A little disappointing

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. <br /><br />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. <br />

My Desert Island read!!

This book is great; it maybe small in size, but it's BIG in impact! <br /><br />I find myself dipping in and out of this book on a weekly basis - It's become my travel companion!<br /><br />Andy Garland<br />YOU...bethebestyoucan

An enjoyable read

I really enjoyed reading the book"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. It is an easy read yet very profound. I said to myself"wow! How many times have I known in an instant that I was right about something but because it was inconvenient at the time to acknowledge it, I disregarded what I knew". In the end my initial hunch was correct! <br /><br />I really enjoyed the chapter"Seven Seconds in the Bronx: The Delicate Art of Mind reading". It was about the NYPD's encounter with Amadou Diallo but it really hit home the concept of"the judgments we make and the impressions we form of other people". In the case of Amadou Diallo the policemen's"mind reading" was way off base. Many times people rely on past experiences to dictate how they should act NOW and ignore the <br />information right in front of them. Simply put, they were not present. <br /><br />A book I really enjoyed about being present is Ariel & Shya Kanes,"How To Create a Magical Relationship". One powerful chapter in the book was"You are not the story of your life". It reminded me of all the times that my expectations of how something should turn out caused it to turn out exactly as I had expected, as if it were a self-fulfilling prophecy. I realized it was my unconscious expectations that determined the outcome of something, rather than seeing what was truly in front of me and making the appropriate choices. I highly recommend both of these books. <br />

In depth, thought provoking...

I am a parent and I also work with young children with their parents - and so often I want to express to them how important it is to connect with their children - it simply is not a 'given' that parents will do it. All to often we underestimate the amount of attention children need. Upon reading this book - I have been inspired to be braver and gently encourage greater parental involvement. There is such a a limited 'time window' to make the best connections in our babies' brains. This book is inspiring - I have just purchased another copy to give as a gift.

Drivel

If pretty words, wishful thinking and prayer (all the same thing, actually) changed the world, we'd all be already living in a better world. But they don't - you have to grow up and stop living the dream, yours, or even worse, somebody else's. And stop hankering after 'lost wisdom' from the 'mystic east' and other such childishness.

Love is a choice.

From a rich reduction of over twenty years as a marriage counselor, Gary Chapman shares ways that communication, either in speaking or behaviors, support or dissolve healthy marriages. One form of communication or"language" that Gary Chapman presents is called"Quality Time". Becoming aware of my need for this"quality time" helped me to rediscover passion and love for my husband of eight years. We both lead busy lives with many hobbies and interests; coming together at the end of the day and sharing has brought us closer. In giving one another our total attention our relationship and our individual sense of self worth has deepened to new levels. <br /><br />In reading The Five Love Languages I was reminded of another incredible relationship book written by Ariel and Shya Kane called"How to Create a Magical Relationship". The Kanes' approach focuses on awareness and an ability to truly listen to one's partner. It too enriched my ability to spend"quality time" with the many people who matter. If you are looking for a richer deeper level in all your relationships, I highly recommend either of these insightful books.

it makes sense

i enjoyed this book..it made sense. it gave me some comfort..and slowed down my worrying a bit...but its easier said than done<br /><br />3 stars only for repetition

Not finished it yet but

I quite like it. One line has actually made a world of difference to me when it said that often someone who is depressed is actually defeated. Like someone putting a light on in my head that was, but that is all I have got out of it so far. I think you need to read this when you aren't depressed to help you when you are.

A great book!

have used this book recently with a 12 year old undergoing anger management who was regularly losing his temper, on average every 2-3 days.
In 2 sessions, which have included selected exercises from this book, he has gone from swearing, hitting, throwing furniture etc to realising when to leave potentially volatile situations! In the last 3 weeks there have been only 2 'anger' episodes - and both times he walked away!

This, I feel, is a real testament to this book's worth!

