It seems that these days we are far too busy for independent thinking. There has been a steady decline of interest in substance and intellectual humor, critical thinking is endangered, and the yin and yang of discourse is rapidly diminishing. As Anthony Storr wisely observed, “Originality implies being bold enough to go beyond accepted norms,” and author Ronnie G. Shaeffer has found that deviation from regularity is his true daily dessert. His new book, The Mental Circus, is an engaging quote-a-day collection of insights and humor from the famous to the not-so-famous, including Shaeffer’s own quotes, notes, and artwork. This easy-to-read collection looks at life, love, and the pursuit of happiness, with valuable life lessons to help you develop an enlightened personal philosophy. It’s sure to make you think, possibly embolden a creative thought, and give you a glimpse into someone else’s head—with the ultimate purpose of expanding, improving, questioning, and delighting in your own humanity.

The lives of circus artists can be mentally and physically demanding. Circus Psychology: An Applied Guide to Thriving Under the Big Top is an evidence-based guide to nurturing the mental health of circus artists while enabling them to perform at the peak of their capacities. The book is organised into three accessible sections: mental health in circus, optimising the circus environment to facilitate thriving, and mental skills for thriving in circus. The first section introduces general mental health concepts, provides insight into the mental health of circus artists, the stress process, and the role of psychological resilience and perfectionism in mental health. The second section offers insight into motivation and engagement in circus, the features of a psychologically safe circus environment, and advice on psychologically supportive talent development environment. The final section explains, applies, and provides practice material for mental skills, including goal setting, self-talk, mental imagery, arousal regulation, and visual anticipation. Written by Dr Fleur van Rens, a circus artist and lecturer in sport psychology, this book is an essential resource for those passionate about the mental health of amateurs and professionals in the circus industry.

This book proposes a novel method of combining the current approaches to counselling and psychotherapy into one coherent framework. The authors argue that the cognitive behavioural tradition (largely focused on thought patterns) and the psychodynamic approach (centred on the client’s experience and relationships), can be successfully integrated with insights from cognitive neuroscience, to form a fruitful synthesis. In doing so they provide a perspective that will enable practitioners to more fully appreciate each client’s unique inner world, based on their individual history and environment. The authors point towards the brain’s innate ability to understand and learn from experience so as to direct the growth of that inner world. This book elaborates a method of tapping into this innate growth potential, so as to help clients move forward when they have become trapped in non-productive patterns or mental stalemates. It will provide fresh insights and a valuable resource for counselling psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists, as well as for academics and students in these fields.

An updated and expanded analysis of the economic tensions behind the Olympics and the World Cup games. Andrew Zimbalist looks beyond the headlines of two of the world’s most beloved sporting events: the Olympics and the World Cup. In the updated and expanded edition of his bestselling book, Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup, Zimbalist tackles the bogus claim that cities chosen to host these high-profile sporting events experience an economic windfall. In this new edition he takes aim at the outrageous FIFA scandal, Boston’s bid for the 2024 summer Olympics, and the criticism surrounding the 2015 Women's World Cup. Circus Maximus focuses on major cities, like London and Barcelona, that have previously hosted these sporting events, to provide context for cities like Tokyo and Rio de Janerio, which are currently bearing the weight of exploding expenses, corruption, and protests. Zimbalist offers a sobering and candid look at the Olympics and the World Cup from outside the echo chamber.

Is your perfectionism causing you anxiety, stress, and worry? If you identify as a perfectionist, you may not see your perfectionism as a problem. But striving for unrealistic standards, basing your self-worth on meeting those standards, and engaging in persistent self-criticism will ultimately lead to anxiety, stress, worry, burnout, and unhappiness. So, how can you distinguish between “helpful” and “hurtful” perfectionism and stop holding yourself and others to unrealistically high standards? Written by two clinical psychologists, The Anxious Perfectionist shines a much-needed light on the hidden costs of “being the best,” and offers essential skills based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help you cope with the anxiety that is driven by your perfectionism. You’ll learn how your “need to be perfect” can actually hinder your productivity, and keep you from reaching your goals. You’ll also learn skills to help you gain distance from negative self-talk and criticism, let go of unhelpful and self-limiting labels such as “success” or “failure,” and give yourself and others permission to make mistakes while still honoring your high aspirations. If you’re struggling with feelings of anxiety and stress, and suspect your perfectionism may be to blame, this guide will show you how to stop getting in the way of your own success, and live a life guided by your deepest values.

KELLOCK PSYCH TEXTBOOKS FOR A LOST GENERATION: MANUAL FOR SUPERIOR MEN: VOLUME TWO Extended Versions by Karen Kellock NEW PSYCH THEORY by Karen Kellock Ph.D., Psychology & Proverb Author. The cause of mental illness is other people: be shocked into a new world view seeing mental illness in a new light. Elite Review: "Koestler [1962] shows all discoveries blend art with science. Vivid poetic images combined with rock-solid psychology show the tyranny of groups vs. the individual: collective insanity, the contagion of lunacy. What does it take to be a champion in a sea of sharks? That’s the essence of this work. The writing is subtle, witty, clever and highly accurate. The therapy: open the book anywhere". Mansell Pattison M.D., Postdoctoral Sponsor at UCI School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry.