The decision of the eventual Confederate states to secede from the Union set in motion perhaps the most dramatic chapter in American history, and one that has typically been told on a grand scale. In Daydreams and Nightmares, however, historian Brent Tarter shares the story of one Virginia family who found themselves in the middle of the secession debate and saw their world torn apart as the states chose sides and went to war. George Berlin was elected to serve as a delegate to the Virginia Convention of 1861 as an opponent of secession, but he ultimately changed his vote. Later, when defending his decision in a speech in his hometown of Buckhannon, Upshur County, he had to flee for his safety as Union soldiers arrived. Berlin and his wife, Susan Holt Berlin, were separated for extended periods--both during the convention and, later, during the early years of the Civil War. The letters they exchanged tell a harrowing story of uncertainty and bring to life for the modern reader an extended family that encompassed both Confederate and Union sympathizers. This is in part a love story. It is also a story about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. Although unique in its vividly evoked details, the Berlins’ story is representative of the drama endured by millions of Americans. Composed during the nightmare of civil war, the Berlins’ remarkably articulate letters express the dreams of reunion and a secure future felt throughout the entire, severed nation. In this intimate, evocative, and often heartbreaking family story, we see up close the personal costs of our larger national history. A Nation Divided: Studies in the Civil War

*** Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards Self-Help Category for 2010! ***

Curated from Hanna Karlzon's bestselling coloring book, Daydreams Artist's Edition is a gorgeous collection of finely-drawn fledglings, a sleeping fox, an exquisite owl, eclectic insects, and more. Daydreams Artist's Edition contains 20, single-sided illustrations on oversized art card paper, perfect for expert and budding artists alike. Add to your collection with Daydreams Coloring Book, the hardbound, 96-page edition, or Daydreams. Also available from Hanna Karlzon is the Summer Nights Coloring Book and Magical Dawn Coloring Book. Let your imagination roam (inside or outside the lines)! Hanna Karlzon is an Umeå, Sweden-based illustrator and creator of the best-selling coloring books, Dagdrömmar and Sommarnatt, previously published in Sweden. She creates elaborately detailed images using India ink to detail pictures from her own imagination and loves to draw flowers, forests, houses, and animals. She draws her inspiration from the natural world that surrounds her studio in northern Sweden and adds in some art nouveau, punk rock, and often a hint of ‘70s design to the mix.

Daydreaming, our ability to give ‘to airy nothing a local habitation and a name’, remains one of the least understood aspects of human behaviour. As children we explore beyond the boundaries of our experience by projecting ourselves into the mysterious worlds outside our reach. As adolescents and adults we transcend frustration by dreams of achievement or escape, and use daydreaming as a way out of intolerable situations and to help survive boredom, drudgery or routine. In old age we turn back to happier memories as a relief from loneliness or frailty, or wistfully daydream about what we would do if we had our time over again. Why is it that we have the ability to alternate between fantasy and reality? Is it possible to have ambition or the ability to experiment, create or invent without the catalyst of fantasy? Are sexual fantasies an inherent part of human behaviour? Are they universal, healthy, destructive? Is daydreaming itself destructive? Or is it a force which facilitates change and which can even be harnessed to positive advantage? In this provocative book, originally published in 1975, the product of the previous twenty-five years of research, the author debates the nature and function of daydreaming in the light of his own experiments. As well as investigating what is a normal ‘fantasy-life’ and outlining patterns and types of daydreaming, he describes the role of daydreaming in schizophrenia and paranoia, examines the fantasies and hallucinations induced by drugs and also the nature of altered states of consciousness in Zen and Transcendental Meditation. Among the many topics covered, he explains how it is possible to help children enlarge their capacity for fantasy, how adults can make positive use of daydreaming and how people on the verge of disturbed behaviour are often unconscious of their own fantasies. Advances in scientific methods and new experimental techniques had made it possible at this time to monitor both conscious daydreaming and sub-conscious fantasies in a way not possible before. Professor Singer is one of the few scientists who have conducted substantial research in this area and it is his belief that the study of daydreaming and fantasy is of great importance if we are to understand the workings of the human mind.

Daydream sequences provide viewers with important information regarding the desires, hopes, fears and psychological state of film protagonists. How, then, do cinematic daydreams stand with regard to classical Hollywood cinema? What do volitional fantasy sequences typically infer about the conscious mind? What do non-volitional cinematic daydreams commonly imply about the workings of the unconscious psyche and human will? Do filmed fantasies–intentionally or otherwise–reinforce cultural hegemony? Is daydreaming typically depicted as a detrimental or beneficial pastime in mainstream US cinema? Through investigating a corpus of Hollywood films containing fantasy scenes, this text answers these questions. This study uncovers the norms and key functions that daydreams serve in contemporary Hollywood films from cinematic, thematic, psychological and ideological perspectives. Whilst this text is aimed primarily at students and academics of film studies, it should also appeal to anyone with an interest in Hollywood cinema and/or daydreaming.

Individual Differences in Conscious Experience is intended for readers with philosophical, psychological, or clinical interests in subjective experience. It addresses some difficult but important issues in the study of consciousness, subconsciousness, and self-consciousness. The book's fourteen chapters are written by renowned, pioneering researchers who, collectively, have published more than fifty books and more than one thousand journal articles. The editors' introductory chapter frames the book's subtext: that mind-brain theories embodying the constraints of individual differences in subjective experience should be given greater credence than nomothetic theories ignoring those constraints. The next five chapters describe research and theory pertaining to individual differences in conscious sensations — specifically, individual differences in pain perception, phantom limbs, gustatory sensations, and mental imagery. Then, two succeeding chapters focus on individual differences in subconsciousness. The final six chapters address individual differences in altered states of self-consciousness — dreams, hypnotic phenomena, and various clinical syndromes. (Series B)

This self-help book provides information about stress and stress management. The first part focuses on awareness of stress. A number of activities are included to help the individual understand and analyze stress reactions. Information is provided about stressors, performance stress, cumulative stress, and several other aspects of stress reactions. Also included is information about negative effects of excessive stress including physical, psychological, and behavioral difficulties. Finally an approach to managing stress which requires an understanding of the stress interaction model is discussed. The second part focuses on relaxation approaches to stress management. Approaches focus on body relaxation. A format for assessing current relaxation methods is presented, as well as information on several specific approaches to relaxation. A discussion on meditation, and a presentation of progressive deep muscle relaxation are also included. The third part focuses on nutrition and exercise. Principles and suggestions are provided for improving dietary habits and developing an effective exercise program. The fourth part focuses on mind approaches to stress management. Four different aspects of cognitive processes as they relate to stress management are examined. Actual thinking processes are examined, and modifying inaccurate thinking to improve stress management is discussed. The fifth part examines broader life-style issues. The focus is on how choices are made about important life issues, and how these choices influence one's personal environment. (LLL)