to stop the self turmoil. I am not saying this offers a cure but it certainly offers everyday coping mechanisims that are easy to introduce and stop decline. Highly recommended. A disappointment, 05 Jan 2009
I suppose that it falls to me to provide a negative review of this book. I've not given the book a low rating because while it didn't meet my expectations, it's certainly well written and interesting.
Having read Dennett's "Consciousness Explained" in which ( I think) this book is referenced, I chose this book hoping that Sacks would provide some insight into how or why a man might mistake his wife for a hat. Unfortunately the book turned out to be a rather less ambitious series of case histories of his patients. True, they're interesting and tragic histories and certainly Sacks does empathise with his patients, treating them as more than just medical subjects. However the book was, for me, profoundly unsatisfying as it didn't go into the mechanics of their problems or shed any insight (at least for a neurological layman like myself) on the inner workings of even undamaged brains. Return to Dennett for that, perhaps?
I was also a little perturbed by the occasional foray into less than scientific discussions about whether the more deeply damaged patients could be thought of as having "souls". I think that I would be deeply concerned if, had I been brain damaged, my neurologist spent any time worrying about the state of my soul!
I didn't find the book hard to get into although I agree that there's plenty of jargon that could/should have been explained (a glossary at least?) and I certainly didn't find it over-academic - quite the reverse in places. However, I neither did I manage to get more than half-way through before dropping it so maybe aI missed something in the later chapters. Interesting read, 27 Mar 2008
Fairly well written, and as someone who has no prior background in this field, it was easy to understand and descriptive enough to be interesting. it was not too technical that i got bogged down with terms, unlike some other neurology books i've read. A little disappointing, 19 Mar 2008
An interesting book though I have to admit I didn't enjoy the writing style. I find Sacks to be overly academic (I'm in the medical field myself) and his use of technical jargon can be somewhat off putting. Unlike the popular work Phantoms of the Brains Sacks seems uninterested in explaining the ideas in scientific terms in any great detail, he instead takes a more anthropological approach and merely details the cases. Whilst the cases themselves are off considerable interest I found his analysis to be lacking. His writing style didn't sit well with me, though this may be more my fault than his, and ultimately I didn't find myself much wiser after having read the book.
The book is still worth reading, however for a non-medical reader I'd recommend the far superior Phantoms of the Brain before approaching this work as it'll help you understand a lot of what Sacks talks about. There were, within the book, one or two cases that viewers of House M.D. would recognise.
A Fascinating Read, 15 Feb 2008
A neurologist, Oliver Sacks, discussed and brought to light the neurological disorders in case by case in this book with an interesting choice of the title: "Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat." This is the first book by Sacks that I have read, and I found his writing style to be quite enjoyable.
Not only that, this book contains an extraordinary collection of cases of individuals with neurological disorders that brings one to understand a bit on how human brain works. While this book was first published in the early 1970s and the understanding of the human brain mechanism has changed and increased since then, I found this book to be very insightful.
Out of all the cases I have read from this book, I found the following cases (or stories) to be of great interest to me: "Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," "The Man Who Fell Out of Bed," "Witty Ticcy Ray," "Cupid's disease," and "The Autist Artist."
This book is a fascinating read and deeply recommended. A lovely book, 03 Feb 2008
I first came across Oliver Sacks in a doctor's waiting room. There, lying on the table, was a copy of his first book, "Migraine". Since I suffer from bad headaches, I picked it up and started reading. Thoroughly intrigued by the elegantly written case studies it contained, I asked the doctor if I could borrow it, took it home, and finished it that evening. I then began to notice that Mr. Sacks periodically wrote articles for the New Yorker on strange neurological cases, and every time one came out I read it with delectation. So when I saw Mr. Sack's book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" at my local bookstore I bought it immediately.
I was not let down. The book is a fascinating compendium of neurological case studies, classified into four parts: Losses, Excesses, Transports, The World of the Simple. Mr. Sacks takes us on a journey through a series of neurological disturbances with extreme effects. Initially, one reads them with appalled fascination, with a feeling of being at the Circus staring at the Bearded Lady or the Elephant Man; I was forcefully reminded of Sylvia Plath's lines in "Lady Lazarus":
The Peanut-crunching crowd
Shoves in to see
Them unwrap me hand in foot --
The big strip tease.
