Norman E. Rosenthal

Dr. Norman Rosenthal, is the author of the bestselling Poetry Rx released last year to rave reviews including: NY Times The Well Book List of 8 Favorite Books in 2021 for Healthy Living And The subject of a NY Times op ed by Jane BrodyNow in his landmark new book, Defeating SAD, Rosenthal, who first described Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and is the foremost authority on the subject, offers an up to date guide to overcoming the miseries and that millions experience with the changing seasons. In his lively style, Rosenthal offers advice on how to identify, treat and overcome both winter and summer varieties of seasonal affective disorder, as well as the less severe yet bothersome winter blues. Having pioneered the use of bright light therapy for SAD and relying on his decades of experience treating SAD patients Rosenthal offers strategies and techniques for defeating the condition, including cognitive-behavioral approaches, diet and exercise advice, medication and meditation. Rosenthal's warm and friendly professional style will leave the reader feeling as though he has been treated to a consultation with a consummate professional, who has fascinating insights into the condition. The book will help show how to optimize your health and well-being through the seasons.

POETRY TO HEAL, INSPIRE AND BRING YOU JOY PoetryRx presents 50 great poems as seen through the eyes of this renowned psychiatrist and New York Times bestseller. In a tour de force that spans four centuries, Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal shows how these poems can help the modern reader to lead a healthier, richer and more enjoyable life. In addition, Rosenthal illustrates the psychological insights revealed in these literary gems, from the sonnets of Shakespeare to the masterpieces of modern verse. The book will deal with fundamental psychological issues that we all face as we try and live our best lives, ranging from loving and losing; responses to nature; aspects of the human experience; the search for meaning; and aging. Never before have we had a tour by such a knowledgeable guide through great poetry which can, heal, inspire and bring joy to our lives. Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal is a world-renowned psychiatrist, public speaker, and best-selling author known for his innovative research and inspirational writings. A clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University of Medicine, he is the researcher who first described seasonal affective disorder and pioneered the use of light therapy. He is listed as one of the best doctors in American and has practiced psychiatry for over four decades, treating people with all manner of psychiatric and emotional health issues.

