MSI Press Blog

  If you’ve ever made a snap decision based on a gut feeling—whether to trust a stranger, dodge a goat, or say yes to a second helping of pie—you’ve tapped into one of the oldest survival tools in our species’ toolkit: emotion. Long before spreadsheets and strategic plans, our ancestors relied on feelings to navigate danger, forge alliances, and choose where to build the next fire. Emotions weren’t distractions from rational thought—they were the scaffolding that made thought possible. 🧠 Emotions as Ancient Algorithms Fear, for example, isn’t just a nuisance—it’s a finely tuned alarm system. It evolved to help us detect threats faster than conscious reasoning could. Disgust? A microbial defense mechanism. Joy? A social glue that reinforced cooperation and trust. These emotions shaped decision-making long before language. They helped early humans decide whom to approach, what to eat, when to flee, and where to settle. In essence, emotions were the original decision-making soft...

    It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  This week, we share some of the reasons we've seen why would-be authors never get their first book out the door. We also look at what could be done about each of these reasons. Lack of Focus The problem: Many new authors try to cover too much ground, making their subject too broad. They end up feeling overwhelmed and directionless. A possible solution: List a narrow group of people you want to address and then, in one sentence, write an overarching summary of what you want them to come away from your book knowing, thinking about, or feeling. Then use only related details, no matter how tempting to throw in your entire expanse of ...

  A HERO'S SUICIDE   b y Joanna J. Charnas   This following essay was written in 2017 but has not been previously published.   Earlier this week I learned that one of my former patients killed himself. I’m devastated and can’t stop thinking about him. His name was Ryan Larkin.   Ryan was a Navy SEAL. He completed four tours of duty, two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan as a corpsman. Ryan arrived at the inpatient psychiatry ward of the hospital that employs me four weeks prior to discharging from the Navy, and he remained with us for a month.   While he was in our care, I became concerned about Ryan’s treatment. His attending psychiatrist was a skilled and caring provider, but the other players in the larger mental health system seemed mostly fearful of Ryan. Fear is not an optimal state in which to deliver care. My colleagues repeatedly expressed concern about his opioid use and labeled him “drug seeking.” In 2016 the country had a new awareness of the burge...

  Dennis Ortman, author of several award-winning books, offers the following reflection for MSI Press blog readers -  FULL LIFE “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.” --John 10: 10   We have two natural desires: to live forever and to be happy. Modern medical science promises the first, but cannot guarantee the second. However, a recent bestselling book suggests that we can have both, now. Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles wrote  Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life  (New York: Penguin Books, 2016) in which they described the natural steps to a long, fulfilled life. They journeyed to Ogimi, Japan, where a large portion of the population lives into their hundreds. They interviewed dozens of the elderly residents to discover their secret. What they learned was a natural way to live longer with joy. Here are some of their recommendations: ·           Live an active life doing what y...