But Oliver Sacks writes soberly and with great compassion about his cases, and drags us away from mere peanut-crunching voyeurism to finally contemplate what the cases tell us about what it means to be us.
Highly recommended, 06 Nov 2008
I have read a number of books in the overcoming series and they were all helpful. This book addresses depression in a kind, understanding and compassionate way. It looks at things that I never understood about depression, such as issues around perfectionism and anger. I was recommended to the overcoming books by a friend ... I could honestly say they have been a lifesaver in difficult times and I wouldn't hesitate in passing on that recommendation. well done, 24 Oct 2008
i came across this book after buying another book
[the calling of your true self] it was under this book as people who bought this book also bought this one, glad i came across both as i can certainly say both have brought me back to a better way of thinking, and lifted me from my dark hole,recommend both as one helps the other in a funny kind of way a positive step forward, 05 Oct 2008
I don't think this book is not for anyone who is in the middle of a deep depression though it might help their family and friends to understand a bit of what is going on in their mind. Bu it and save it for when you start to feel a bit better. It also shouldn't just be used on its own but as an extra to the help your GP can give you.
As someone who has suffered chronic depression throughout my adult life I have found this book invaluable. Not only has it helped me to understand what was/is happening to me but has been good to dip in and out of.
There are practical exercises to do, it asks you some very difficult questions and you may find you pick it up and put it down a lot of times before you feel up to reading it but I think this is an excellent book which has helped me through some very dark times. My crutch, 11 Apr 2008
I was lent this book by my CPN not long after I was first diagnosed with quite severe depression in August 2007 & it soon became something of a crutch for me - I had to order a copy for myself so her other patients could benefit from her copy. I agree that, initally at least, it probably wouldn't work on its own but in conjunction with therapy and/or medication it is a great book. It was good to read & think 'I know that feeling' - it made me feel like there was still some fine thread linking me to the world people around me inhabit.
In a strange way it helps that Paul Gilbert is a clinical psychologist who has himself suffered with depression; it means he writes in both a practical and informative style. The book is medical without being hard to follow & helpful without being pink fluffy cloudy. overcoming depression, 28 Mar 2008
Having had a 12 month bout of depression and ending up on medication, I was advised to read this book. It offers a fascinating insight into how our thoughts and feelings can be misinterpreted and gives methods into dealing with negativity which often leads to depression. The book does require some commitment but once you start to feel better and start to understand your thought processes, you want to continue reading and learn more. I want to work through the whole series! Almost perfect, 08 Jan 2009
Just after reading a book on similar topics which I found disappointing (Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain), this was far better. Each chapter tackles a manageable issue, and most of them focus on a single individual who has overcome a brain-related problem, stiking a good balance between human interest and explanation of the underlying science. I was a bit surprised to see not a single picture in the whole book, but perhaps the simple truth (demonstrated quite dramatically in the other book!) is that printable pictures or diagrams of brains don't tell us that much.
A couple of minor gripes: there's a bit too much description of experiments as "brilliant" rather than saying why they're brilliant. And there's an irritating bit of design: paragraphs start in the sanserif font used for headings, and then lurch to a serif font after about five words. Not an elegant idea. Interesting - but flawed., 26 Dec 2008
Norman Doidge has written an eminently readable and interesting book about advances in the understanding of brain function, perception, learning, and response to injury. He also illustrates how these advances are informing the development of more effective treatments and interventions for conditions as diverse as strokes and addiction.
However, the book is somewhat spoiled by the over-congratulatory tenor of the prose, and the over-enthusiastic application of these ideas to every aspect of human behaviour. It is ironic that he spends so much time lambasting the 'localizationalists' (bizarrely portrayed as a kind of establishment mafia hell-bent on stifling research) for over-extending their ideas whilst he undertakes similar mental gymnastics in his attempts to demonstrate that every condition - from autism to pornography addiction - can be wholly explained by brain plasticity.
And this is where the book ultimately falls down as a science book. In many cases he asserts 'facts' to support his hypotheses which are simply wrong - facts which the rather poorly referenced and constructed end-notes are silent on. The chapter on sexuality is particularly cringeworthy, as he trots out a number of bizarre assertions, social commentary and outdated Freudian concepts to build his arguments, apparently unaware of the rich depth and detail of research in this area which in some cases contradicts his hypotheses.