The exercises are simple and easily photocopiable and/or adaptable for each individual. Some exercises are intended for group work but most are readily adaptable for individual coaching if, like myself, this is how you choose to work.

loads of great pointers

How to talk to anyone is written in a straight forward way, giving you tips on how to carry good conversations. It highlights things that, when you think about it, is very very true, especially when you think of people you DONT like speaking with, but dont really see why not. <br /><br />nice short chapters that lets you pick up a few things every time you pick up the book.

Frankl is genuine, but logotherapy is not really the answer.

Review and thoughts on Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl<br /><br />Firstly, there is no denying that Frankl's experiences in Auschwitz have marked him deeply. It is also clear that he has come out of them with a much greater appreciation of his own inner resources. But there is a danger in thinking such experiences, however deep or catalytic, serve as a guide to the psychological make-up mankind as whole. It is very likely it fits with uncanny accuracy the situation in which Frankl found himself and it is quite possible his ideas might apply to a group of people caught in similar kinds of circumstances. It is a very different position however to suggest it applies to mankind in general. And therein lies the first problem with Viktor Frankl and his logotherapy. To whom and in what circumstances does logotherapy apply? From the title of the book Frankl would have us believe it is mankind as a whole, but as will be seen I can't find any way to support the position that the title suggests.<br /><br />Frankl's recollections of Auschwitz whilst deeply moving actual do little more than add another person's experiences to the many we already have. His means of mental survival are also similar to the accounts of others in that his imagination produced a recollection from happier time of something to hold on to. For Frankl it was an image of his wife. <br /><br />...my mind clung to my wife's image, imagining it with an uncanny acuteness. I heard her answering me, saw her smile, her frank and encouraging look. Real or not, her look was then more luminous than the sun which was beginning to rise. Pg. 56-7<br /><br />This image of his wife is the thing which keeps Frankl going for he equates it with truth and love.<br /><br />The truth - that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. Pg. 57<br /><br />It is central to Frankl's argument that man's purpose is to look for meaning in his life. To show this Frankl will have to explain what he intends to convey by meaning, but this he does not do. Also if he is to show meaning underpins our existence he will have to show how it and not the mere wish to live underpins our thoughts. Meaning has a variety of definitions and so far Frankl has not as such presented any reason why meaning should be at the core of man's being. To a reader or listener, Frankl's vision does not explain the meaning of anything outside the immediate comprehension of the words used. If it were to be different from that it would require Frankl to redefine his use of common everyday words. This Frankl does not do so we are left with no option but to conclude we are to understand it as words in everyday usage.<br /><br />It would be harder still to justify in non-linguistic terms for here the only medium carrying the message are the words. [McLuhan: the medium is the message] If looked at in ontological terms, the question `what exists' comes to the fore and immediately we are faced with a dichotomy; Frankl's vision may have appeared real to him, but for the rest of us it does not exist except as a verbal or written account. The word, truth, does not help matters either for whilst it can mean in agreement with reality or fact, we only have Frankl's word his vision exists. There is no way it can be verified, so for that reason it can't be accepted as an empirical truth. The only thing which I can find which somehow relates to meaning is interpretation. But interpretation depends upon understanding what is there to start with. However before going further with this analysis of meaning, let us consider how Frankl continues.<br /><br />I was struggling to find the reason for my sufferings, my slow dying. In a last violent protest against the hopelessness of imminent death, I sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom. I felt it transcend that hopelessness, meaningless world, and from somewhere I heard a victorious"Yes" in answer to my question of the existence of an ultimate purpose. Pg. 60<br /><br />What this ultimate purpose is Frankl does not say although Frankl keeps bringing back his `ultimate purpose' from time to time. Also, and it has to be pointed out, purpose is very different from meaning yet Frankl again makes no distinction between the two. Purpose requires action of a physical or mental kind to move towards what is perceived as the purpose. Meaning does not. More pertinent is his statement he could not find a reason for his presence in Auschwitz. This of course is an entirely different position to saying, what is the meaning of this?, and does nothing to strengthen Frankl's thesis.<br /><br />In spite of Frankl's claim of an `ultimate purpose' it emerges that things are relative, even his view of happiness. After the war he is shown photographs of prisoners lying on their crowded bunks accompanied by the comment,"Isn't it terrible, the dreadful staring faces - everything about it?" He recalled the camp when he was sick and did not have to leave the camp for work, nor go on parade. "We could lie all day in our little corner in the hut and doze and wait for the daily distribution of bread, which of course was reduced for the sick...but how content we were; happy in spite of everything...When I explained, my listeners understood why I did not find the photograph so terrible: the people shown on it might not have been so unhappy after all. Pg. 68-9.<br /><br />The second section of the book deals with what Frankl terms, logotherapy in a nutshell. The next issue is that Frankl has no consistent definition of logotherapy, so it is impossible to determine what, if anything, he wishes to convey by his dwelling on meaning.<br /><br />Pg. 120 yet in logotherapy the patient is actually confronted with and orientated towards the meaning of his life.<br />Pg. 121 Logotherapy...focuses on the meaning of human existence as well as on man's search for such a meaning.<br />Pg. 123 Logotherapy strives to find a concrete meaning in personal existence, that is to say, the will to meaning.