What a gem of a book by Hans Steiner, who is a preeminent doctor in the best sense of the word: a teacher, mentor and physician. In this exciting book, Steiner takes the reader on a journey of self-exploration through a series of mind-expanding exercises. Bringing neuroscience and depth psychology together, Steiner helps readers discover hidden aspects of themselves, broadening their resilience and creativity. Join the host of Stanford students who, over many years, have benefitted from this remarkable course. - Irvin David Yalom, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Stanford University
Hans Steiner is one of the great psychiatric minds of our era and his ingenious approach to conveying the complexity of our mental function delights and informs in equal measure. This is a major contribution to the most important subject in psychodynamic thought, relevant to all those interested in our psychology. - Peter Fonagy, PhD, Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science, University College London
This is a timely and outstanding volume that explores the opportunities we have to look within and to unlock our creative potential by discovering the secret content of our unconscious minds. Unlike my experience on the couch during two psychoanalyses, decades ago, and sitting behind the couch as a psychoanalyst, Dr Steiner is not silent. Instead, he discusses the unconscious from an up-to-date neuroscientific perspective. He then provides a step-by-step guide to discover our largely unconscious preferences as we deal with stress, resolve conflicts, and deal with ambiguity. This is a journey through art, creative writing, memes, and slips of the tongue, as well as the content of our dreams. - James F. Leckman, MD, PhD, Neison Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology, Yale University
In this book, Hans Steiners long-lasting experiences as an outstanding academic teacher, clinician, and researcher meet his great talent in creative writing to produce a unique book, which I have read with continuously growing enthusiasm. I am sure that this book will help enormously to attract students and young colleagues to psychiatry and to the fascinating territory of our unconscious inner world. I highly recommend this extraordinary book to students, psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals and to everybody else who wants to know more about their own and others unconscious. - Professor Klaus Schmeck, Universitäre Psychiatrische Kliniken (UPK), Basel, Switzerland
Hans Steiner shows his deep understanding of the neurosciences while also demonstrating his strong theoretical basis in depth psychology. He shows the reader that to be open to ones unconscious is not just a threat, but results in an enormous expansion of our mental workspace. What makes Hans Steiners new book so credible and accessible at the same time is the fact that he has skills in three areas. He manages the chapters with a light touch, trusting that in the final result the mosaic of presented facts will congeal to a whole. He is not afraid to use his own unconscious and his life experiences as material to teach and demonstrate, setting an example for the reader and student. He brings life to the cold world of facts. Finally, his language is full of passion, spoken with a clear voice, which ends up being very convincing. Combining poetry and science, he succeeds in meeting our expectations: he tells a scientific story. - Dr Paulus Hochgatterer, MD, winner of the Literature Prize of the European Union 2009, and the Austrian State Prize for Literature 2010