Is this an interesting book worth reading? Yes. But that comes with a warning that it contains the over-generalisations and unwarranted assumptions that, so often, are found in sloppy science - both 'popular' and academic. Superb and easy to understand, 21 Nov 2008
This book, along with Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything", is how science books for ordinary people should be written. Clear and concise without being condescending but not so dry the Sahara is a water-sports marina in comparison.
Norman Doidge grips the reader's interest as he takes us back to the diastrous ideaology - soon medical orthodoxy - of the brain as a rigid inflexible computer and how pioneering scientists - often persecuted and ridiculed for ignoring the "accepted majority" - showed that the human brain is a marvellous creation superior to pretty much anything on the planet.
Forget all those claims and headline grabbers about "Artificial intelligence" being here in a decade and the Terminator movies becoming reality by 2050, Norman Doidge exposes just how great the human brain is, and just how hopelessly inadequate and vainglorious are our attempts to replicate and reproduce it. Brains Flexibly Reconnect to Allow Optimal Functioning: New Treatments Abound!, 03 Jul 2007
This is the most interesting book I've read about brain science . . . and the most relevant. I highly recommend you read it!
If you haven't been following brain science, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Recent experiments have overturned a long-held tenant of brain science: That specific mental and bodily functions can only be directed from one location in the brain. Destroy that section and physicians have told you that you were out of luck. This conclusion doomed many who had suffered strokes and other brain injuries to having no hope of improvement.
The good news, as described in this easy-to-understand popular treatment, is that the brain can actually relocate functions to new areas if the primary site is destroyed. As a result, stroke victims can gain control over movements by therapy designed to disable their abler body areas . . . forcing the brain to establish new circuits to control the areas with little or no control; the blind can learn to "see" using sensor inputs from other areas of their bodies; those without balance can relearn balance through using other feedback mechanisms; and those with "phantom" pain tied to missing limbs can trigger elimination of that sensation. The only continuing limitation seems to be that some areas of the brain are only open to maximum flexibility during short periods of life. But promising research suggests that biochemical tools may be able to reopen those pathways to progress.
Chances are that your physician won't know about all of these advanced therapies. If you or someone you know has neurological disorders, you should read this book to see where to send them for help.
Be sure to check out the sections on how psychoanalysis can be used to rewire the brain to change sensations, reactions, and behavior, and the appendices on cultural impacts on the brain and the potential for perfectibility. The Review That Wrote Itself, 30 Mar 2007
A revolution is now sweeping through the field of brain science, and this book chronicles the stories of the men and women who have ushered in a new age. The brain is no longer viewed as a machine that is hard-wired early in life, unable to adapt and destined to "wear out" with age. Instead, we learn that scientists are beginning to unlock the secrets of the powerful, lifelong, adaptability - or "plasticity" - of the brain. The implications are enormous for treating neurological conditions, for addressing the aging process and for dramatic improvements in human performance. Author Norman Doidge is a psychiatrist on the Columbia faculty and he tells one spell-binding story after another, as he travels the globe interviewing the scientists and their subjects who are on the cutting edge of these developments. Each story is interwoven with the latest in brain science, told in a manner that is both simple and compelling. It may be hard to imagine that a book so rich in science can also be a page-turner, but this one is hard to set down.
Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties, 06 Nov 2008
An absolutely vital handbook that helped me significantly through medical school. Although it's nowhere near as comprehensive as separate textbooks are, it's an invaluable aide memoir that does go into significant detail. An essential buy, but its not quite OHCM..., 24 Mar 2008
'Salt and Vinegar', as this book has affectionately come to be know, has become something of a bible to a 3rd year med student. It has most of the information you'd need for the specialty rotations.
When compared to the OHCM, however, improvements to the layout of some of the text needs improving.
Also, the 'insights' given in this book- quotes from books, ethical tangents, are all too often not insightful at all. They're long and not always optional reading, as they're woven into the essential reading.
completely indispensible, 30 Jan 2005
My copy of this book is breaking apart at the spine and has a few missing pages: this is a testment only to the fact that I've used it so much. I'm an SHO in Paediatrics now, and, since I bought this book in third year I have used it countless times as both as a quick reference guide, and during revision for numerous exams. I quickly came to rely on this book and it's yellow-skinned cousin (OHCM) for brief and memorable introductions to ailments I encountered on the wards and during my revision. This edition is divided into several chapters including Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Ophthalmology, ENT, Dermatology, A£E, Orthopaedics, General Practice, and Psychiatry (amongst others). While some might feel the poetic subtext on many of the pages is somewhat annoying and pretentious (read the page entitled 'a journey on foot' in the orthopaedic section), I have always found it a welcome augmentation to the raw medical dimension contained within the books pages. No junior doctor in the UK should be without these books, of that I am certain.
A must for any med. student for quick reference on the wards, 20 Jan 2001
This book together with the Handbook for Clinical Medicine is absolutely essential for survival on the wards. If you havn't got a clue what's wrong with the patient, what the consultant is talking about or what you are meant to do next- these books help you out. They are compact enough to stick in your pocket, but have enough information crammed in to tell you everything that you could be expected to know about any condition. As I said this is a must for any med. student or junior doc. The proof really is that these aren't some new fancy books that have to be put to the test now, everyone I've spoken to seems to have been using them for years- Good Luck!
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Customer Reviews
Be kind to yourself. . .One step at a time.. ., 29 Nov 2008
Have suffered from depression for over 30 years on and off! . . I am not sure if a book can help. I have read loads and still find that if I am kind to myself and allow the depression to run its course, don't fight it or hide from it. (AND DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT.) Then this too will pass. We each have to find our own way through our maze! Do we not. I wish all who are depressed a brighter future. Open your heart and let yourself in! (I FIND MEDITATION HELPS THE MOST. .JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES AND BREATH. ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE WHO YOU ARE. FIRST STEP IS TO LEARN HOW TO EXCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE, THEN MAYBE ADMIT YOU NEED HELP. GOOD LUCK TO ALL. This is a real good book to start with.Then maybe you could find a Buddhist meditation group and join . It will help you find yourself. oooooommmmmm!Good luck
gumdrops :-)
Dont let the title put you off, 05 Oct 2008
This is a wonderfully honest and open book.The four authors are experts in their respective fields of psychology,psychiatry,psychotherapy and meditation so you know right from the start your in good hands.There are too many books out there written by so called experts that really do more harm then good this however is a breath of fresh air.
You dont have to be depressed to find value in this book in fact the authors recommend steering clear of it if you are suffering with a bout of depression.Read this book when you have some clarity in your mind,try to implement the techniques and maybe a clear mind will become more common.This book will show you how to befriend your feelings even the bad ones and you will look at the breath in a whole new light.The body scan is introduced and also the three minute breathing space and at the end of the book is an eight week mindfulness program that i personally found helpful and intriguing.This book is accompanied by a CD of guided meditations that will prove to be invaluable.This is a must read for anyone interested in mindfulness or looking for some relief from the "black dog".
There is light at the end of the tunnel!!
Simply Fantastic, 24 Sep 2008
Before I start I just have to say that this book is FANTASTIC and is a really exciting step forward in the treatment of depression. At last - a non-drug approach to one of societies most overwhelming problems: Depression.
As a person who has suffered from depression in the past and as a therapist, I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It told me all I needed to know about mindfulness and taught me the process in a very comprehensive yet easy to follow way.
I had read several books on mindfulness by various authors before receiving this book. Compared against the others that I read, I found this one to be the most clear, so even if you do not suffer from depression, but are looking to learn mindfulness, this book could be just what you are looking for. The other bonus with this title is that it is not repetitive like similar titles I have read - it just tells you what you need to know.
Some observations that I would make though are as follows.
1. There were a few spelling and grammar mistakes throughout, however they didn't affect my `reading flow', so this should be an issue.
2. The layout of the separate sections could have been better laid out. It shows you how to follow an 8 week program in the end of the last chapter. I would have liked to seen it laid out so that you read and practice a section at a time rather than learning everything before you start.
3. There is a warning in a couple of places in the book that warn you not to us the program in is entirely now if you are experiencing an episode of clinical depression. This somewhat confused me as the title of the book is `The Mindful Way THROUGH Depression.
4. The book comes with a CD... It was recorded using the voice of one of the authors, Jon Kabat Zinn. The meditation entitled `The Body Scan' seemed a little rushed. As a personal preference, I used an old CD that I had from Jon that was much better quality for me and worked well.
These were the only negative things that I picked up and wanted to include them to make this review as balanced as possible. There were so many things right with this book though that the comments above are small concerns against all the things that you will get out of reading it.