<br />Pg. 125 Inasmuch as logotherapy makes him aware of the hidden logos of his existence, it is an analytical process.<br /> Any analysis tries to make the patient aware of what he actually longs for in the depths of his being.<br />Pg. 126 There is nothing in the world that would so effectively help one to survive even the worse conditions as the knowledge that there is meaning in one's life.<br />Pg. 127 We should not be hesitant about challenging man with a potential meaning for him to fulfill.<br />Pg. 128 so many patients complain today of the total and ultimate meaninglessness of their lives. They lack the awareness of a meaning worth living for.<br /><br />Eight different approaches in as many pages is not an ideal way to explain your concept. It is not even as if all these different definitions were closely linked for there are significant differences between them. Whilst one or two appear to suggest the need to focus a patient towards giving their life some meaning, others indulge in metaphysical twaddle suggesting there is some kind of reason for our existence. A further problem is that Frankl does not really develop a single one of these approaches into any type of coherent stream of thought. A few extra words here and there hardly makes an impact on an idea that keeps changing as the page turns. Instead each is left stranded alongside the next.<br /><br />Things don't get any better either. The next section entitled The Meaning of Life goes in completely the opposite direction.<br /><br />Pg. 130 What matters is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment<br />Pg. 130 One should not search for an abstract meaning of life.<br />Pg. 130 As each situation in life represents a challenge to man and presents a problem for him to solve, the question of the meaning of life may actually be reversed<br /><br />And so on and so forth. It would be possible to gather many more quotes in the same vein but it should be clear by now that logotherapy is anything the author wishes it to be. It can be all things to all people at any point in time. At no point does Frankl make it clear whether he is writing about meaning or purpose or in what specific terms he is writing about them. It is for these reasons that I find the book more Frankl's search for an acceptable interpretation of what he has experienced as opposed to a search for finding meaning within it. The two things are quite different. Interpretation is different to meaning in that it is dependent upon things that already have some meaning in terms of comprehension. In 1984 Frankl added to third part entitled The Case for a Tragic Optimism. It is much its predecessor in that it is often highly contradictory and flits from one interpretation to another as the pages go by. For this reason I can see little point in reiterating further the points I have already made.<br /><br />Frankl also makes several sweeping assertions through the course of his book, all totally unsupported. This one is typical and concerns those of a more artistic disposition:<br /><br />"sensitive people who were used to a rich intellectual life may have suffered much pain (they were often of a delicate constitution) but the damage to their inner selves was less. There were able to retreat from their terrible surroundings to a life of inner riches and spiritual freedom." Pg. 55<br /><br />Whether Frankl knew of the existence, even after the war, of some of the works of art, particularly music, that emerged from the camps is unclear. Foremost amongst these are pieces like Quartet for the End of Time by Oliver Messiaen and Der Kaiser von Atlantis by Viktor Ullmann. There are a number of other composers, as well as the orchestras that could be found in Theresienstadt and led by musicians such as the violinist Alma Rose. It might possibly have helped his case had he known about them, but as can be seen as soon as you read the accounts of these peoples' lives in the death camps, the wish to survive is much stronger and resonant than the wish to find meaning in their surroundings or to find meaning in their life.<br /><br />This is a book which appears symptomatic of its time. Written in the late 1950s as Europe was still struggling with the legacy of the war, existentialism was becoming at least a well known mode of thought amongst the fashionable left-bank circle. At the time it appeared to fill, so to speak, a large hole in the collective physic. Of course it was no such thing and its influence waned quickly after the collapse of the communist block in 1989. This book is sadly much the same sort of thing; more a personal attempt to come to terms with the most horrific circumstances imaginable rather than a coherent work for the benefit of mental health.<br /><br />Which brings me to my finally point. Since Frankl is trying to get us to accept his logotherapy is scientific it would be at least prudent to judge it by some reasonable scientific standard. For these purposes Karl Popper's position that a theory should be considered scientific if and only if it is falsifiable should be born in mind. It would be difficult to find a way to test logotherapy due to its fluctuating definitions and lack of clarity on its central concepts such as meaning. Popper for instance dismisses the claims of psychoanalysis to scientific status because they are not falsifiable. In the same way I dismiss the claims of logotherapy.<br /><br />Is this book a search for meaning? Answer, no. Does Frankl make an adequate explanation of logotherapy? Again, no. Does logotherapy have any bearing on meaning? No, because Frankl never establishes what it is he intends the reader to comprehend by meaning. Is logotherapy scientific? No because the constantly shifting definition does not allow it to be falsified. Does logotherapy offer any clue as to dichotomy that was Germany up to 1945. Once again, no. Whilst it might well describe more of the cruelties, Frankl's book offers no insight or answer to the dichotomy that the country which produced Thomas Mann and Albert Einstein also produced the gas chambers and honoured low-life such as Himmler. Nor does it explain how this dichotomy could be found in the regime's leaders such as Heydrich: a pervert who enjoyed playing chamber music and killing humans, and he excelled at both. Consequently I am bound to feel this book is more of an attempt by Frankl to come to terms with what happened to him as a sort of self-help course, and in the process he has found a way of providing interpretations that allow him to live his life that at least renders the past more acceptable and manageable as a memory than it might otherwise have been. That is not to say it won't be useful to some, but it is unlikely to be useful to many.<br /><br />

