My Cells My Self How 32-trillion Cells Make a Person

by Mancuso, Joseph E.

• ISBN13: 9798350999907
• ISBN10: 835099990X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2025-05-16
• Publisher: BookBaby

Summary

"My Cells My Self" is a psychological education lesson plan that the author, Joseph E. Mancuso, M.Ed., first developed in 1984. He created it when he worked as a substance abuse counselor for individuals within a residential treatment facility. The individuals were court-ordered to treatment due to criminal behavior disorders and concomitant addictions. These individuals included disadvantaged youth (many who were involved in juvenile detention) and people working through substance use and unlawful behavior. These clients appreciated that the information Mr. Mancuso shared was broken down so they could easily understand it without feeling insulted or demeaned.
When a person purchases a new car, it comes with an owner's manual so they can understand how the car is designed and can learn how to maintain and care for it over time. We are even expected to take classes and learn how to operate cars before being allowed to drive them. When operating situations arise, the owner can look to the manual for instructions on how to operate the car, fix it, or refer to their driving instructions to recall lessons learned, helping them proceed to their destinations. A full introduction to humanity can show us, we have bodies, minds, and spirits that help us to get around and get along in life. Like a car, these design features give their best performance when we have a working understanding of what they do, how they function, and opportunities to practice using them. Throughout our lives, conditions arise such as grief, depression, anger, anxiety, and mental illness that we don't know how to handle, often leading to mistakes. There is no owner's manual to the human self for us to consult… until now.
Many folks across time and cultures are drawn to the body, mind and spirit perspective and its holistic recognition of what it is to be human, but few understand its actual manifestation. Many books have been published that focus on this perspective, but none has done what "My Cells My Self" does: clarify in everyday language the natural biological foundations that give rise to human life and the body-mind-spirit connection. These concepts are presented by progressively demonstrating how our 32-trillion living cells produce our physical body, our psychology, and ultimately our personal spirituality. "My Cells My Self" takes the reader on the journey of self-discovery with humorous drawings, illustrations, and diagrams that clarify concepts, as well as practical interactive worksheets and handouts following key chapters that summarize the information being learned. These features allow an individual to understand where they are in life so they can act in real time toward reclaiming happiness and well-being.
"My Cells My Self" walks the reader through natural cellular biology in everyday language explaining how cells create the first dimension of our human body, how specialized cells of the brain give rise to the second dimension of our mind, and then how the body and mind together create the third dimension of Spirituality. As a result of this special bond between the body, mind, and spirit, the fourth dimension arises, our sense of self. "My Cells My Self" shares practical skills to practice in real time; they work because they are built on how we are built, using basic biology, psychology, and spirituality to our own benefit.

Author Biography

Mr. Mancuso's unique education has provided him with the singular conceptual vision for "My Cells My Self." He began his studies in human biology as a pre-dentistry student and changed his major to psychology after taking an elective abnormal psychology class that piqued his interest to understand the biological underpinnings of human thought. This shift in his academic interest allowed Mr. Mancuso to study how biology creates psychology as he earned his degree. Mr. Mancuso was board-certified as a clinical associate medical psychotherapist by the American Board of Medical Psychotherapists and Psychodiagnosticians in 1989, then as a Fellow and Diplomate in 2000. Mr. Mancuso was also licensed to practice in the State of Wisconsin as a clinical social worker in 1994, a professional counselor in 1996, a clinical substance abuse counselor in 1989, an intermediate clinical supervisor in 2001, and as an independent clinical supervisor in 2016, until his full retirement from clinical practice in 2025. Mr. Mancuso is also an artist whose work has been shown in local galleries. He uses pen and watercolor to draw nature and cartoons. He has always used his art while teaching clinically and treating his patients, using the blackboard, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations to explain difficult concepts and add humor to his lesson plans.