So in conclusion: this book is easy to follow, very inspirational and motivates you to learn mindfulness and overcome your depression. It is simply fantastic.
Warmly,
Richard MacKenzie
Author of Self-Change Hypnosis
wonderful, 07 Jul 2008
This book is an excellent guide to the technique of mindfulness. The principles of mindfulness are essentially very simple but amazingly effective. It's something that we all forget to do, and this book serves as a powerful reminder to bring our attention away from our thoughts and into our experience. The authors are free of academic jargon and are clearly passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the benefits of mindfulness, and the book is clearly not just for people who might be suffering from depression. I recommend it highly along with Eckhart Tolle's the Power of Now, and Steve Taylor's Making Time Making Time: Why Time Seems to Pass at Different Speeds and How to Control It, which uses mindfulness as a way of living in the present and becoming free of the future and the past.
The Penny Dropped, 14 Jun 2008
Having suffered depression for 2 years following a particular incident and very bad year this book allowed me to connect my emotional and physical systoms. Explaining in plain english what to do to stop the self turmoil. I am not saying this offers a cure but it certainly offers everyday coping mechanisims that are easy to introduce and stop decline. Highly recommended.
A disappointment, 05 Jan 2009
I suppose that it falls to me to provide a negative review of this book. I've not given the book a low rating because while it didn't meet my expectations, it's certainly well written and interesting.
Having read Dennett's "Consciousness Explained" in which ( I think) this book is referenced, I chose this book hoping that Sacks would provide some insight into how or why a man might mistake his wife for a hat. Unfortunately the book turned out to be a rather less ambitious series of case histories of his patients. True, they're interesting and tragic histories and certainly Sacks does empathise with his patients, treating them as more than just medical subjects. However the book was, for me, profoundly unsatisfying as it didn't go into the mechanics of their problems or shed any insight (at least for a neurological layman like myself) on the inner workings of even undamaged brains. Return to Dennett for that, perhaps?
I was also a little perturbed by the occasional foray into less than scientific discussions about whether the more deeply damaged patients could be thought of as having "souls". I think that I would be deeply concerned if, had I been brain damaged, my neurologist spent any time worrying about the state of my soul!
I didn't find the book hard to get into although I agree that there's plenty of jargon that could/should have been explained (a glossary at least?) and I certainly didn't find it over-academic - quite the reverse in places. However, I neither did I manage to get more than half-way through before dropping it so maybe aI missed something in the later chapters.
Interesting read, 27 Mar 2008
Fairly well written, and as someone who has no prior background in this field, it was easy to understand and descriptive enough to be interesting. it was not too technical that i got bogged down with terms, unlike some other neurology books i've read.
A little disappointing, 19 Mar 2008
An interesting book though I have to admit I didn't enjoy the writing style. I find Sacks to be overly academic (I'm in the medical field myself) and his use of technical jargon can be somewhat off putting. Unlike the popular work Phantoms of the Brains Sacks seems uninterested in explaining the ideas in scientific terms in any great detail, he instead takes a more anthropological approach and merely details the cases. Whilst the cases themselves are off considerable interest I found his analysis to be lacking. His writing style didn't sit well with me, though this may be more my fault than his, and ultimately I didn't find myself much wiser after having read the book.
The book is still worth reading, however for a non-medical reader I'd recommend the far superior Phantoms of the Brain before approaching this work as it'll help you understand a lot of what Sacks talks about. There were, within the book, one or two cases that viewers of House M.D. would recognise.
A Fascinating Read, 15 Feb 2008
A neurologist, Oliver Sacks, discussed and brought to light the neurological disorders in case by case in this book with an interesting choice of the title: "Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat." This is the first book by Sacks that I have read, and I found his writing style to be quite enjoyable.
Not only that, this book contains an extraordinary collection of cases of individuals with neurological disorders that brings one to understand a bit on how human brain works. While this book was first published in the early 1970s and the understanding of the human brain mechanism has changed and increased since then, I found this book to be very insightful.
Out of all the cases I have read from this book, I found the following cases (or stories) to be of great interest to me: "Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat," "The Man Who Fell Out of Bed," "Witty Ticcy Ray," "Cupid's disease," and "The Autist Artist."
This book is a fascinating read and deeply recommended.