A strange but valuable book

No-one picks up a book on cosmic ordering with an unbiased mind. Many people believe implictly in the principles of cosmic ordering; others are profoundly sceptical, though those in the latter category are unlikely to read a book like this in the first place, and would probably dismiss it out of hand. I've read other books on cosmic ordering, and have to say that some of them were pretty unimpressive. This one is different; here's why.<br /><br />Stephen Richards has a rather unusual style of writing. Initially, this struck me as being simply an extremely conversational tone. The book reads as though it had been dictated to tape and then transcribed. Initially, it seems like one half of a conversation, in which the speaker ranges off into some seemingly-unconnected areas ranging from pyramid theory to the pineal gland to Mayan seers, not forgetting von Daniken. At first, I could not really grasp the point of this eclectic (indeed, at times, seemingly eccentric) approach. <br /><br />But then the penny dropped. The languid, conversational tone is AN EXTREMELY SUBTLE AND EFFECTIVE FORM OF MILD HYPNOSIS. As you read this book, you are being mildly hypnotised, and thereby prepared. This makes you ready for the acceptance of the action plan set out here. The action ideas are dropped like pebbles into the relaxed mind of the reader, sending out positive thoughts like ripples in a pond. When Richards 'cuts to the chase', the style changes from the languid and conversational to the precise. It's a remarkable piece of writing. <br /><br />The excellent CD by the same author - even better than the book, in many ways - confirmed to me that the aim is the acceptance of positive thinking through mild hypnosis, following the premise that positive thoughts, however created, will give positive results.<br /><br />Does it work? My tentative view is 'yes', though cosmic ordering is not capable of scientific proof or disproof. I'm witholding one star here, simply because I don't think 'cosmic ordering' really connects quite as effectively as the more spiritual school epitomised by Troward, Curtis and Fox. Fox's"Golden Key" is the true miracle tool, utterly brilliant and effective.<br /><br />This said, Richards' book is a very long way ahead of others in the cosmic ordering field. I'm sure it can change lives for the better. It is to be hoped that it will also lead readers to enquire more deeply and to read Troward et al.<br /><br />All in all, then, it's a remarkable piece of work. If you buy just one book on 'cosmic ordering', it should be this one.

