MSI Press Blog

   SOUNDS OF SILENCE “Be still and know that I am God.” --Psalm 46: 10   At the end of therapy sessions, my patients often ask me, “What can I do to make this better? Can you give me an exercise?” My advice is always the same, which mostly disconcerts them, “Just pay close attention to yourself.”  “How do I do that?” they ask. “Just be quiet, listen, and see what you learn about yourself,” I respond. I explain, “You can only heal from the inside out. When you understand yourself, you will know what to do.”  My patients see themselves as broken and needing to be fixed. They view me as the expert who will guide them to health. It is as if they are a broken car, and I am a skilled mechanic. They want a manual of repairs for a quick fix. I tell them, “You have the answer within you, but may not know it yet.”  We live in an attention deficit culture. We are hyperactive and need to keep busy. Being alone and quiet makes us restless and nervous. We are easily distracted. Quickly bored, we ne

  \ LIFE’S JOY “What can separate us from the love of Christ?” --Paul of Tarsus   “I’ve never been happy. I don’t believe I’ll ever escape my misery,” my elderly patient lamented. She had suffered from anxiety her whole life. She was its prisoner. “I’m always worrying about something. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Anything can cause me to panic,” she explained.  I asked her, “Who would you be if you didn’t worry?” She responded honestly, “I don’t know. I wouldn’t know myself. That would be even scarier!” My patient had constructed an identity around her illness. She could not imagine living without it and the misery it caused her.  Another patient of mine was terrified of leaving the house. She insisted she wanted to feel free to go out and socialize, but still stayed home to feel safe. I asked her, “You say you want to go out, but still stay home. Which is true, what you say you want or what you do?” Both, in fact, may have been true. She felt hopelessly conflicted, not knowin

  MSI Press is happy to report the release of Life, Liberty, & Covid (Dr. Dennis Ortman)  as an e-book. The paperback version was released in December 2021. Congratulations to the two authors! To read posts about this book, including excerpts, and its authors, click  HERE .

Kris Girrell is an author, speaker, and executive leadership coach on a global level. His education spans the disciplines of psychology, theology and coaching. Kris has lectured, presented and coached clients in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia/Pacific.  A father of three and grandfather of four, he lives with his wife Sarah and son Jesse in Andover MA. Kris co-authored Typhoon Honey: The Only Way Out Is Through , which is currently available on pre-order.

Congratulations to Dr. Dennis Ortman on his book,  Anger Anonymous , being selected as the  Kops-Fetherling International Book Awards  lega cy award in the category of psychology.   “When you feel in the grip of anger, ask yourself these questions: -Do you feel powerless to control your temper? -Does your anger frighten you so much that you feel compelled to suppress it? -Does your life feel unmanageable because of your anger? -Does your preoccupation with the unfairness of life and being wronged interfere with your happiness? -Do you feel hopeless about finding a cure for your temper? If you answer “yes” to these questions, you may be addicted to your anger. It acts like a drug that stimulates you, energizes you, and causes you to act insanely. <><><><><><><><> Viewing your anger as an addiction, Dr. Ortman guides you through the time-tested Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to fi nd healing and growth. He shows how the Steps offer pr

Many of our authors have had incredible lives or incredible experiences -- or both! Surely, you can find one or more that sits beside you and keeps you company for years. All are difficult to put down.   Looking for love in your 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and yes, even your 80’s or 90’s?  57 Steps to Paradise  will help you navigate dating in midlife and beyond. Lorenz unzips her soul and exposes her foibles during 50 years of men weaving their way in and out of her life, providing a heap of wit and wisdom to help you make life-changing decisions about love and, perhaps, a life partner. A diverting and informative story of searching for love in mid-life by a divorced social worker, who intertwines entertaining stories of successful love interests with well-known movies containing similar plots and themes. Written as diary entries covering a 15-year period, the author shares openly, in detail, and with insights her experiences with dating, friendships, affairs, and relationships. Written ca