As with her previous book, which Michael Pollan praised in the New York Times Book Review as "a challenge to our prevailing notions of science and journalism and even literary narrative," A Mind Apart employs a unique fusion of literary genres to draw readers into the experience of people with neurological conditions and to consider what their alternate ways of perceiving may, in fact, have to teach us. According to the United States Department of Health the number of people being diagnosed with autism has been increasing by approximately twenty percent a year over the last decade. AD/HD, Tourette's, and chronic depression have been spreading at commensurate rates. Sifting through the many abilities that underlie these and other mental "disabilities"- the "visual consciousness" of an autistic or the "metaphoric consciousness" of a manic-depressive-Antonetta reveals just how much "normally" functioning people can learn from those with neurological disorders. This fascinating blend of memoir, journalism, and science will be of deep interest to readers of Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures or Andrew Solomon's The Noonday Demon.

    Joel Salinas is a Harvard-trained researcher and neurologist with extraordinary gifts that provide him unique access to his patients and enable him to experience life in an extraordinary way. He has mirror-touch synesthesia, a neurological trait that allows him to feel others’ emotions and physical sensations. Susceptible to the pain and discomfort of his patients—most of whom suffer from strokes, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, and a host of other painful disorders and extreme injuries—Salinas uses his heightened emphatic ability—what he calls "compulsory mindfulness"—to help understand and better treat their conditions.Using his own experiences as a neurologist and synesthete as a narrative through line, Salinas also shares the remarkable stories of equally remarkable subjects who similarly live in a heightened state of awareness, whether because of a congenital condition, after a seemingly debilitating stroke, or amidst an ecstatic seizure.Written with intelligence and compassion, and anchored by the latest developments in neurology, psychology and psychiatry, Mirror Touch is an enthralling investigation into the power of the brain—one that proves that the mind, in wondrous and mysterious fashion, continues to promise exciting and inexhaustible ways to think, to see, and to be.

    Other bestselling works of neurobiology and the mind have focused on mental illness and abnormal behaviors—like the Oliver Sacks classic, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat—but The Other Side of Normal is an eye-opening, thought-provoking, utterly fascinating and totally accessible exploration of the universals of human experience. It will change forever our understanding of who we are and what makes us that way.

    Rick Strassman conducted US DEA-approved clinical research at the University of New Mexico in which he injected 60 volunteers with DMT, one of the most powerful psychedelics known. His detailed account of those sessions is an inquiry into the nature of the human mind and the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. DMT, a plant-derived chemical that is also manufactured by the human brain, consistently produced near-death and mystical experiences. Many volunteers reported convincing encounters with intelligent nonhuman presences, especially "aliens." Nearly all felt that the sessions were among the most profound experiences of their lives.Strassman's research connects DMT with the pineal gland, considered by Hindus to be the site of the seventh chakra and by René Descartes to be the seat of the soul. DMT: The Spirit Molecule makes the case that DMT, naturally released by the pineal gland, facilitates the soul's movement in and out of the body and is an integral part of the birth and death experiences, as well as the highest states of meditation and even sexual transcendence. Strassman also believes that alien abduction experiences are brought on by accidental releases of DMT. If used wisely, DMT could trigger a period of remarkable progress in the scientific exploration of the most mystical regions of the human mind and soul.

    Peter Levine (creator of the Somatic Experiencing approach) tackles one of the most difficult and controversial questions of PTSD/trauma therapy: Can we trust our memories? While some argue that traumatic memories are unreliable and not useful, others insist that we absolutely must rely on memory to make sense of past experience. Building on his 45 years of successful treatment of trauma and utilizing case studies from his own practice, Dr. Levine suggests that there are elements of truth in both camps. While acknowledging that memory can be trusted, he argues that the only truly useful memories are those that might initially seem to be the least reliable: memories stored in the body and not necessarily accessible by our conscious mind.While much work has been done in the field of trauma studies to address "explicit" traumatic memories in the brain (such as intrusive thoughts or flashbacks), much less attention has been paid to how the body itself stores "implicit" memory, and how much of what we think of as "memory" actually comes to us through our (often unconsciously accessed) felt sense. By learning how to better understand this complex interplay of past and present, brain and body, we can adjust our relationship to past trauma and move into a more balanced, relaxed state of being. Written for trauma sufferers as well as mental health care practitioners, Trauma and Memory is a groundbreaking look at how memory is constructed and how influential memories are on our present state of being.

    Whether you are a family member or a therapist, in this book you will find hope in what the new research is revealing about the problem of poor insight into illness. Prepare to be surprised and to have new hope. There is much you can do to conquer denial.

    A new introduction by Peter Kramer sheds light on the significance of Dr. Rogers's work today. New discoveries in the field of psychopharmacology, especially that of the antidepressant Prozac, have spawned a quick-fix drug revolution that has obscured the psychotherapeutic relationship. As the pendulum slowly swings back toward an appreciation of the therapeutic encounter, Dr. Rogers's "client-centered therapy" becomes particularly timely and important.

