Synopsis: Keeping a secret is the first step in becoming an individual. Telling it is the second step. Endorsements: Paul Tournier's gifts as a communicator of the complexities of human relationships shine throughout this gem of a book. Follow his blend of developmental psychology and theology, and you will be surprised at this natural boundary-crossing, and also profoundly enriched. --John Cox, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Keele University, and former Secretary General of the World Psychiatric Association. Author Biography: Paul Tournier (1898-1986) was a general practitioner in Geneva and also an active Christian. In 1940, he published his first book, La Medecine de la Personne, later translated into English as The Healing of Persons. He changed his medical practice by taking most of his time for listening and talking to his patients, not only considering the physical dimension of their being but also the psychological and spiritual dimensions. In 1947, he founded the International Group of Medicine of the Person. He wrote many books which were widely received throughout the world and were translated into more than thirty languages.

Synopsis: The notion that there are two kinds of human beings, the strong and the weak, is dispelled in this helpful and balanced study of psychic strength and spiritual strength. We are much more alike than we may think, says Paul Tournier, the renowned Swiss psychotherapist and student of the Bible. What is different is the external mask that hides identical inner weaknesses and fears. All of us are afraid of others, of God, of ourselves, of life, and of death. What distinguishes us from one another is the way we react to our common distress. In vivid case histories from his notebook, Dr. Tournier illustrates the importance of self understanding in the advancement of healing in Christian freedom. He turns to the Bible to show that the Christian message of sin and grace helps us to accept ourselves realistically in the confidence that God has already accepted us in Jesus Christ. It is through the power derived from Him that we are enabled to find hope and freedom from fear. This book, with its refreshing insights into the parts played by psychology and religion in human problems, opens up new perspectives for people seeking self knowledge and provides an invaluable resource for pastoral and other counselors. Author Biography: Paul Tournier (1898-1986) was a general practitioner in Geneva and also an active Christian. In 1940, he published his first book, La Medecine de la Personne, later translated into English as The Healing of Persons. He changed his medical practice by taking most of his time for listening and talking to his patients, not only considering the physical dimension of their being but also the psychological and spiritual dimensions. In 1947, he founded the International Group of Medicine of the Person. He wrote many books which were widely received throughout the world and were translated into more than thirty languages.

Paul Tournier has practised medicine in Geneva since 1928, as a physician who acquired psychiatric training and experience because he learned that many of his patients needed help going deeper than drugs or surgery. Many of his books are in paperback editions, including A Doctor's Casebook in the Light of the Bible, The Meaning of Persons, Escape from Loneliness, The Strong and the Weak, The Person Reborn and A Place for You. Previous books by Dr Tournier have, he remarks, grown spontaneously out of his work and experience. Now, for the first time, he writes at the request of his English and American publishers on a topic not of his own choosing: old age and retirement. 'It sounds rather like homework', he commented, because although he is now seventy-three he is still young in spirit and has by no means retired from active life. But he accepted the invitation, because of his firm belief that the problems of old age and retirement concern not only the elderly, but also the whole of society. How we grow old depends upon the way we live throughout our life and the kind of social conditions that we create.Here, then, is a book of personal counsel for those for whom retirement is, or soon will be, a reality. Yet at the same time it is a book for everyone concerned that ours should be a humane society, to learn from while there is still time."

Synopsis: When we give something to someone we enter into a many-sided relationship, for in return we hope for the gift of love. Endorsements: "Paul Tournier's discovery of a 'Medicine of the Person' came from his experience that a more open encounter with others (which challenged his natural shyness) was therapeutic. This discovery changed his subsequent medical approach to his patients. "This book looks beneath the surface of these human encounters. It was a gift to his wife--and is a gift to the reader. You will discover what makes these values of universal relevance." --John Cox, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Keele University, and former Secretary General of the World Psychiatric Association Author Biography: Paul Tournier (1898-1986) was a general practitioner in Geneva and also an active Christian. In 1940, he published his first book, La Medecine de la Personne, later translated into English as The Healing of Persons. He changed his medical practice by taking most of his time for listening and talking to his patients, not only considering the physical dimension of their being but also the psychological and spiritual dimensions. In 1947, he founded the International Group of Medicine of the Person. He wrote many books which were widely received throughout the world and were translated into more than thirty languages.

