Maybe One: A Case for Smaller Families


Bill McKibben - 1999
    But the environment alone may not persuade most people to consider having just one child, as eighty percent of Americans have siblings. Powerful stereotypes about only children--that they're spoiled, selfish, or maladjusted in some way--still persist. McKibben, the proud father of an only child himself, debunks these myths, citing research about the many emotional and intellectual strengths only children possess. Contrary to the old folk wisdom, only children are very much like everyone else; they are no more likely to be lonely, shy, or difficult to get along with than children with siblings. Only children also receive the benefits of more parental resources and time that are denied to kids with siblings: higher test scores and levels of achievement in school, and greater development of positive personality traits, like maturity and self-control.At once a powerful personal argument and an accessible exploration of what overpopulation could mean to human life, Maybe One is a provocative yet well-reasoned opening to what will be an important and lasting debate.

When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep


Antonio Zadra - 2021
    Why do we dream? Do dreams hold psychological meaning or are they merely the reflection of random brain activity? What purpose do dreams serve?When Brains Dream addresses these core questions about dreams while illuminating the most up-to-date science in the field. Written by two world-renowned sleep and dream researchers, it debunks common myths; that we only dream in REM sleep, for example—while acknowledging the mysteries that persist around both the science and experience of dreaming.Antonio Zadra and Robert Stickgold bring together state-of-the-art neuroscientific ideas and findings to propose a new and innovative model of dream function called NEXTUP—Network Exploration to Understand Possibilities. By detailing this model’s workings, they help readers understand key features of several types of dreams, from prophetic dreams to nightmares and lucid dreams.

The Evil Hours: A Biography of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder


David J. Morris - 2015
    Morris — a war correspondent, former Marine, and PTSD sufferer himself — has written the essential account of this illness. Through interviews with individuals living with PTSD, forays into the scientific, literary, and cultural history of the illness, and memoir, Morris has written a book that will speak not only to those with the condition and to their loved ones, but also to all of us struggling to make sense of an anxious and uncertain time.

Weekends at Bellevue: Nine Years on the Night Shift at the Psych E.R.


Julie Holland - 2009
    Recounts stories from her vast case files that are alternately terrifying, tragically comic, and profoundly moving, all while she deals with her best friend and fellow doctor's fight with cancer.

Humiliation


Wayne Koestenbaum - 2011
    In these moments we not only witness the reversibility of success, of prominence, but also come to visceral terms with our own vulnerable selves. We can't stop watching the scene of shame, identifying with it and absorbing its nearness, and relishing our imagined immunity from its stain, even as we acknowledge the universal, embarrassing predicament of living in our own bodies. With an unusual, disarming blend of autobiography and cultural commentary, noted poet and critic Wayne Koestenbaum takes us through a spectrum of mortifying circumstances--in history, literature, art, current events, music, film, and his own life. His generous disclosures and brilliant observations go beyond prurience to create a poetics of abasement. Inventive, poignant, erudite, and playful, Humiliation plunges into one of the most disquieting of human experiences, with reflections at once emboldening and humane.

Master Dealing with Psychopaths, Sociopaths, Narcissists - A Handbook for the Empath


Transcendence - 2015
     This handbook was compiled by a once-naïve empath who encountered psychopaths in various avenues of the author's life: heart broken, illusions stripped away, career path shattered, and a radical transformation undergone. Somewhere in an abyss of self-searching darkness, the author was finally able to put the puzzle together with the help of an inkling of spiritual insight and wisdom, as well as our common human will to rebound, rebuild, regenerate and re-strategize. This instinct led to an obsessive quest to devour information through forums, books, resources, consultations. The author read over almost all available resources – from the scientific, to the practical, to the spiritual and esoteric. Thousands of hours spent in understanding the subject matter – all with the goal to provide you with a handy guide that is practical, simple and extremely useful. Cheat Sheet: Master Dealing with Psychopaths, Sociopaths, Narcissists – A Handbook for the Empath … is meant as a solid guide for empathetic individuals that you can reference over and over again. It is written with the aim to help empaths navigate this hidden terrain with practicality and total clarity. The goal for the guide is to: 1. Have an effective reminder to reference and read, again and again, especially at moments when at risk of a fall into the internal battle of controlling our “niceness” to the undeserving. 2. Thoroughly analyze and summarize the modus operandi of this type of being, giving the empath a counter-method of operation; to review again and again as a lifetime reminder. Learn: ✓ A critical list of points to read when feeling irresolute on the NCEA rule. ✓ The Psychopath pattern and method of operation at work, romance and other domains. ✓ How to repel, defend against, and ensure they can never impact you again. ✓ How to change your own mental conditioning so you are immune to their tactics. ✓ The underlying principles to influence the psychopath in the short-term and in unavoidable situations. ✓ How to maneuver yourself out of their webs. ✓ A concise but thorough summary to identify them - from experts such as Hare, Sheridan, Stout, and more. ✓ 4 strategies to get over them in real life. And much much more… The author plans to research additional topics that are important to the empath, and include them in constant future updates. For existing buyers, however, the eBook is a one-time low cost, and new updates will be free to view. Get this now while you can! Tags: Sociopath, Psychopath, Psychopath free, Psychopathic, Manipulation, Narcissist, ASPD, Mental Health, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Psychopath vs Sociopath, Anti-social, Personality Disorder, Spot Lies

