Prisoners of Our Thoughts

by PATTAKOS, ALEX PH.D

• ISBN13: 9781605095240
• ISBN10: 1605095249
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2010-07-05
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Summary

World-renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning is one of the most important books of modern times. Frankl's personal story of finding a reason to live amidst the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps has inspired millions. In Prisoners of Our Thoughts, Dr. Alex Pattakos-whom Frankl urged to write this book-elaborates seven "core principles" based on Frankl's philosophy and demonstrates how they can help us find meaning in our everyday lives and work.

This second edition features new stories and examples of people who have applied the principles in the book or who exemplify them; new practical exercises and applications; and a new chapter, "The Meaning Difference," which summarizes research demonstrating the critical role of meaning in improving the quality of people's lives, increasing happiness, promoting health and wellness, and achieving their highest potential.

“This landmark book underscores how the search for meaning is intimately related to and positively influences health improvement at all levels. Reading Prisoners of Our Thoughts is an insightful prescription for promoting health and wellness!”-Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD, Professor, University of Arizona and University of California, San Francisco Schools of Medicine; Chairman, American Health Association; and author of The Best Alternative Medicine.

Author Biography

Alex Pattakos, Ph.D., is a principal of The Innovation Group (www.seedsofinnovation.com) and the founder of the Center for Meaning, both based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.  He has been a full-time professor of business and public administration (including serving as a graduate program head) and has served as an advisor to executives in both corporations and governments internationally on issues relating to innovation management, policy analysis, and organizational redesign.  He is a former therapist and mental health administrator and has worked closely with several Presidential administrations on social policy matters and served as an adviser to the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The World Future Society credits him as the inventor of the concept of the "Electronic Visiting Professor" for his pioneering work in on-line, distance learning.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. v
Preface to the Second Edition	p. xiii
Life Doesn't Just Happen to Us	p. 1
Viktor Frankl's Lifework and Legacy	p. 15
Labyrinths of Meaning	p. 27
Exercise the Freedom to Choose Your Attitude	p. 41
Realize Your Will to Meaning	p. 65
Detect the Meaning of Life's Moments	p. 91
Don't Work Against Yourself	p. 113
Look at Yourself from a Distance	p. 131
Shift Your Focus of Attention	p. 143
Extend Beyond Yourself	p. 157
Living and Working with Meaning	p. 173
The Meaning Difference“	p. 187
Notes	p. 215
References	p. 223
Acknowledgments	p. 225
Index	p. 229
About the Author	p. 235
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