    Children have trouble waiting for anything. (“Are we there yet?”) Boredom is often connected to our sense of time passing (or not passing). As people grow older, time seems to speed up, the years flitting by without a pause. How does our sense of time come about? In Felt Time, Marc Wittmann explores the riddle of subjective time, explaining our perception of time—whether moment by moment, or in terms of life as a whole. Drawing on the latest insights from psychology and neuroscience, Wittmann offers a new answer to the question of how we experience time.Wittmann explains, among other things, how we choose between savoring the moment and deferring gratification; why impulsive people are bored easily, and why their boredom is often a matter of time; whether each person possesses a personal speed, a particular brain rhythm distinguishing quick people from slow people; and why the feeling of duration can serve as an “error signal,” letting us know when it is taking too long for dinner to be ready or for the bus to come. He considers the practice of mindfulness, and whether it can reduce the speed of life and help us gain more time, and he describes how, as we grow older, subjective time accelerates as routine increases; a fulfilled and varied life is a long life. Evidence shows that bodily processes—especially the heartbeat—underlie our feeling of time and act as an internal clock for our sense of time. And Wittmann points to recent research that connects time to consciousness; ongoing studies of time consciousness, he tells us, will help us to understand the conscious self.

    Kept within arm's reach of all mental health professionals, this invaluable "one-stop" reference will prepare you to teach students and treat patients more effectively with its truly integrative psychodynamic approach.The author has meticulously updated every chapter of the previous edition, adding new illustrative case examples and discussing the most recent research findings and concepts in psychodynamic psychiatry. It introduces the basic principles of psychodynamic psychiatry and the four fundamental theoretical frameworks derived from psychoanalytic theory: ego psychology, object relations theory, self psychology, and attachment theory. Drawing on the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience to validate the latest psychodynamic thinking, the author includes neuroanatomical illustrations that highlight the need to integrate psychoanalytic theories of development with brain development and the impact of environment on gene expression.The eminently practical Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice is organized into three distinct sections based on DSM-IV diagnoses: - Section I, Basic Principles and Treatment Approaches in Dynamic Psychiatry, begins by laying a foundation in psychoanalytic theory. It focuses on how to apply psychoanalytic theory to specific types of evaluation and treatment, including psychodynamic assessment, brief therapy, individual and group psychotherapy, family and marital therapy, pharmacotherapy, and hospital/partial hospital treatment.- Section II, Dynamic Approaches to Axis I Disorders, covers the major psychiatric disorders and discusses how to apply psychodynamic understanding to the treatment of patients with these disorders.- Section III, Dynamic Approaches to Axis II Disorders, provides a psychodynamic understanding of personality disorders and covers in detail the principles of psychodynamic psychotherapy for these conditions.The fourth edition of Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice details the theory of psychodynamic psychotherapy and the adaptation of psychodynamic thinking to specific disorders. As such, it is an ideal companion to Dr. Gabbard's Long-Term Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Basic Text, which details the techniques of dynamic psychotherapy.The bestselling Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Clinical Practice is the definitive reference for training programs of all kinds at all levels. This new edition provides a clear synthesis of diagnostic understanding and treatment unmatched in the literature. Marked by Dr. Gabbard's distinctly lucid and compelling prose, it is the ultimate psychiatric guide for the busy clinician and mental health student.

    With wisdom gained through years of medical practice and research, Scattered Minds is a must-read for parents – and for anyone interested how experiences in infancy shape the biology and psychology of the human brain.Scattered Minds:- Demonstrates that ADD is not an inherited illness, but a reversible impairment and developmental delay- Explains that in ADD, circuits in the brain whose job is emotional self-regulation and attention control fail to develop in infancy – and why- Shows how ‘distractibility’ is the psychological product of life experience- Allows parents to understand what makes their ADD children tick, and adults with ADD to gain insights into their emotions and behaviours- Expresses optimism about neurological development even in adulthood- Presents a programme of how to promote this development in both children and adults

    The 'Flynn Effect' refers to the massive increase in IQ test scores over the course of the twentieth century and the term was coined to recognize Professor Flynn's central role in measuring and analyzing these gains. For over twenty years, psychologists have struggled to understand the implications of IQ gains. Do they mean that each generation is more intelligent than the last? Do they suggest how each of us can enhance our own intelligence? Professor Flynn is finally ready to give his own views. He asks what intelligence really is and gives a surprising and illuminating answer. This book bridges the gulf that separates our minds from those of our ancestors a century ago. It is a fascinating and unique book that makes an important contribution to our understanding of human intelligence.

