The human body is an intricate and amazing thing. If ever there were an argument for the existence of God, human life, in all of its strengths and vulnerabilities, would be a strong piece of evidence. To think something so complex and varied arose out of nothing - a big bang, devoid of any Creator - is inconceivable.
I have mentioned before that one of my favorite books is The Gift Nobody Wants, by Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand. That book discusses pain as a "gift." It explores the tangible drawbacks we would experience if pain were completely eliminated from our existence. In a similar way, Dr. Richard Restak's book, Poe's Heart and the Mountain Climber, explores the role of anxiety in our lives and culture.
My oldest son thinks I'm obsessed with this book. I stumbled upon it while seeking an audio book for the car. Now that wrestling season is in full swing, I have more opportunity to listen as I drive him to and from practices and meets. He would routinely tease me about the book. "Oh no, not this again. 'Anxiety blah, blah, blah, anxiety, blah, blah, blah.'"
I enjoyed the book immensely. As I was searching for a graphic, I happened upon several unfavorable reviews for the book. I'm guessing these readers expected a book about Edgar Allen Poe or about mountain climbing. The book's subtitle clarifies its aim: "Exploring the Effect of Anxiety on the Brain and Our Culture." Although I am a fan of Poe's works, it was the subtitle that caused me to pick up the CD version of this book.
I'm deeply interested in non-fiction concerning the human brain and how it functions (or malfunctions), but this book also drew me because it dealt with anxiety. I would venture to say my husband is a fairly anxious person and comes from a family with obsessive-compulsive attributes. I too battle various anxieties and have fought clinical depression (brought on originally by a miscarriage on the heels of a very stressful year). When doctors recently suggested that the source of Bryce's current headaches and stomach issues might stem from anxiety, I wondered if he acquired anxiety issues from us.
This book offers a fascinating and well-articulated journey into the study of anxiety and how the brain handles anxiety. After listening to only a few chapters, I wanted to access a hard copy of the book, so I could digest the information more fully. From his discussion of how our brain fails at estimating probabilities for disaster to discussions of various research and experiments, Dr. Restak tackles the fodder of brain-surgeons and makes it accessible to those of us who merely have a brain and experience anxiety.
The main thrust of the book focused on understanding anxiety and its crucial role. The author's perspective, like Brand's view towards pain, is that we should recognize anxiety as a biological response to life's stresses and rather than try to eliminate it, we should try to understand it and manage it. He offers advice in the epilogue on ways to manage anxiety beyond the medical interventions (something he considers only part of the solution to managing anxiety).
I came away from this book encouraged. So often anxiety and depression sufferers wonder why they respond to life's stresses differently than others. Even as neurologists gain more information about how the brain functions, those who suffer from anxiety or depression often feel a social stigma, the opinion of others that we are merely weak in the face of difficulty. Restak asserts that anxiety is a valuable biological response. He shows how research indicates that certain individuals may have a genetic tendency toward a higher degree of anxiety.
Restak discusses the correlation between our capacity for creativity and intelligence with our capacity for anxiety. This seems to follow the historical evidence of the percentages of highly creative individuals who suffer from anxiety or depression. Restak quotes Soren Kierkegaard, "The more original a human being is, the deeper is his anxiety." He urges that the absence of anxiety would be a costly liability. Another favorite quote he uses, is by German psychiatrist and philosopher, Karl Jaspers: "Large numbers of modern people seem to live fearlessly because they lack imagination. They suffer from an impoverishment of the heart. Total freedom from anxiety is the inner expression of a profound loss of personal freedom."
Restak asserts that anxiety is "part of our genetic make-up" (no different from eye color, skin pigmentation, or emotional temperament). Our best course of action is not to escape or deny it, but rather to accept it and manage it.
I have mentioned before that one of my favorite books is The Gift Nobody Wants, by Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand. That book discusses pain as a "gift." It explores the tangible drawbacks we would experience if pain were completely eliminated from our existence. In a similar way, Dr. Richard Restak's book, Poe's Heart and the Mountain Climber, explores the role of anxiety in our lives and culture.
My oldest son thinks I'm obsessed with this book. I stumbled upon it while seeking an audio book for the car. Now that wrestling season is in full swing, I have more opportunity to listen as I drive him to and from practices and meets. He would routinely tease me about the book. "Oh no, not this again. 'Anxiety blah, blah, blah, anxiety, blah, blah, blah.'"
I enjoyed the book immensely. As I was searching for a graphic, I happened upon several unfavorable reviews for the book. I'm guessing these readers expected a book about Edgar Allen Poe or about mountain climbing. The book's subtitle clarifies its aim: "Exploring the Effect of Anxiety on the Brain and Our Culture." Although I am a fan of Poe's works, it was the subtitle that caused me to pick up the CD version of this book.
I'm deeply interested in non-fiction concerning the human brain and how it functions (or malfunctions), but this book also drew me because it dealt with anxiety. I would venture to say my husband is a fairly anxious person and comes from a family with obsessive-compulsive attributes. I too battle various anxieties and have fought clinical depression (brought on originally by a miscarriage on the heels of a very stressful year). When doctors recently suggested that the source of Bryce's current headaches and stomach issues might stem from anxiety, I wondered if he acquired anxiety issues from us.
This book offers a fascinating and well-articulated journey into the study of anxiety and how the brain handles anxiety. After listening to only a few chapters, I wanted to access a hard copy of the book, so I could digest the information more fully. From his discussion of how our brain fails at estimating probabilities for disaster to discussions of various research and experiments, Dr. Restak tackles the fodder of brain-surgeons and makes it accessible to those of us who merely have a brain and experience anxiety.
The main thrust of the book focused on understanding anxiety and its crucial role. The author's perspective, like Brand's view towards pain, is that we should recognize anxiety as a biological response to life's stresses and rather than try to eliminate it, we should try to understand it and manage it. He offers advice in the epilogue on ways to manage anxiety beyond the medical interventions (something he considers only part of the solution to managing anxiety).
I came away from this book encouraged. So often anxiety and depression sufferers wonder why they respond to life's stresses differently than others. Even as neurologists gain more information about how the brain functions, those who suffer from anxiety or depression often feel a social stigma, the opinion of others that we are merely weak in the face of difficulty. Restak asserts that anxiety is a valuable biological response. He shows how research indicates that certain individuals may have a genetic tendency toward a higher degree of anxiety.
Restak discusses the correlation between our capacity for creativity and intelligence with our capacity for anxiety. This seems to follow the historical evidence of the percentages of highly creative individuals who suffer from anxiety or depression. Restak quotes Soren Kierkegaard, "The more original a human being is, the deeper is his anxiety." He urges that the absence of anxiety would be a costly liability. Another favorite quote he uses, is by German psychiatrist and philosopher, Karl Jaspers: "Large numbers of modern people seem to live fearlessly because they lack imagination. They suffer from an impoverishment of the heart. Total freedom from anxiety is the inner expression of a profound loss of personal freedom."
Restak asserts that anxiety is "part of our genetic make-up" (no different from eye color, skin pigmentation, or emotional temperament). Our best course of action is not to escape or deny it, but rather to accept it and manage it.
If you suffer from anxiety, but find the technical discussions of the molecular structure of anxiety to be dry, skim the book and focus on Restak's epilogue. He offers helpful suggestions for managing anxiety (i.e., understand what triggers your anxiety, journal your experiences, avoid isolation, and pursue proper nutrition and exercise). Now, I'm off to Amazon to purchase a copy of the book and I'll probably try to snag a similar title by Dr. Restak, Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot.
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