In "Peace of Mind," Rabbi Liebman tries to present some answers that have proved helpful to him about the universal human dilemmas of conscience, love, fear, grief, and God - crucial problems that present themselves in every kind of society, and, he believes, will present themselves as long as man is man. Whether under capitalism, socialism, or communism, men and women will still face the purely personal and profoundly individual issues of life and death as well as the tangled interpersonal relations of parent and child, brother and sister, husband and wife. Personal experience plus rich and varied contacts in the author's ministry led him to believe that a book written by a religionist explaining just what modern psychology has discovered about human beings, why we sometimes hate ourselves and hate others, why we grow afraid, why we lose faith in life and in God, might be of real help to perplexed moderns. This science also tells us what we can do to change ourselves and our mental attitudes in relation to our own personalities and in interrelations with other human beings. "Peace of Mind" attempts to distill the helpful insights about human nature that psychology has discovered and the encouraging news from the scientific clinic about man's infinite capacity to change and improve himself, as well as to correlate these latest scientific discoveries with the truest religious insights and goals of the ages.

It’s sad, isn’t it, that so many people deny the obvious in so many spheres of life. Just as the beginning of knowledge is the acknowledgment that there is much to learn, so the beginning of personal fulfillment is the knowledge that one must improve, can improve, and that there are ways to do what only seems to be impossible, but isn’t. Even sadder is that many people assume that self-mastery and character development are natural by-products of scholarship and observance, that self-improvement will emerge without effort. The Sages of the Talmud knew better. They said, “Who is strong? He who subdues his personal inclination,” for to master one’s passion is better than to conquer a city. And it is harder, as well. They recognized and preached that one must never rest, lest he lose the battle, just as the conqueror of a city must remain ever vigilant. The battle to elevate and ennoble oneself must be ongoing. And the Sages also taught how to win the victory. How? For that one must understand the mystery of the soul, plumb the teachings of the Sages, and heed the counsel of the masters of Chassidus and Mussar, the great artists of personal refinement. A person who incorporates all that plus a thorough knowledge of modern psychiatry and psychology is a rare and priceless human treasure. Such a person is Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., Torah scholar, psychiatrist and ranking expert in the treatment of substance abuse. In this wise and valuable book, he demolishes the fears and shibboleths that bar the way to mental health for countless good and sincere people. He shows that the principles for today’s most successful techniques for self-improvement are found in the Torah, as expounded by its greatest teachers. Warmly, compassionately, engagingly, he draws us into his world of health, happiness and fulfillment. This is a book for everyone. It is enriching and uplifting. Most of all, it will put its readers on the road to personal success.

This book examines major psychological issues from a Judaic perspective. It concentrates on major Judaic themes that are essential to Jewish life, and how these themes relate to mental health, guilt, the self, the nature of the person, marriage, and the pain and suffering prior to death. Common threads weave their way through the different subject areas, which cover the wide gamut of life. Contents: Mental Health: Biblical and Talmudic Directives; Guilt From, Guilt Towards; Fulfilling the SelfóJudaic Parameters; The Dynamics of Jewish Marriage; To be Good or EvilóWhich is More Natural?; Illness, God and Us.

Imagine: You are twenty-two, a promising music student, when you begin to notice strange, disturbing phenomena, such as a sudden obsession with body weight and the presence of "Martians" who periodically interrupt your work. After a few months, the Martians have taken over, and keeping up with assignments becomes increasingly difficult. This is the story of Julie Greene, who finally sought help in the mental health system to rid her symptoms. After dropping out of school one semester before graduation, her condition worsened as she got more and more immersed in her illness and the mental health system that was supposed to help her. Through personal essays, fiction, and memoir excerpts, Julie shares her unusual life with its joys and sorrows, her eighteen-year battle with severe mental illness, and her sudden recovery at age forty. "I can't take my recovery for granted," Julie says. "I am happy. I am strong. Every day is a miracle. But I will never forget where I'm coming from." Read Breakdown Lane, Traveled and you will gain a new view of mental illness, a greater understanding of those who suffer, and a lasting impression of the human condition as seen through one woman's amazing life.