    Now, Dr. Paul Babiak and Dr. Robert D. Hare return with a revised and updated edition of their essential guide.All of us at some point have—or will—come into contact with psychopathic individuals. The danger they present may not be readily apparent because of their ability to charm, deceive, and manipulate. Although not necessarily criminal, their self-serving nature frequently is destructive to the organizations that employ them. So how can we protect ourselves and our organizations in a business climate that offers the perfect conditions for psychopaths to thrive?In Snakes in Suits, Hare, an expert on the scientific study of psychopathy, and Babiak, an industrial and organizational psychologist and a leading authority on the corporate psychopath, examine the role of psychopaths in modern corporations and provide the tools employers can use to avoid and deal with them. Together, they have developed the B-Scan 360, a research tool designed specifically for business professionals.Dr. Babiak and Dr. Hare reveal the secret lives of psychopaths, explain the ways in which they manipulate and deceive, and help you to see through their games. The rapid pace of today’s corporate environment provides the perfect breeding ground for these "snakes in suits" and this newly revised and updated classic gives you the insight, information, and power to protect yourself and your company before it’s too late.

    The latest research on sleep, however, points in the opposite direction. Where old wives tales have long advised to "sleep on a problem," today scientists are discovering the truth behind these folk sayings, and how the busy brain radically improves our minds through sleep and dreams. In The Secret World of Sleep, neuroscientist Penny Lewis explores the latest research into the nighttime brain to understand the real benefits of sleep. She shows how, while our body rests, the brain practices tasks it learned during the day, replays traumatic events to mollify them, and forges connections between distant concepts. By understanding the roles that the nocturnal brain plays in our waking life, we can improve the relationship between the two, and even boost creativity and become smarter. This is a fascinating exploration of one of the most surprising corners of neuroscience that shows how science may be able to harness the power of sleep to improve learning, health, and more.

    Fortunately, effective help is out there. No one is a better guide to how to get the best care—and what sufferers can do for themselves—than renowned ADHD researcher/clinician Russell A. Barkley. Dr. Barkley provides step-by-step strategies for managing symptoms and reducing their harmful impact. Readers get hands-on self-assessment tools and skills-building exercises, plus clear answers to frequently asked questions about medications and other treatments. Specific techniques are presented for overcoming challenges in critical areas where people with the disorder often struggle—work, finances, relationships, and more. Finally, an authoritative one-stop resource for adults with ADHD who are ready to take back their lives.See also Dr. Barkley's bestselling resource on childhood ADHD, Taking Charge of ADHD, Third Edition: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents.

     Today only, get this Amazon #1 bestseller for just $4.99. Regularly priced at $9.99. Read on your PC, Mac, Smartphone, Tablet, or Kindle device. Nowadays, people often use the term “psychopath” to refer to criminals and people with violent tendencies. However, this abusive use of the word has led people to believe that any two-bit criminal immediately falls under the psychopath category. Regardless of these misconceptions (or perhaps because of them), psychopathy is a fascinating subject for most people. This book aims to set the record straight, once and for all, about psychopathy and how exactly the mind of a psychopath works. Delve into the minds of the world’s most famous psychopaths and discover the twisted logic that makes them commit horrific crimes without showing any signs of remorse. Why do they enjoy inflicting pain and suffering on other people, without qualms or any twinges of conscience? Now, lets switch gears and explore Sociopathy. Is society to be blamed for the negative perception of sociopaths? As serial killers and notorious criminals in history prove sociopaths can be extremely dangerous individuals. Their presence itself is threatening and they must be dealt with great precaution. While they can be fearsome and their existence troubling, they do stir intrigue. We cannot help but wonder about their nature simply because they are different. They are far from normal. In reading this book, you have to keep this in mind: Sociopathy is defined as a syndrome that makes a person incapable to emotionally condition his social experiences. Sociopaths essentially lack the ability to emotionally organize. This is why they do not feel empathy and other feelings which are normal to other people. This segment has four main goals. One is to help you understand the condition beyond the textbook definition of sociopathy. Two, I hope that you can effectively utilize the information presented in this book to spread awareness and help prevent the number of children growing up to become sociopaths. Three, this book is for your own safety and protection. Finally, I’d like to discuss the growing epidemic of Narcissism with you. As you cross the street, you are highly likely to come across a narcissist, and this would only mean one thing: they are common. Of course, there are two sides of the same coin when it comes to this type of personality. This segment will provide you with all the information that you will ever need to understand narcissism and the narcissistic personality disorder. Here you be able to know how to identify someone who is a narcissist, read up on ideas about whether this is a good or a bad thing and how to control the self one is narcissistic. It is amazing what you can learn from the mind of a narcissist or others with a personality disorder or mental illness. You will find many new discoveries within yourself and society when you start reading this book! Here Is A Preview Of What You'll Learn... Personality Disorders and Mental Illnesses Psychopathy Defined Personality Disorders and Psychopathy Crime and Psychopaths Psychopaths vs. Sociopaths Sociopath Defined The Goal of a Sociopath The Weaknesses of a Sociopath Dealing with a Sociopath Is there Hope for a Sociopath? Narcissism Defined The Narcissist in You The Narcissists of Today