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Controlling Mental Chaos

Harnessing the Power of the Creative Mind

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

For centuries, spirituality has told us that the answer to life's problems lies within us, if only we would realize that we are more than what we imagine. Now, scientific understanding is showing us the way. For humans, anxiety is the background "fever" that never breaks but can often get much worse. Whether the causes are individual, relational, cultural, or pandemic problems, when they occur, they affect our ability to live a joyful and creative life. This often means getting mired in uncontrolled mind loops and incessant circular thinking, making us feel helpless and stuck. In this book, Jaime Pineda shows how the dynamics of anxiety and incessant rumination reflect uncontrolled creativity, and how using simple, time-tested techniques we can learn to control the chaos and recover our creative nature.

The key to the solution is to understand that the intellect only helps to some extent, but by itself cannot solve its own problem. What we need is a mind that can, in a nonjudgmental way, distance itself from the thought patterns that trap us. We are born with an incredible, original mind that quickly becomes obscured by the fever of fear and anxiety. But we can recover this mind quickly. Pineda teaches us how to recognize the basic problem and find the solution through a series of steps and techniques that help bring us out of the loops and recover a cleaner mindset that enables us to move beyond the static of anxiety.

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 17, 2023
      Pineda (The Social Impulse), emeritus professor of cognitive science at UC San Diego, urges readers in this unsuccessful guide to cut through anxiety and ego-centrism to access a state of calm creativity. Drawing on his experience as a cognitive scientist and Buddhist “spiritual seeker,” Pineda argues that the human mind is clouded by a “left-brain interpreter” that “produces after-the-fact explanations about behavior” and locks “frenetic” and “self-obsessed” thoughts into place. As a corrective, he suggests readers “self parent” the mind and choose “the relationship you want to have with yourself” through such practices as nonjudgmentally cataloging one’s thought patterns. Chapters include exercises (taking a walk and practicing deep breathing to “calm down the ongoing chatter of your... uncontrolled mind”) and reflection questions (“Are you sensitive to your own needs?”). While there are some insightful moments, they’re undermined by chapter intros that illustrate lessons with unconvincing narratives featuring a fictional person, the prevalence of hard-to-remember initialisms (AAECC, SMM, RUBI), and a tone that’s stuck somewhere between neuroscience textbook and self-help manual but fails to convince as either. Those interested in the intersection of neuroscience and Buddhism would be better served by works from such authors as Richard Davidson and Daniel Goleman.

    • Booklist

      June 1, 2023
      According to Pineda, a professor of cognitive science, neuroscience, and psychiatry, we are born with an "original mind" that is open, eager, and without preconceptions. But life experiences have a way of disrupting this natural flow. Gradually we begin to overthink, analyze, and worry, creating a monkey mind that leads to obsession and unease. The mind turns from without to within, the world becomes smaller, focus centers on the future and the past instead of the present, and we lose creativity. Pineda blends years of scientific study with the tenets of Zen Buddhism to create a plan to reset the mind and return to our original thoughts. He includes exercises intended to raise questions, prompt self-love, and reduce ruminations and detailed instructions on practicing mindfulness and setting boundaries on our thoughts. Pineda combines case studies and his personal experiences with scientific studies to illustrate the process. Change isn't easy, but under the author's guidance, readers will learn to welcome insights, clear out the chatter, and find balance in their thoughts.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      June 10, 2024

      This book promises to provide solutions for calming the "monkey mind"--where one's anxious thoughts race endlessly. The book is divided into two parts. The first section examines the blissful, creative mind of one's early childhood and then details how the anxious, "uncontrolled mind" gradually takes over. The second section details the four stages that Pineda says can harness the monkey mind and bring one back to one's original, creative core. Pineda (cognitive science, Univ. of California, San Diego; The Social Impulse: The Evolution and Neuroscience of What Brings Us Together) writes in a dry, scholarly tone that, despite personal examples and key takeaways at the end of each chapter, make the work firmly academic. Indeed, much of the advice is standard self-help fare, covered in an academic manner: embrace mindfulness, slow down thoughts by engaging with nature, and be aware of one's thoughts and emotions. VERDICT Possibly of interest for readers with a scientific background who want to explore the cognitive theories behind anxiety, but those wishing to read a general self-help work should look elsewhere.--Julie Feighery

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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