The author just keeps repeating

I personally find the author`s English is quite dull, but that is not the reason why I do not like the book. It feels like she just wants to make it `100` principles despite they are all actually very similar. I forgot from where, but the best reationship advice I had ever read was to say that `You just can not MAKE a man loves you, he either does, or doesn`t`. I guess if you understand that, it is not really necessary to purchase this book.

Where was the voice of reason?

Embarrassed and angry with myself that I gave in to the hype and bought the"dummy". Now that the general public have read this book, there is a lot of balanced feedback; but, where was the voice of reason among the early reviewers / journalists who hyped it up, too much! This has to be one of the purchases that I regret to this day and honestly feel"mugged"! <br /><br />Amazon, bring"look inside" /"listen to a sample" for the audio version for all books, please!

Still the best popular book on this topic

This is a wonderful achievement of science popularisation. Sutherland had a gift for succinctly and non-technically summarising psychology experiments. In this book he surveys more than one hundred and sixty different studies that expose failings of human reasoning and judgement. Overconfidence, conformity, biased assessment of evidence and inconsistency are among the follies given their own chapters. One chapter deals with organizational (bureaucratic) irrationality.<br /><br />The point is not the banal one that there are stupid people about. It is that we all make systematic errors and biases that can lead to disaster in predictable ways. The example applications include reasoning about medical tests, military disasters, the paranormal, the Rorschach test, gambling and daft purchasing decisions.<br /><br />If society took the recommendations in this book, we would give up job interviews, stop awarding school prizes, totally reform the procedures for criminal trials and change many of the incentive structures we use to motivate people. Each chapter ends with a set of personal lessons for minimising the damage of one's inevitable human irrationality.<br /><br />This is a potentially very depressing book, but its humiliating lesson is one that, for a better public life and personal life, we need to learn. You can either learn it from a huge corpus of technical psychology literature or from this little paperback.

Diluted Distorted and too generalized

In my opinion this book is a bit reductionist- It tries to boil NLP down to lots of techniques and buzzwords but sometimes misses the big picture.<br /><br />I was confused in some places and occasionally could not understand what point the authors were trying to make.<br /><br />My biggest problem is the lack of credit for the creators of NLP Dr Richard Bandler and John Grinder. By this I mean they have not mentioned either of these people in the acknowledgments, nor have they mentioned the Society of NLP in the resource list, which should (in my opinion) be the first point of contact for people to ensure they are getting as close as possible to the original product.<br /><br />At a minimum I think this is a bit rude or perhaps naive, which is fine if its"just another NLP book" but this book is supposed to be THE first base, definitive book for the budding NLP enthusiast.<br /><br />NLP has become like chinese whispers over the years as it keeps getting diluted by self appointed expurts (some of which) have ripped people off and misused the NLP principles. (please note I am not referring to the authors in any way)<br /><br />I suggest anybody interested in NLP reads Frogs to Princes for a start or any book by Richard Bandler the latest one"conversations" is Brilliant, extremly easy to read and will really help you to look at your life in a more user friendly fashion.<br /><br />If this was a standalone book about NLP, I think its not too bad but if its supposed to be the"Bible" I'm sorry it doesn't do what it says on the tin.

