MSI Press Blog

  Blackjack   My first clinical experience was working in a state psychiatric hospital with a group of individuals who were diagnosed with schizophrenia. I was a new, inexperienced therapist. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. On the afternoon of our first group meeting, I came to the waiting area and figured a welcome to the new patients was a good start. When in doubt, be polite! I never even finished the first sentence of my greeting. As soon as I opened my mouth they stood up in unison and walked away from me toward the meeting room. I was surprised. I ran to the front of the parade and led them to the end of the hallway. No one looked at me or said anything. They shuffled, single file, into the room we had been assigned and plopped themselves down around a circular table. The space was small and cramped. We were so close together that the body odor of some people whiffed through the room.   I hoped it might be easier to get everyone’s attention now that we were s

  Julie Gentile recently made a presentation on the topics in her book, How to Stay Calm in Chaos, at her local library. Now, you can listen to it, too! Just click HERE . For more posts about Julie and her books, click HERE .

  (photo by Frank Perez) Because we work with first-time authors, we are exposed to some wild ideas about what publishers should be doing for them -- and how quickly. Let's look, then, at reality. What authors can/should expect publishers to do for them:  Provide you with a fair contract (you should be able toheck out the terms with a legal advisor if you wish) that  states the rights that are being purchased (do NOT sell ALL rights) and for what period of time (and under what conditions rights will be reverted); describes details of the process of publication -- what is expected of authors and what is expected of the publisher; and provide times and deadlines.      Professionally prepare your book for publication by editing and copyediting the text; typeset the text (allowing you to make necessary corrections); and prepare a cover.            Professionally print your book.  Promote your book within parameters discussed and agreed to by contract; this generally includes  making th

  In anticipation of the increasing sunniness of spring and the hope that such weather brings, we include here an excerpt from Dr. Dennis Ortman's book, The Pandemic and Hope . BREAKING BAD, MAKING GOOD How can we overcome the grip of our fears and let our natural light shine? It is a matter of breaking a bad habit of negative thinking and acting. Just as an alcoholic can have urges and still not drink, we can have anxious reactions and not indulge them. We have a choice to live with unavoidable anxiety or depression. If we refuse to change and grow, we will become depressed with a sense of a wasted life. If we want to mature, we will move out of our comfort zone and inevitably feel anxious. But in taking the risk and succeeding, we will grow in self-confidence, creating a larger comfort zone. So we choose our poison: growth-inhibiting depression or life-enhancing anxiety. Overcoming the bad habit of an anxiety-driven life involves four steps, requiring insight, courage, and persev

  Happy Easter to all! Here are some readings related to Easter from a couple of our books: From Blest Atheist: The Church in Siberia From Easter at the Mission : Easter Vigil and Palm Sunday

  (drawing by Uliana Yanovich) What is Easter Vigil? A vigil is a period of waiting. Easter Vigil is considered the greatest of all vigils and reflects the waiting that the disciples and especially the women who followed Jesus did after Joseph of Arimathea, having gotten permission from Pontius Pilate, laid Jesus in the tomb. They waited a very long time: three days. With Easter Vigil, the Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Saturday Vigil is brought to a close. The waiting will end on Easter morning with the Resurrection. That will be joyful. For now, though, we all wait. In sadness. In the dark. photo by Stacey Gentry Waiting before the Vigil The church is always dark on Easter Vigil. I am among the first there, waiting not just for the Resurrection that is to come but also for the people who will be coming to wait together—they with me and I with them. I like greeting the people as they come in. Often, I will know with whom I should be waiting. That, after all, is my m

  Your Self-Care Bucket: Fill It First  Self-care is anything you intentionally do to nourish and renew your mind, body, and spirit. It’s not like you practice it once and then you’re good to go for the next two years. It’s the accumulation and constant replenishment of sustainable self-care practices that can help you stay well physically, emotionally, spiritually, and beyond. I often describe this accumulation in terms of a self-care bucket. Visualize an empty bucket in your favorite color or pattern. We’ll call this your self-care bucket. Now visualize all the self-care practices you do every day or every week. Every self-care practice represents a drop that gets added to your bucket. For example, if you exercised today, add a drop to the bucket. If you got eight solid hours of sleep last night (way to go if that’s you!), sprinkle in another drop.  Eventually, your bucket will be so full of drops of self-care that the accumulation of drops overflows, spilling out into