The Scientist: A Novel Autobiography


John C. Lilly - 1978
    The films "Day of the Dolphin" and "Altered States" were based on his research.

Essentials of Psychiatric Diagnosis, First Edition: Responding to the Challenge of DSM-5


Allen Frances - 2013
    Covering every disorder routinely encountered in clinical practice, Frances provides the appropriate ICD-9-CM code for each one (the same code utilized in the DSM), a useful screening question, a colorful descriptive prototype, lucid diagnostic tips, and a discussion of other disorders that must be ruled out. The book closes with an index of the most common presenting symptoms, listing possible diagnoses that must be considered for each. Frances was instrumental in the development of past editions of the DSM and provides helpful cautions on questionable aspects of DSM-5.

Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind


Gary F. Marcus - 2008
    In this lucid and revealing book, Marcus argues that the mind is not an elegantly designed organ but rather a “kluge,” a clumsy, cobbled-together contraption. He unveils a fundamentally new way of looking at the human mind -- think duct tape, not supercomputer -- that sheds light on some of the most mysterious aspects of human nature.Taking us on a tour of the fundamental areas of human experience -- memory, belief, decision-making, language, and happiness -- Marcus reveals the myriad ways our minds fall short. He examines why people often vote against their own interests, why money can’t buy happiness, why leaders often stick to bad decisions, and why a sentence like “people people left left” ties us in knots even though it’s only four words long.Marcus also offers surprisingly effective ways to outwit our inner kluge, for the betterment of ourselves and society. Throughout, he shows how only evolution -- haphazard and undirected -- could have produced the minds we humans have, while making a brilliant case for the power and usefulness of imperfection.

This Time Will Be Different: A Short Book on Making Permanent Changes


Martin Meadows - 2017
    Making one attempt after another, you fail and continue to fail, and it seems there’s no way to make the change stick for longer than a couple of weeks. Perhaps… except some people somehow manage to stick to their resolutions in the long term and their lives do get better — permanently. What makes the difference between those superheroes and “mere mortals”? More importantly, can the “mortals” acquire those superpowers, or should they accept that they’ll never be able to permanently change their lives? Written by bestselling author, Martin Meadows, This Time Will Be Different: A Short Book on Making Permanent Changes goes through a 4-step process called STAR that will take you on a journey, from the moment you introduce a new change, all the way to how to live your life after you’ve successfully implemented it. Designed to be a short read packed with practical advice, you can finish the entire book in just one or two sittings and quickly begin to implement it in your own life. Here are just some of the things you’ll learn from the book: - One motivator you might not have thought about that can mean the difference between failure and success. Don’t proceed any further until you learn about it… - What motivational links are and why they’re crucial if you want to introduce permanent changes. This unique concept alone can be enough to successfully implement a change in the long term. - How to gain traction when implementing new changes. Discover CCC, a 2-step process designed to help you undergo an identity shift that leads to a permanent change. - 5 tools to help you persevere when you’re struggling to stick to your new resolution. That’s when most people give up. Avoid their fate by applying the strategies discussed in this chapter. - 3 core principles to live your success. It’s not only about reaching success; it’s also about maintaining it, which is often trickier than achieving it. Learn how to ensure permanent, long-term success. If you’re tired of consistently unsuccessful attempts and itch for a permanent positive change in your life, buy this book now and learn how to finally make this time different!

Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life


Steven Johnson - 1999
    He asks: How do we "read" other people?What is the neurochemistry behind love and sex?What does it mean that the brain is teeming with powerful chemicals closely related to recreational drugs?Why does music move us to tears?Where do breakthrough ideas come from? Johnson answers these and many more questions arising from the events of our everyday lives. You do not have to be a neuroscientist to wonder, for example, why do you smile? And why do you sometimes smile inappropriately, even if you don't want to? How do others read your inappropriate smile? How does such interplay occur neurochemically, and what, if anything, can you do about it? Fascinating and rewarding, Mind Wide Open speaks to brain buffs, self-obsessed neurotics, barstool psychologists, mystified parents, grumpy spouses, exasperated managers, and anyone who enjoys speculating and gossiping about the motivations and behaviors of other human beings. Steven Johnson shows us the transformative power of understanding brain science and offers new modes of introspection and tools for better parenting, better relationships, and better living.