A Music-Loving Neurologist Tells Us About Extreme Forms of Musical Interaction

Musicophilia made me realize how others perceive music. It was a shock. I assumed that everyone experienced music the same way. Wrong!<br /><br />Do you ever ask anyone what happens when they hear music? I didn't before I read this book. Now I plan to ask everyone.<br /><br />Dr. Sacks has the kind of fine writing style and awareness of music that makes his tales seem as appealing as the cases that Dr. Sigmund Freud wrote about. As Dr. Sacks pointed out, Dr. Freud didn't care for music so that gentleman failed to investigate and report on many of the phenomena in this book.<br /><br />We don't exactly know why the mind and body interact with music in the ways that they do. Part is undoubtedly heredity. Part is undoubtedly due to exposure to musical influences. Some may relate to the language spoken in the home. Difficulties with seeing may also be an influence. Injuries to the body and brain can play a large role. Dr. Sacks does a masterly job of using case after case to explore one aspect or another of these dimensions so that a complex picture emerges that's even more remarkable than the brain processes involved in reading.<br /><br />One of the biggest surprises in the book is that musical talent seems to be inhibited by some parts of the brain. In similar way, music can also inhibit some other brain functions that we would like to get rid of.<br /><br />I had always wondered about those with perfect pitch, and the book explores that. There are also wonderful sections on other seemingly inherited musical abilities.<br /><br />Dr. Sacks adds a lot of perspective to the history of music by making observations about various composers and the way that their compositions reflect certain musical abilities than others while explaining how the mental processes are different. Today, we can map the brain's activation in order to get clues about why certain behaviors are possible. That final perspective adds a lot to the case histories.<br /><br />If you are like me, you'll find some of the cases to be heart-wrenching. I was comforted a bit to realize that music made those sad lives better so there's reason to rejoice in that sense.<br /><br />So what was my big personal discovery? When I listen to classical music of any kind, I can choreograph a ballet along with costumes, sets, and props to go along with the music that I see in color when I close my eyes . . . even if the music has never been used for ballet. I didn't realize that others usually don't do that. What a wonder!

Essential but not particularly enjoyable reading

According to recent studies, only 30% of all communication is verbal. The other 70% is made up of the non verbal signals and gestures that come from the rest of the body (in other words body language). Assuming this to be true, it's therefore important for anyone interested in communicating effectively to fully understand the implications of body language and learn how to use it to effectively interact with all types of people.<br /><br />The Definitve Book Of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease is the international bestseller on the subject of body language and therefore a good place to start. The first 100 pages of the book are great and a journey of discovery into the the world of body language, with every page revealing something new. Many of the points made are logical and obvious if thought about hard enough but it is still fascinating to read how the way we use our body in everyday situations can be interpreted and ultimately influence the outcome of our interactions with others.<br /><br /> The book uses a number of real life examples to highlight the points it makes, some of which provide a shocking insight into events and situations of the past 10 years. One example that springs to mind and thta is regularly referred to in the book is that of Bill Clinton when he was going through the scandal of his affair with Monica Lewinski. The book manages to pin point various moments during that time where the body language of the former US president communicated a resounding"I did it".<br /><br />After the first 100 pages the book becomes a little bit repetitive and was more of an obligation than a pleasure to finish. Nevertheless I would still recommend it to anyone interested in communicating effectively, whether it be to better manage business situations or to attract more women. During the two weeks I was reading the book I became very ware of both my own and other people's body language and a number of the lessons taught in the book I still use on a regular basis.<br />