A lovely book, 03 Feb 2008
I first came across Oliver Sacks in a doctor's waiting room. There, lying on the table, was a copy of his first book, "Migraine". Since I suffer from bad headaches, I picked it up and started reading. Thoroughly intrigued by the elegantly written case studies it contained, I asked the doctor if I could borrow it, took it home, and finished it that evening. I then began to notice that Mr. Sacks periodically wrote articles for the New Yorker on strange neurological cases, and every time one came out I read it with delectation. So when I saw Mr. Sack's book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" at my local bookstore I bought it immediately.
I was not let down. The book is a fascinating compendium of neurological case studies, classified into four parts: Losses, Excesses, Transports, The World of the Simple. Mr. Sacks takes us on a journey through a series of neurological disturbances with extreme effects. Initially, one reads them with appalled fascination, with a feeling of being at the Circus staring at the Bearded Lady or the Elephant Man; I was forcefully reminded of Sylvia Plath's lines in "Lady Lazarus":
The Peanut-crunching crowd
Shoves in to see
Them unwrap me hand in foot --
The big strip tease.
But Oliver Sacks writes soberly and with great compassion about his cases, and drags us away from mere peanut-crunching voyeurism to finally contemplate what the cases tell us about what it means to be us.
Highly recommended, 06 Nov 2008
I have read a number of books in the overcoming series and they were all helpful. This book addresses depression in a kind, understanding and compassionate way. It looks at things that I never understood about depression, such as issues around perfectionism and anger. I was recommended to the overcoming books by a friend ... I could honestly say they have been a lifesaver in difficult times and I wouldn't hesitate in passing on that recommendation.
well done, 24 Oct 2008
i came across this book after buying another book
[the calling of your true self] it was under this book as people who bought this book also bought this one, glad i came across both as i can certainly say both have brought me back to a better way of thinking, and lifted me from my dark hole,recommend both as one helps the other in a funny kind of way
a positive step forward, 05 Oct 2008
I don't think this book is not for anyone who is in the middle of a deep depression though it might help their family and friends to understand a bit of what is going on in their mind. Bu it and save it for when you start to feel a bit better. It also shouldn't just be used on its own but as an extra to the help your GP can give you.
As someone who has suffered chronic depression throughout my adult life I have found this book invaluable. Not only has it helped me to understand what was/is happening to me but has been good to dip in and out of.
There are practical exercises to do, it asks you some very difficult questions and you may find you pick it up and put it down a lot of times before you feel up to reading it but I think this is an excellent book which has helped me through some very dark times.
My crutch, 11 Apr 2008
I was lent this book by my CPN not long after I was first diagnosed with quite severe depression in August 2007 & it soon became something of a crutch for me - I had to order a copy for myself so her other patients could benefit from her copy. I agree that, initally at least, it probably wouldn't work on its own but in conjunction with therapy and/or medication it is a great book. It was good to read & think 'I know that feeling' - it made me feel like there was still some fine thread linking me to the world people around me inhabit.
In a strange way it helps that Paul Gilbert is a clinical psychologist who has himself suffered with depression; it means he writes in both a practical and informative style. The book is medical without being hard to follow & helpful without being pink fluffy cloudy.
overcoming depression, 28 Mar 2008
Having had a 12 month bout of depression and ending up on medication, I was advised to read this book. It offers a fascinating insight into how our thoughts and feelings can be misinterpreted and gives methods into dealing with negativity which often leads to depression. The book does require some commitment but once you start to feel better and start to understand your thought processes, you want to continue reading and learn more. I want to work through the whole series!
Almost perfect, 08 Jan 2009
Just after reading a book on similar topics which I found disappointing (Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain), this was far better. Each chapter tackles a manageable issue, and most of them focus on a single individual who has overcome a brain-related problem, stiking a good balance between human interest and explanation of the underlying science. I was a bit surprised to see not a single picture in the whole book, but perhaps the simple truth (demonstrated quite dramatically in the other book!) is that printable pictures or diagrams of brains don't tell us that much.
A couple of minor gripes: there's a bit too much description of experiments as "brilliant" rather than saying why they're brilliant. And there's an irritating bit of design: paragraphs start in the sanserif font used for headings, and then lurch to a serif font after about five words. Not an elegant idea.
Interesting - but flawed., 26 Dec 2008
Norman Doidge has written an eminently readable and interesting book about advances in the understanding of brain function, perception, learning, and response to injury. He also illustrates how these advances are informing the development of more effective treatments and interventions for conditions as diverse as strokes and addiction.
