The Chemistry of Calm

August 2, 2010
Who doesn’t need a Resilience Training Program? Psychiatrist Emmons (The Chemistry of Joy) rolls it out in eight-step “body and mind, heart and soul” detail for the worried, stressed-out, compulsive, and miserable minions suffering from depression and anxiety. It’s a tall order, and Emmons triggers more than a few anxious moments himself with a regimen of diet and supplements that seems more rocket science than common sense. “Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t have recognized as food,” he sagely counsels, quoting eat-food-not-too-much-mostly-plants guru Michael Pollan. The simple soon gets tricky: widen your horizons with spelt instead of wheat, goes one suggestion. Harder still is the mind-blowingly daunting list of supplements recommended to balance your brain chemistry. Where does one procure 5-HTP to boost serotonin levels? The good doctor is in much calmer territory with an elegant and lyrical guide to meditation and mindfulness. Not that being “aware and awake to the present moment” will be a walk in the park: following your breath takes more work than you’d think. But it could be worth the effort: Emmons reinforces a sweetly generous and drug-free way to tame the wild mind within.

September 1, 2010
The proliferation of books addressing mental health issues is a perfect example of supply and demand: as levels of anxiety and depression have risen over recent decades, the publishing industry has at times seemed to take a throw everything at the wall and see what sticks approach. Many of these self-help books have a narrow focusnot so in this guide by Emmons, a practicing psychiatrist. Emmons approach combines modalities previously seen as either/or approaches into one holistic treatment, tailored to address common concerns of anxiety sufferers. He avoids excessive didacticism and offers clear, easy-to-understand explanations focused on developing an understanding of anxiety in the service of making changes. Emmons doesnt deny the usefulness of prescription medication, but directs treatment toward supplements, nutrition, exercise, and meditation. Emmons has hit on something of value: a multimodal treatment that concisely explains the value of the various approaches, how those approaches are linked, and how to set the treatment into motion yourself. As a tool for putting anxiety sufferers back in control of their treatment, this book is highly recommended.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)