Among the tributes to The Meaning of Persons were those in Theology ('Rich in experience . . . most helpful and stimulating'); in The Social Service Quarterly (`Sincerity, honesty and experience . . . the reviewing of this book has led to my having a spiritual experiehce'); and in Mental Health (`Of rare quality . . . his humility, charity and wisdom'). 'It is a book which a man should read, not only because it is of absorbing interest', said the Expository Times, and Dr Max Warren reviewed it as 'a brilliant study on how to help our contemporaries meet Christ'.

Paul Tournier, who now lives actively in retirement, was a general practitioner in Geneva for nearly fifty years. Although he never had a specialist training in psychiatry and disclaims the title of psychiatrist, his own experiences, and his discovery that many of his patients needed help going deeper than drugs or surgery, led him to develop and practise what he calls 'the medicine of the person', in which medical knowledge, understanding and religion are combined. His books include A Doctor's Casebook in the Light of the Bible, Escape from Loneliness, Learning to Grow Old, Marriage Difficulties, The Meaning of Persons, The Person Reborn, A Place for You, The Strong and the Weak and What's in a Name? A Tournier Companion is being published in 1976. Of The Adventure of Living the Church Times wrote: 'This author's own immense zest for living infects his writing, while his religious sincerity makes very moving his appeal for a closer walk with God as the only thing which can finally unlock the door to happiness. This is a book to be warmly commended to the thoughtful reader and one which, incidentally, should do much to encourage those who are often depressed by the apparent incompatibility between Christian faith and modern science.'

Synopsis: No one has the right to equate Christianity with weakness or to imagine that the Bible teaches us always to surrender. The biblical message proclaims the sovereign greatness of God which transcends all lesser principles or standards which we might wish to draw from it. Man's great temptation is to want to know by himself what is good and what is evil. He wants to know whether he should withstand or not, but without needing any counsel from God. What is good in the Bible is not this thing or that. It is not a matter of resisting or giving in. It is doing what God wants and when he wants it: it is total dependence upon his person, not upon a moral code. Endorsements: "This book is a Cri de Coeur that crosses the boundaries of Science and Values which are integral to the Person. It is as relevant today as it was when the post-World War II upheavals challenged both the churches and the medical profession. It is a heartfelt universal proclamation from beginning to end." -- John Cox, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Keele University, and former Secretary General of the World Psychiatric Association. Author Biography: Paul Tournier (1898-1986) was a general practitioner in Geneva and also an active Christian. In 1940, he published his first book, La Medecine de la Personne, later translated into English as The Healing of Persons. He changed his medical practice by taking most of his time for listening and talking to his patients, not only considering the physical dimension of their being but also the psychological and spiritual dimensions. In 1947, he founded the International Group of Medicine of the Person. He wrote many books which were widely received throughout the world and were translated into more than thirty languages.

Synopsis: In the light both of the Bible and of modern science we are confronted not with an abstract and generalized man, but with men who are concrete and personal. They are always in their context, in a certain relationship to the world, to others, and to God. They are always changing. This changing is made up of seasons, stages in their lives, each of which has its own characteristics and peculiar laws. It is in this life story that God's plan may be accomplished. This is what is intimated by the title The Seasons of Life: a man in movement, continually undergoing change, a man living in history, unfolding from his birth until his death. The very movement implies meaning in life. Endorsements: "This public lecture of Paul Tournier shows his particular brilliance as a communicator. Here he draws on conversations with his wife, his patients, and his friends to give the reader his own credo, 'It is the whole of life that we embrace in one look (encounter with God) and that already is overflowing into resurrection.'" --John Cox, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Keele University, and former Secretary General of the World Psychiatric Association. Author Biography: Paul Tournier (1898-1986) was a general practitioner in Geneva and also an active Christian. In 1940, he published his first book, La Medecine de la Personne, later translated into English as The Healing of Persons. He changed his medical practice by taking most of his time for listening and talking to his patients, not only considering the physical dimension of their being but also the psychological and spiritual dimensions. In 1947, he founded the International Group of Medicine of the Person. He wrote many books which were widely received throughout the world and were translated into more than thirty languages.

