Living Your Life
A Humanist Guide to Well Being
by
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Well over 2000 years ago Socrates suggested that a full life, a complete life, a rich life is based on analyzing one’s existence. He does not, however, lend his insight as to whether this task should be accomplished via introspection, or with the help of others. But we have the timeless saying that “a joy shared is twice the joy and a trouble shared is half the trouble”. This advice precedes Freud who is given credit for recognizing that “talking things out” resolves psychological problems. Today, neurological research confirms Freud’s intuition.
Western societies are currently flooded with a vast array of possible solutions to our nearly universal modern day “Angst”. We use this term intentionally to describe what many, if not most of us, perceive to be the very absence of a rich, full life.
It is our intent to combine a number of psychological realties with a dose of philosophy, even some speculative proposals, all aimed at successful self analysis and ultimately a deeper sense of life, making our trip on earth more satisfying.
What we will offer might be viewed as a mirror, but a mirror which talks back. A journey, together, going back to our first memories, and slowly reviewing impact filled events, memorable emotions, and digging up happenings deeply buried by us in our minds in order to make them less painful.
Is life little more than an effort to maximize pleasure while minimizing pain? We see this approach as zero sum game, a surrender to little more than just “getting by”. It is our objective to reach a new level of true satisfaction about life with ourselves and others.
From our first day on earth on, we are exposed to others. These others often are to a considerable extent responsible for shaping our own lives. This external conditioning we may perceive as positive or negative. We, in turn may find ourselves in a position of influencing the lives of others. The outcomes of these interactions are powerful, putting in question the very concepts of “free will” and self determination.
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About the Book
Western societies are beset by what some call stress, others name "angst". The pace of life, the rapidity of change, the lack of time to rest, relax and find inner peace have most of us ill at ease with ourselves. Common symptoms are tension, substance abuse, anxiety, depression, psychosomatic illness, all topped off by an over riding lack of purpose.
The authors address all of the most common psychological problems in down to earth language. They encourage the reader to self diagnose not only the symptoms causing discomfort, but to dig up the underlying causes of psychological distress. Included in this brief and concise book are chapters covering specific disorders, diagnosis, who can offer help and a long list of simple, universally available self help aids to better mental health.
About the Author
Lynda W. Schmidt is a Jungian Psychoanalyst and a member of the San Francisco Jung Institute. Her academic credentials were earned at the
Klaus D. Schmidt received his academic degrees from UC Berkeley, Stanford and