A Handbook for Constructive Living / Edition 1

by David K. Reynolds

Overview

Here, in plain language, is the definitive guide for taking control of your life and imbuing it with greater meaning and productivity. Constructive Living is an action-based way of looking at the world that combines good, old-fashioned straight talk and the celebrated Japanese psychotherapies Morita and Naikan. David Reynolds, the father of this brilliantly simple and effective therapy, shows us how to live thoughtfully and economically, to regard our actions as if they were divine rituals, and to perform them with the utmost care. He contends that contentment is achieved, not bestowed—attaining peace and satisfaction takes daily practice and learning. With user-friendly anecdotes, practical exercises, and a sense of humor, he refreshes the experienced student and takes the novice to the beginning, laying out the essence of Constructive Living.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780824826000
Publisher:	University of Hawaii Press, The
Publication date:	04/30/2002
Series:	Latitude 20 Book Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	179,559
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.72(d)

About the Author

David K. Reynolds is recognized as the leading Western authority on Japanese psychotherapies. He is a former faculty member of the UCLA School of Public Health, the USC School of Medicine, and the University of Houston. His books have been published by university presses (California, Chicago, Hawaii, and New York) and popular presses in the U.S., Japan, China, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere. In 1988 the World Health Organization sent Dr. Reynolds to China to train psychiatrists there in Constructive Living. He currently lectures and conducts workshops around the Pacific, including approximately three months in spring and three months in fall in Japan lecturing and consulting in Japanese. He is the only non-Japanese to receive the Kora Prize and the Morita Prize by the Morita Therapy Association of Japan.

Editorial Reviews

Constructive Living (CL) derives from the practice of Naikan, an educational process developed by Ishin Yoshimoto (1916-88) and the thoughts of Masatake Morita (1874-1938). Numerous periodical articles (Cosmopolitan, May 1990, for example) listed in the bibliography have introduced the CL concept to the American lay public. This handbook presents the major tenets of CL-practical advice about active daily living and focusing on universal morally accountable purposeful behavior. CL asks one to accept reality (whatever one's is), know one's purpose (objectives), and do what must be done to reach those objectives. This handbook seems intended mostly for mental health professionals and sophisticated lay readers wishing to learn a natural way to better mental health. Reynolds (Even in Summer the Ice Doesn't Melt, LJ 10/1/86) is a former professor at UCLA School of Public Health, University of California School of Medicine, and the University of Houston. He is considered the leading Western authority on Japanese psychotherapy. Academic libraries supporting graduate psychotherapy courses or large public libraries may want to consider this insightful handbook.-Scott Johnson, Meridian Community Coll. Lib., Miss.

Library Journal

Reprint of the 1995 edition (William Morrow & Co.) on Morita psychotherapy. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)