MSI Press Blog

Proudly announcing the release of The Pandemic and Hope , the first book in our pandemic series -- a set of books dedicated to helping people make it safely (mentally and physically) through the pandemic. These books are written by experts in their fields, who are also authors by their own right of other MSI Press books, and  information about new books to be released in this series can be found on the MSI Press home page . Dr. Ortman has authored three hig hly respected, beloved, and extremely well reviewed MSI Press books related to various forms of addiction--all relevant to these times: Anger Anonymous Anxiety Anonymous Depression Anonymous   Find more posts about and by Dr. Ortman HERE . Find more posts about the pandemic (quarantine) HERE . And take the precautions needed to STAY WELL!

  The following excerpt comes from Porn and the Pandemic (Joshua Shea). Preface A few words about this project: This book was researched and written between May 5, 2020, and May 21, 2020 during the COVID-19 “Coronavirus” pandemic. Any events of note regarding the pandemic that took place after May 21, 2020, are not reflected in this book. All statistics within the book were accurate at the time of writing and/or publication unless otherwise noted. The challenge with statistics is getting them from an independently audited source. Potential conflicts, where obvious, are noted. Although all of the original quotations or personal profiles were compiled during the research phase of this book, names were changed when requested by participants and some details condensed. All of the participants’ validity has been independently verified. While told in the first person, with several references to my former pornography addiction, the aim of this book is to capture a snapshot of both th

  Excerpt from Exercising in a Pandemic Isolation             COVID-19, with all the pandemic’s accompanying closures and self-isolation, required a change of lifestyle, especially for those who were used to being active and following an exercise regimen. For several months, people were not able to go to the gym, the golf course or the tennis court. You couldn’t go for a walk in the park or on the beach to stay active, because parks and beaches were closed as well. With the stay-at-home order in place, even socializing was curtailed, and socializing goes hand-in-hand with staying active and exercising. Businesses and restaurants were closed. Shopping malls, where many people would go to enjoy their walks, were closed.             Innovative ways to stay active were born almost overnight, because exercise is the known core to staying healthy, both physically and mentally. Did you notice people out walking that you had never seen before in the neighborhood, and yards newly landscaped and

  The following is the story behind Exercising in a Pandemic (Young) From the author: When the pandemic hit, I talked to many people who were dismayed at the temporary closing of places like the YMCA (where I used to be a volunteer and where I frequently went to exercise) and other fitness centers around town. Especially for women, ongoing exercise is important in order to retain muscles and flexibility. For everyone, no matter what age or gender, exercise is so good for keeping the brain and the body healthy. Many of us were working out at home, and that inspired my book, Exercising in a Pandemic. There are so many ways to work out at home, even while doing chores or watching television.  The idea is to just keep moving. One example from my book is to include kids or pets in the action – lift them instead of weights. They might think it is fun. The ideas are simple and imaginative. Even now that the pandemic is behind us, working out at home is easy and convenient to add to your day,

  When times get tough and everyone has to look out for everyone else -- helping children, older parents, neighbors, and others, the most forgotten person is the self. Yet, taking care of the self can be the single most important thing you do in order to be able to care for all the others who need your help, regardless of your role in their lives or relationship to them. So, start out the week being good to yourself. Here are some books that can help.     Mama, do you find yourself too busy to take good care of yourself? Whatever your situation, you deserve spectacular health and wellness. With Julie M. Gentile as your personal wellness mentor, this book coaches you along your own authentic self-care path. Using 108 writing prompts and self-care practices, including yoga poses, meditations, and breathing exercises, Julie shows you practical ways to live well that only a mama modern would understand. Become the self-care goddess you truly want to be—you’re worth it! A Woman’s Guide to S

I was inspired to write Choice and Structure for Children with Autism initially due to the struggles parents were expressing with having their families locked down, in-home, during the beginning stages of the pandemic in spring 2020. Little did I know at the time the Pandemic disruption to daily life would continue for another 3 years. Children with Autism generally live very directed and adult guided lives from the time of their diagnosis throughout their school years. Autistic children receive special school supports and therapies from multiple professionals as well as distinct after school and home therapies. As part of their diagnosis, these children often struggle with down-time and may either become withdrawn, or agitated without the structure and predictability of adult guided activities. When the pandemic hit autistic children and their parents were now left receiving little supports through online and phone counseling to the parents. This left long and unpredictable stretches