However, the book is somewhat spoiled by the over-congratulatory tenor of the prose, and the over-enthusiastic application of these ideas to every aspect of human behaviour. It is ironic that he spends so much time lambasting the 'localizationalists' (bizarrely portrayed as a kind of establishment mafia hell-bent on stifling research) for over-extending their ideas whilst he undertakes similar mental gymnastics in his attempts to demonstrate that every condition - from autism to pornography addiction - can be wholly explained by brain plasticity.
And this is where the book ultimately falls down as a science book. In many cases he asserts 'facts' to support his hypotheses which are simply wrong - facts which the rather poorly referenced and constructed end-notes are silent on. The chapter on sexuality is particularly cringeworthy, as he trots out a number of bizarre assertions, social commentary and outdated Freudian concepts to build his arguments, apparently unaware of the rich depth and detail of research in this area which in some cases contradicts his hypotheses.
Is this an interesting book worth reading? Yes. But that comes with a warning that it contains the over-generalisations and unwarranted assumptions that, so often, are found in sloppy science - both 'popular' and academic.
Superb and easy to understand, 21 Nov 2008
This book, along with Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything", is how science books for ordinary people should be written. Clear and concise without being condescending but not so dry the Sahara is a water-sports marina in comparison.
Norman Doidge grips the reader's interest as he takes us back to the diastrous ideaology - soon medical orthodoxy - of the brain as a rigid inflexible computer and how pioneering scientists - often persecuted and ridiculed for ignoring the "accepted majority" - showed that the human brain is a marvellous creation superior to pretty much anything on the planet.
Forget all those claims and headline grabbers about "Artificial intelligence" being here in a decade and the Terminator movies becoming reality by 2050, Norman Doidge exposes just how great the human brain is, and just how hopelessly inadequate and vainglorious are our attempts to replicate and reproduce it.
Brains Flexibly Reconnect to Allow Optimal Functioning: New Treatments Abound!, 03 Jul 2007
This is the most interesting book I've read about brain science . . . and the most relevant. I highly recommend you read it!
If you haven't been following brain science, you may wonder what all the fuss is about. Recent experiments have overturned a long-held tenant of brain science: That specific mental and bodily functions can only be directed from one location in the brain. Destroy that section and physicians have told you that you were out of luck. This conclusion doomed many who had suffered strokes and other brain injuries to having no hope of improvement.
The good news, as described in this easy-to-understand popular treatment, is that the brain can actually relocate functions to new areas if the primary site is destroyed. As a result, stroke victims can gain control over movements by therapy designed to disable their abler body areas . . . forcing the brain to establish new circuits to control the areas with little or no control; the blind can learn to "see" using sensor inputs from other areas of their bodies; those without balance can relearn balance through using other feedback mechanisms; and those with "phantom" pain tied to missing limbs can trigger elimination of that sensation. The only continuing limitation seems to be that some areas of the brain are only open to maximum flexibility during short periods of life. But promising research suggests that biochemical tools may be able to reopen those pathways to progress.
Chances are that your physician won't know about all of these advanced therapies. If you or someone you know has neurological disorders, you should read this book to see where to send them for help.
Be sure to check out the sections on how psychoanalysis can be used to rewire the brain to change sensations, reactions, and behavior, and the appendices on cultural impacts on the brain and the potential for perfectibility.
The Review That Wrote Itself, 30 Mar 2007
A revolution is now sweeping through the field of brain science, and this book chronicles the stories of the men and women who have ushered in a new age. The brain is no longer viewed as a machine that is hard-wired early in life, unable to adapt and destined to "wear out" with age. Instead, we learn that scientists are beginning to unlock the secrets of the powerful, lifelong, adaptability - or "plasticity" - of the brain. The implications are enormous for treating neurological conditions, for addressing the aging process and for dramatic improvements in human performance. Author Norman Doidge is a psychiatrist on the Columbia faculty and he tells one spell-binding story after another, as he travels the globe interviewing the scientists and their subjects who are on the cutting edge of these developments. Each story is interwoven with the latest in brain science, told in a manner that is both simple and compelling. It may be hard to imagine that a book so rich in science can also be a page-turner, but this one is hard to set down.
Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties, 06 Nov 2008
An absolutely vital handbook that helped m | | |