MSI Press Blog

  BOREDOM “Behold, I am making all things new.” --Revelations 21: 5   We often use slogans to guide us through life’s complexity. I recently learned two slogans popular among young people today. YOLO: “You only live once.” It proclaims that we have only this one precious and wild life. So, we must make the most of it. This maxim reiterates the ancient wisdom, “Life is short.” Take advantage of our allotted time. A second piece of complimentary guidance is FOMO: “Fear of missing out.” There is a sense of urgency to fill our brief time here with stimulating activities. We want to cram as many experiences as possible in our available time. Only then can we feel satisfied and happy. We Americans assume that a fast-moving, active life is a fulfilled life. “An idle mind is the workshop of the devil,” a time-honored epithet reminds us. A boring life is a useless one. We want to do as much as we can as quickly as we can. Our goal is to be productive and efficient. We confess...

  Today's book back story is about Susan Lewis's book, From Deep Within . From the author --  I studied many years in school to become a psychologist. I participated in hours and hours of clinical internships with close supervision before becoming qualified to take my licensing exam in the state I resided in. So began my clinical career.   What I didn’t realize was the horror that some of the people I was trying to help had experienced. Both women and men who had been sexually abused by parents who had little care and loving when they were children.   Some would never have a pillow to lie on in a room they called their own. Others resided in a hospital and repeatedly returned because we don’t have the facilities to house them and the staff to help them. Some were homeless because they’re thinking was too disorganized to find a place to stay. Many ate in food kitchens. There was no family or table filled with plenty.   I am so touched by their struggl...

                   What is a book jewel? A sometimes-overlooked book with remarkable insight and potential significance. Starting in August, we will share near-daily, as possible, reviews of the monthly book jewel - short, succinct reviews that can be read in 1-2 minutes with links to the reviewer by reviewers whose words are worthy of being heard and whose opinions are worthy of being considered. Sometimes a couple of minutes contains more impressive thought than ten times that many. We will let you decide that. This month's book jewel is  From Deep Within  by  Susan Lewis, Ph.D., J.D.  From Bjasinski on Amazon:  A compelling book that reveals the challenging and demanding life of a therapist. Dr. Lewis’ compassion and heartfelt dedication to her job and her patients is clearly evident. A fascinating book and one that would make a great Book Club read and discussion. See more reviews at: Amazon MidWest Book...

  excerpt from From Deep Within (Lewis)  The Cutting Group   The door to the outpatient clinic’s waiting room opened and flakes of snow swept in with a chilling cold. The room was shaped in a perfect square. Twelve chairs in total leaned on opposite walls. The upholstery had once been institutional grey, but now it had black marks throughout, with tears soaked into the fabric and yellow/brown filth embedded in the seams. The center of each chair had taken on a rounded contour from years of patients sitting in the same place. Footprint marks were embedded in the carpet in front of each chair, showing where hundreds of people had placed their feet over the years. The wear in the carpet reminded me of the worn yellow footprints millions of airport travelers step into every day when passing through X-ray machines at security.   When the weather was damp, the clinic waiting room smelled like wet dirty diapers. At one end of the room was a sliding glass window with one si...