Synopsis: In this warm, sensitive, fact-filled book, Paul Tournier deals specifically with many aspects of aging: society's attitude towards the elderly; second careers; the quality of life; financial difficulties; boredom; health; loneliness; and facing death. He believes we must all learn to grow old, and that the process is most successfully accomplished when we prepare and plan for it throughout life. Tournier offers a variety of suggestions to help make growing old not an end but a new beginning, filled with purpose and hope. He suggests ways to remain active and to use leisure to its best advantage without letting it become a tyrant. He also provides insights on taking up new interests, such as becoming involved with young people and new ideas, and learning to pray, to meditate, to acquire wisdom, and to draw increasing strength and inspiration from the reality of divine presence and power. Endorsements: "Dr. Tournier wrote this book when he was seventy-two years of age. His accounts of a meaningful life and a meaningful death will enrich the reader--yet he offers no easy answers. This writing, which blends his experience as a doctor with a firm grasp of biblical knowledge and psychological theory, will stir the imagination of the reader of whatever age and of whatever faith. His ability to express complex existential truths and to encourage faith, honest doubt and hope is an astonishing legacy." --John Cox, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Keele University, and former Secretary General of the World Psychiatric Association. "This very positive book gives a down-to-earth, realistic, and constructive perspective on aging for readers of any age. It is excellent for both professional and lay persons." --Eternity "A book as important as this one ought to be read by persons in their twenties, and should be required reading for those reaching forty." --The Christian Century Author Biography: Paul Tournier (1898-1986) was a general practitioner in Geneva and also an active Christian. In 1940, he published his first book, La Medecine de la Personne, later translated into English as The Healing of Persons. He changed his medical practice by taking most of his time for listening and talking to his patients, not only considering the physical dimension of their being but also the psychological and spiritual dimensions. In 1947, he founded the International Group of Medicine of the Person. He wrote many books which were widely received throughout the world and were translated into more than thirty languages.

Our Western civilization is masculine and dominated by masculine values: cold objectivity, reason, power, efficiency and competition. This means the suppression of other values in the sphere of irrationality and subjectivity: sentiments, emotions, personal relationships. It is no coincidence that women have been rejected from public life and culture and relegated all too often to the home. This situation has given rise to the enormous contrast between the great powers of science and technology and the decline in the quality of life. Men are interested in things and mechanisms, women in people. Men have constructed a world of things in which people suffer, believing themselves manipulated like one more machine. Paul Tournier argues that this is a situation in which women can make a decisive contribution. For a century they have struggled to take their places in civilization. In order to do so however, they have had to adapt to fit a masculine society. They have proved capable of that, but could they not go on from there to cure our civilization of its malaise and introduce what is missing, a sense of the person? This is the question asked by this book. As in Dr Tournier's previous books, it is not raised in a theoretical way but concretely, through his own experiences, in his personal life, in his marriage and his long career as a counsellor during which he has heard so many confidences about feminine discontent.

Paul Tournier has practised medicine in Geneva since 1928, as a physician who acquired psychiatric training and experience because he learned that many of his patients needed help going deeper than drugs or surgery. Many of his books are in paperback editions, including The Adventure of Living, Escape from Loneliness, Learning to Grow Old, Marriage Difficulties, The Meaning of Persons, The Person Reborn, A Place for You and The Strong and the Weak. About A Doctor's Casebook Dr William Barclay wrote in The Expository Times: This is a beautiful book, written by a man who is skilled in medicine and wise towards God. It is so well translated that no one would know that it is a translation. Dr Tournier's mastery of Scripture is astonishing.' Alasdair Maclntyre wrote in The Guardian: A book of many virtues. Dr Tournier faces the questions whicfi so many avoid. "Just how is divine power active in the world? Is not belief in such a power simply a retreat from science into magic?."' And the Church Times described the book as one 'of exceptional interest to all who are concerned with the problems of healing . . . a work of the deepest spiritual insight'.

"When we talk of marriage counseling we think immediately of the extreme cases, of threats to seek divorce, of couples in violent disputes who frequently come to blows," Paul Tournier states. But there are many other couples whose marriages are no less a failure. "They live side by side, without hurting one another, but poles apart, because of no real understanding of one another." According to Tournier, the ability to understand each other is what counts in working out marital happiness together. With wisdom and warmth, Tournier suggests ways to achieve this understanding.

Paul Tournier offers a variety of suggestions to help make growing old not an end but a new beginning, filled with purpose and hope. He suggests ways to remain active, using leisure to our best advantage and not letting it become a tyrant. He also provides insights on taking up new interests; becoming involved with young people and new ideas; and learning to pray, to meditate, to acquire wisdom, and to increasingly draw strength and inspiration from the reality of divine presence and power.