  Porn and the Pandemic. Get it HERE ! Porn and the Pandemic examines the early months of the exponential growth of Internet pornography during the time of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Author Joshua Shea, himself a former pornography addict, traces how segments of the population flocked to only pornography and tells the stories of those whose lives were impacted, including his own. Shea interviews former pornography addicts who succumbed to temptation during quarantine, often after years of sobriety, along with those who managed to "stay on the wagon" learning why addicts either failed or succeeded while stuck at home. Along with an analysis of online porn industry marketing techniques and measurements of their success during this unique time, Shea examines how the industry reacted to a sudden need for more content, recruiting young adults who found their jobs suddenly gone, into making stay-at-home pornography. Several "cam models" both veteran and rookie, talk

MSI Press authors are undertaking a special project to help readers weather the pandemic (quarantine). Writing in their various areas of specialty, the authors address issues of psychological well being, health, parenting, spirituality, and number of other related areas of stress and concern associated with the pandemic. To see the list of books in progress, check out our home page HERE . As more books are offered by our authors, they will be added to the list. For example, in the pipeline, but not yet shown on the home page, are three books whose cover designs are still in progress: 10 Quick Homework Tips (McKinley Alder & Trombly) How to Stay Calm in Chaos. (Gentile) Old and On Hold . (Cooper) So, check back weekly to see where these books stand. And note, that they can be pre-ordered at 25% discount, using the code FF25. Since the books are already easy on the pocket, this is a pretty good deal. Take two -- or three!* *Printing and shipping times dur

  This week's book back story features How to Stay Calm in Chaos by Julie Gentile. from the author -- Growing up, one of my dreams was to become an author. That dream came true on February 1, 2019, when my first book, 108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas , was published. I didn’t know just 18 months later my second book would be born. Inspired by working full-time from home with young children logging into school online during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide . Writing has always been a way for me to organize my thoughts and process my experiences. Accepting that we were living in a pandemic was no different. With the world on lockdown, I continued to persevere for myself and my children, and I did it all with the self-care foundation I built over the last several years. A daily yoga and meditation practice, journaling, and walks in nature were the reasons I was able to support myself mentally and

  Excerpt from Porn and the Pandemic  by Joshua Shea My introduction to the world of journalism came as a high school senior in August 1993 when I was hired in the sports department of the Sun Journal in Lewiston, Maine.  With the exception of short breaks here and there, I have exclusively made my living as either a journalist or editor since then. I was never the journalist who dreamed of being dropped into a war zone or into the thick of a presidential race. I saw no reason to go to Fenway Park to cover a Boston Red Sox game. It seemed just as easy to watch the game on television and get the same quotes every other writer did in the post-game news conference. And while armed stand-offs may be exciting to read about or watch in a two-minute news clip, I’ve been to them in real life. It’s mostly sitting behind your car waiting for something exciting to happen. Spoiler: It never does. I found my niche in research. I went to my share of five-alarm fires, and there certainly is a morbid

  excerpt from Life, Liberty, & Covid-19 SELF-COMPASSION When we blame others with such vehemence, it is a good indication of a hidden, unacknowledged self-blame. We used to say as kids, “It takes one to know one.” Another way of saying it, “If you spot it, you got it.” That is called projection, as we discussed regarding prejudice. What we hate in others is what we cannot tolerate in ourselves but disown. We get rid of what we despise in ourselves by casting it onto others and then berate them for it. There is only one way to escape the blame game. Beginning with ourselves, we give up the harsh self-judgment. The first step in self-compassion, forgiveness, is to become attuned to our own suffering, which has several aspects: Losses During the pandemic, we suffer so many unavoidable losses. Our lives have been turned upside down. Most tragically, family members may have become infected and died. We could not be by their sides during their sufferings because of the quaranti

excerpt from Exercising in a Pandemic (Young) -  Exercising In the House             Exercising at home doesn’t involve travel time to the gym, and it sets a good example for kids and other family members who might be parked in front of the television set or computer screen. Maybe they will get up and exercise with you. Maybe you can switch the television or computer to an exercise program and involve the whole family, or just leave the television on and exercise while you watch something the whole family enjoys. If the television is turned off, find some lively music on the radio to work out with. Stretch to classical or new age music. Work out to jazz or rock. Find whatever lively music your whole family likes if you are working out together. Working out to music you enjoy makes exercising more fun. You will be more likely to continue an exercise regimen.             Start with basic exercises. Jumping jacks, stretches, squats, lunges and push-ups or knee push-ups are good starters.