In The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature, Dr. William James takes aim at the nature of religion from a scientific/academic point of view-something that had, until this landmark work, been sorely missed. James believed that the study of the origin of an object or concept should not play a role in the study of its value. As an example, he alluded to the Quaker religion and its founder, George Fox. Many scientists immediately reject all aspects of the Quaker religion because evidence suggests that Fox was schizophrenic. Calling this rejection medical materialism, he insisted that the origin of Fox's notions about religion should not be considered when placing a value on them. He pointed out that many believed El Greco to have suffered from astigmatism, yet no one would dismiss his art based on this medical detail. "Scientific theories are organically conditioned just as much as religious emotions are; and if we only knew the facts intimately enough, we should doubtless see 'the liver' determining the dicta of the sturdy atheist as decisively as it does those of the Methodist under conviction anxious about his soul. When it alters in one way the blood that percolates it, we get the Methodist, when in another way, we get the atheist form of mind."- Dr. William James

Mr. Sam Rhodes' warm personality captivates audiences as he speaks on coping with Suicide and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He inspires others by teaching how to build Psychological Resilience. He speaks on regular occasions to military units across the Country Fort Jackson, Fort Leavenworth, Fort Benning, Fort Gordon, Fort Polk as well as National Guard Organizations in Massachutes, Rhode Island and Kentucky, etc ... His efforts doesn't stop with Active Duty and National Guard he also is scheduled to speaks to reserve Organizations such as Fort Hamilton New York, He also has travel to Boston Veterans Administration Hospital and spoke to numerous groups of Home-less Veterans. He has spoken at many more events- including the Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Conference at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio, TX in Jan 2009 and to many other Organizations. He has voluntarily worked with numerous organizations focused on "Changing the Army's Culture of Silence" when dealing with mental health Issues. His unique background includes over 29 years service in the Army, were he held numerous enlisted leadership positions culminating in his Assignment as a Brigade Command Sergeant Major. He has served in Operation Iraqi Freedom I, II, and III with a total of 30 months Combat experience from April of 2003 to November of 2005. His unique approaches, style and personal courage have been featured on NBC 38 "Unity with Pam," in the Fort Benning Bayonet, Fort Gordon Signal, and Fort Jackson Leader newspapers and the Benning TV. He has received praise from the Chief of Staff of the Army, General George W. Casey; Sergeant Major of the Army, Kenneth O. Preston; the Defense Center of Excellence for Mental Health General Laurie Sutton; and LTG Whitcomb. Rosemarie Annese, Vice President & Blue to Gold Liaison, Blue Star Mothers, MA Chapter 1

Is death the end? Will there really be an afterlife? Does the Christian teaching about Heaven actually bring anyone real peace? Having been plagued by such questions, the author set out to find answers. This book is the result of one man's struggle with the certainty of the grave. In the first half, the scriptures are applied in an attempt to develop a Christian view of demise. However, section two draws on the best evidence from philosophy, science, history and personal experience that death is not the end. Throughout the book various types of death are examined and each one is likened to a doorway. If death is a doorway, everyone has their own idea of what it will look like. All of this enables the reader to construct a healthy view of death's door so that they may one day pass gracefully. Whether you are wrestling with the death of a loved one, facing the end of your own life, or live in fear of the grave, Death is a Doorway was written for you.

A team of leading experts investigate a range of philosophical issues to do with the self and self-knowledge. Self and Self-Knowledge focuses on two main problems: how to account for I-thoughts and the consequences that doing so would have for our notion of the self; and how to explain subjects' ability to know the kind of psychological states they enjoy, which characteristically issues in psychological self-ascriptions. The first section of the volume consists of essays that, by appealing to different considerations which range from the normative to the phenomenological, offer an assessment of the animalist conception of the self. The second section presents an examination as well as a defence of the new epistemic paradigm, largely associated with recent work by Christopher Peacocke, according to which knowledge of our own mental states and actions should be based on an awareness of them and of our attempts to bring them about. The last section explores a range of different perspectives-from neo-expressivism to constitutivism-in order to assess the view that self-knowledge is more robust than any other form of knowledge. While the contributors differ in their specific philosophical positions, they all share the view that careful philosophical analysis is needed before scientific research can be fruitfully brought to bear on the issues at hand. These thought-provoking essays provide such an analysis and greatly deepen our understanding of these central aspects of our mentality.

An authoritative, comprehensive, and highly accessible assessment of the happiest and least happy countries and cities in the world, as well as of the happiest and least happy cities and states in the United States. Which are the happiest countries in the world and which nations are the least contented? Which cities in the world are considered the happiest and unhappiest? Which American cities and states are at the top of the list and which ones rank poorly? Presenting findings that are based on solid data and authoritative information, this book offers a bold take on the geography of happiness around the world-and presents results that are often unexpected. It enables readers to make informed cross-cultural comparisons between countries and world cities, and uniquely synthesizes global information in a way that allows us answer the important question: "What makes us happy?" A book like no other, Global Happiness: A Guide to the Most Contented (and Discontented) Places around the Globe tackles the complex equation of determining what places offer the happiest living experiences by considering quality of life, prospects for the future, social relations, confidence in good government, and many other factors that together constitute critical differences in living experience. The author-a professor of geography and urban studies as well as a world traveler-also takes into account the current events, politics, and environmental situations of specific regions, states, and cities, and considers what residents of the cities and countries say about their own places to derive accurate and fair assessments. Supplies insightful and interesting information about all of the most contented and least contented countries and cities around the globe-and the factors that make the people who live in these places notably happy or discontented Examines and explains the complexity of happiness and contentment as they apply to specific places and regions in the world Synthesizes and evaluates the maze of existing rankings of cities and countries in the world with fresh and original information to produce a novel assessment of the geography of global happiness Presents information about cities and countries in all parts of the world fairly and in both positive and negative lights

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Memory and Emotion: Interdisciplinary Perspectives "is a collection of original articles, written by leading researchers, in one of the fastest-growing areas in psychology. The chapters explore cutting-edge research in memory and emotion, and discuss relevant findings, methodological techniques, and theoretical advances.

The collection covers many of the current hot topics in the field, such as the effects of stress, arousal, anxiety, and depression on memory; the influence of discrete emotions on memory; dissociative amnesia and post-traumatic stress disorder; false, recovered, and traumatic memories; flashbulb memories; the use of emotional memories in therapy; the influence of emotion on autobiographical memory; emotion/memory interactions across the adult lifespan; and neural correlates of these and other phenomena. "

Memory and Emotion" covers contemporary advances in research on memory and emotion by emphasizing cognitive neuroscience, psychopathology, and aging, and will be essential reading for students, researchers, and scholars in the field.

This powerfully moving, brutally honest and inspiring memoir tells of the tumultuous life of renowned Melbourne-based Australian psychotherapist and Beyond Blue ambassador, Jane Leigh. Born in Singapore and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Jane's childhood was filled with emotional trauma. As a child, she suffered sexual assault at the hands of her parents and in her adolescent years, by priests of the Roman Catholic Church. At seventeen years of age, Jane was raped then forced into a loveless marriage, leaving her a single mother of two children at the age of twenty-three. Just as Jane began her struggle for survival, she was hit by more devastating news - the savage murder of her uncle David, the only true father she ever had. These events resulted in Jane being diagnosed with chronic depression and finally led to her severe mental breakdown in 2002, where she was confronted with two choices: Give up or stand and fight. Jane chose to confront the crippling impact of her sexual abuse and the aftermath left in the wake of its trauma. From legally confronting the unethical methods of one of Australia's largest private pathology companies to a series of failed, abusive relationships with men, Jane's touching story narrates her long, arduous journey of counselling, therapy, self-discovery and eventual healing. Jane went on to further her education and obtained her Masters degree in Counselling with Monash University. In 2007, Jane set up her own private counselling practice in western Melbourne, where, till this day, she continues, through her profession, personal experience and role as a Beyond Blue ambassador, to help thousands of people suffering from the debilitating effects of mental illness caused by trauma and abuse.

When will there be normal solutions for the emotional pains of normal people? In recent times, it has become quite difficult to tell what is normal from what is abnormal in any mind. Any attempt to define what is "normal" tends to raise unnecessary debates due to one of the ABCs of the mind - its fluidity. However what is more important in the midst of unhelpful arguments and debates are people suffering in an epidemic of unhappiness. Unfortunately, because there are no statutory services for normal people who are suffering psychologically, but are not mentally disordered per se, the treatments for disordered people are routinely offered to normal people to little or no avail. By focusing on the fundamentals of the mind, this book uses the normality of difficult emotional experiences, their natural antidotes and prevention to offer a route to happiness and fulfillment.