Alien Information Theory: Psychedelic Drug Technologies and the Cosmic Game


Andrew R Gallimore - 2019
    But one natural psychedelic in particular towers above the rest in its astonishing power to replace the normal waking world with a bizarre alternate reality replete with a diverse panoply of intelligent alien beings. As well as being the most powerful, N, N-dimethyltryptamine, more commonly known as DMT, is also the most common naturally-occurring psychedelic and can be found in countless plant species scattered across the Earth. DMT carries a profound message embedded in our reality, a message that we are now beginning to decode.In Alien Information Theory, neurobiologist, chemist, and pharmacologist, Dr. Andrew R. Gallimore, explains how DMT provides the secret to the very structure of our reality, and how our Universe can be likened to a cosmic game that we now find ourselves playing.Gallimore explains how our reality was constructed using a fundamental code which generated our Universe -- and countless others -- as a digital device built from pure information with the purpose of enabling conscious intelligences, such as ourselves, to emerge. You will learn how fundamental digital information self-organises and complexifies to generate the myriad complex forms and organisms that fill our world; how your brain constructs your subjective world and how psychedelic drugs alter the structure of this world; how DMT switches the reality channel by allowing the brain to access information from normally hidden orthogonal dimensions of reality. And, finally, you will learn how DMT provides the secret to exiting our Universe permanently -- to complete the cosmic game and to become interdimensional citizens of hyperspace.Alien Information Theory is a unique account of this hidden structure of reality and our place within it, drawing on a diverse range of disciplines -- including neuroscience, computer science, physics, and pharmacology -- to carefully explain these complex ideas, which are illustrated with full-colour diagrams throughout.

The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement


David Brooks - 2011
    Now, with the intellectual curiosity and emotional wisdom that make his columns among the most read in the nation, Brooks turns to the building blocks of human flourishing in a multilayered, profoundly illuminating work grounded in everyday life.This is the story of how success happens. It is told through the lives of one composite American couple, Harold and Erica—how they grow, push forward, are pulled back, fail, and succeed. Distilling a vast array of information into these two vividly realized characters, Brooks illustrates a fundamental new understanding of human nature. A scientific revolution has occurred—we have learned more about the human brain in the last thirty years than we had in the previous three thousand. The unconscious mind, it turns out, is most of the mind—not a dark, vestigial place but a creative and enchanted one, where most of the brain’s work gets done. This is the realm of emotions, intuitions, biases, longings, genetic predispositions, personality traits, and social norms: the realm where character is formed and where our most important life decisions are made. The natural habitat of The Social Animal. Drawing on a wealth of current research from numerous disciplines, Brooks takes Harold and Erica from infancy to school; from the “odyssey years” that have come to define young adulthood to the high walls of poverty; from the nature of attachment, love, and commitment, to the nature of effective leadership. He reveals the deeply social aspect of our very minds and exposes the bias in modern culture that overemphasizes rationalism, individualism, and IQ. Along the way, he demolishes conventional definitions of success while looking toward a culture based on trust and humility.The Social Animal is a moving and nuanced intellectual adventure, a story of achievement and a defense of progress. Impossible to put down, it is an essential book for our time, one that will have broad social impact and will change the way we see ourselves and the world.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: it's mitochondria, not hypochondria!


Sarah Myhill - 2014
    They are the powerhouses of our cells, essential for the production and management of energy at cell level. Dr Sarah Myhill, together with Dr John McLaren Howard of Acumen Laboratories and Dr Norman Booth of Mansfield College Oxford, has spent many years studying the relationship between their malfunction and the commonest problem seen by GPs in the UK – fatigue. Their research findings have been published in three scientific papers in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, in 2009, 2012 and 2013. These studies showed that poor functioning of the mitochondria is the central problem in CFS. Patients with the worst mitochondrial function had the worst fatigue and vice versa. This is solid scientific evidence that CFS is a problem with mitochondria and has allowed the objective measurement of fatigue for the first time. With the publication of the third study, which showed that mitochondrial function tests and symptoms improved in patients who took measures to address their mitochondrial problems, Dr Myhill was ready to write this book. Here she explains the importance of healthy mitochondria, how we can measure their functioning and what we can do to keep them healthy, or restore them to health if problems arise. CFS is all in our cells, not in our minds!

The Great Ideas of Psychology


Daniel N. Robinson - 1999
    (Great Courses, #660)