"I used to believe that poetry did not "speak" to me, but I now see how wrong I was. I lived for 44 years with a husband, a lyricist, whose beautifully crafted, heartfelt lyrics touched my every fiber and continue to uplift and inspire me a decade after his death. The special beauty of Dr. Rosenthal's book for me is his discussion of what each poem is saying, what the poet was likely feeling and often how the poems helped him personally, as when he left his birth family in South Africa for a rewarding career in the United States." - Jane Brody, Author & New York Times Columnist Poetry to Heal, Inspire and Enjoy Poetry Rx presents 50 great poems as seen through the eyes of a renowned psychiatrist and New York Times bestseller. In this book, you will find insights into love, sorrow, ecstasy and everything in between: Love in the moment or for a lifetime; love that is fulfilling or addictive; when to break up and how to survive when someone breaks up with you. Separate sections deal with responses to the natural world, and the varieties of human experience (such as hope, reconciliation, leaving home, faith, self-actualization, trauma, anger, and the thrill of discovery). Other sections involve finding your way in the world and the search for meaning, as well as the final stages of life. In describing this multitude of human experiences, using vignettes from his work and life, Rosenthal serves as a comforting guide to these poetic works of genius. Through his writing, the workings of the mind, as depicted by these gifted writers speak to us as intimately as our closest friends. Rosenthal also delves into the science of mind and brain. Who would have thought, for example, that listening to poetry can cause people to have goosebumps by activating the reward centers of the brain? Yet research shows that to be true. And who were these fascinating poets? In a short biosketch that accompanies each poem, Rosenthal draws connections between the poets and their poems that help us understand the enigmatic minds that gave birth to these masterworks. Altogether, a fulfilling and intriguing must-read for anyone interested in poetry, the mind, self-help and genius. CONTENTS Introduction PART ONELoving and Losing Chapter OneIs There an Art to Losing?One Art by Elizabeth Bishop Chapter TwoCan Love Transform You?How do I love thee? Let me count the ways by Elizabeth Barrett Browning Chapter ThreeThe Heart versus the MindPity me not because the light of dayby Edna St. Vincent Millay Chapter FourLove in the MomentLullaby by W. H. Auden Chapter FiveWhen Love FadesFailing and Flyingby Jack Gilbert Chapter SixGetting Over a Breakup I: AcceptanceWhy so pale and wan fond lover?by Sir John Suckling Chapter SevenGetting Over a Breakup II: Reclaiming YourselfLove after Love by Derek Walcott, Chapter EightDeclaring Your LoveSonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? by William Shakespeare Chapter NineConsoled by LoveSonnet 29: When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes by William Shakespeare Chapter TenIn Praise of the Marriage of True MindsSonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds by William Shakespeare Chapter ElevenLoss of a Loved OneStop all the clocks, cut off the telephone (Funeral Blues) by W. H. Auden Chapter TwelveWill I Ever Feel Better? Time Does Not Bring Relief by Edna St. Vincent Millay Chapter ThirteenLove RememberedWhen You Are Old by William Butler Yeats Chapter FourteenLove after DeathRemember by Christina Rossetti, PART TWO That Inward Eye Chapter FifteenTranscendence in NatureDaffodils by William Wordsworth Chapter SixteenThe Memory of DaffodilsMiracle on St. David's Day by Gillian Clarke Chapter SeventeenTranscendence in Body and MindLines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey (excerpt) by William Wordsworth Chapter EighteenThe Power of Dark and LightThere's a certain Slant of light by Emily Dickinson Chapter NineteenIn Praise of DiversityPied Beauty by Gerard Manley Hopkins Chapter TwentyA Plea to Save the Natural WorldInversnaid by Gerard Manley Hopkins Chapter Twenty-OneThe Importance of Being NeededStopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost Chapter Twenty-TwoThe Choices We MakeThe Road Not Takenby Robert Frost Chapter Twenty-ThreeThe Force of LongingSea Feverby John Masefield Chapter Twenty-FourFinding Hope in NatureThe Darkling Thrush by Thomas Hardy PART THREEThe Human Experience Chapter Twenty-Five The Power of Hope "Hope" is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson Chapter Twenty-SixWelcoming Your EmotionsThe Guest House by Jalaluddin Rumi Translated by Coleman Barks Chapter Twenty-SevenThe Healing Power of ReconciliationOut beyond Ideas by Jalaluddin Rumi (Translated by Coleman Barks) Chapter Twenty-EightLeaving HomeTraveler, there is no road by Antonio Machado Translated by Mary G. Berg and Dennis Maloney Chapter Twenty-NineAnd Those You Leave BehindLetter to My Mother by Salvatore Quasimodo Translated by Jack Bevan Chapter ThirtyThe Importance of Self-ActualizationOn His Blindness by John Milton Chapter Thirty-OneThe Power of FaithPsalm 23A Psalm of David Chapter Thirty-TwoThe Thrill of DiscoveryOn First Looking into Chapman's Homer by John Keats Chapter Thirty-ThreeThe Enduring Thrill of the MomentHigh Flight by John Gillespie Magee Jr Chapter Thirty-FourThe Long Reach of TraumaThe Sentence by Anna Akhmatova Translated by Judith Hemschemeyer Chapter Thirty-FiveThe Danger of AngerA Poison Tree by William Blake PART FOURA Design for Living and the Search for Meaning Chapter Thirty-SixPrinciples for a Good LifePolonius' Advice to Laertesby William Shakespeare Chapter Thirty-SevenRemaining Steady through Life's Ups and DownsIf by Rudyard Kipling Chapter Thirty-EightNever Give UpInvictus by William Ernest Henley Chapter Thirty-NinePutting One Foot in Front of the OtherThe Waking by Theodore Roethke Chapter FortyShould You React or Proact? Waiting for the Barbariansby Constantine CavafyTranslated by Edmund Keeley and Philip Sherrard Chapter Forty-OneIt's the Journey That MattersIthaka by Constantine Cavafy Translated by Edmund Keeley Chapter Forty-TwoHold On to Your DreamsDreams by Langston Hughes PART FIVEInto the Night Chapter Forty-ThreeShould You Just Go for It?An Irish Airman Foresees His Death by William Butler Yeats Chapter Forty-FourOr Should You Be Careful? Mus e des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden Chapter Forty-FiveDying Too SoonWe Real Cool by Gwendolyn Brooks Chapter Forty-SixAging by DegreesI Know I Am Getting Old by Wendell Berry Chapter Forty-SevenThe Critical Importance of CommunicationNot Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith Chapter Forty-EightShould You Rage? Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas Chapter Forty-NineOr Is it Time to Go Gently? Because I could not stop for Death by Emily Dickinson Chapter FiftyI Did Not Die Do not stand at my grave and weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye A Few Last ThoughtsSource Materials and Further ReadingPermissionsAcknowledgmentsIndexAbout the Author INTRODUCTIONYou may well wonder how I, a psychiatrist with no formal literary credentials, have chosen to write about the power of poetry to heal, inspire, and bring joy to people. It all started with a single phone call that came in late one night. The caller was my friend David, and I knew immediately by the tone of his voice that something was wrong. He choked up as he told me that he had recently lost someone very dear to him. "How can I go on?" he mused. "How will I manage?" Clich s and generalities readily come to mind in such situations, but I searched for something specific to say, something that might actually help. Recognizing that David is a person steeped in the arts, I said, "There is an art to losing, and like all art, it can be developed." He was silent for a while, and when he spoke again, his voice sounded more cheerful, as though he had tapped into some hidden source of hope. . "Do you know the poem 'One Art' by Elizabeth Bishop?" he asked. I told him no. "Well, let me read it to you," and he began: "'The art of losing isn't hard to master.'" As he read on, his voice gathered strength and energy with each stanza. Afterwards his mood was lighter--and strangely, so was mine. . "Can a poem really help a grieving person?" I wondered, "and if so, might other poems also have healing powers?" I marveled also at how David had reached into the depths of his grief and presented me with a gift--a poem that offered me a fresh perspective on how to help someone out of the darkness that can engulf you when you lose someone you love. I shared the poem with patients and friends, many of whom found comfort in its words, and looked for other poems that might have similar effects. Once I started looking, I found such poems everywhere. One friend, a therapist, had been so moved by a poem about aging by Wendell Berry th

The noted research psychiatrist and New York Times-bestselling author explores how Transcendental Meditation permanently alters your daily consciousness, resulting in greater productivity, emotional resilience, and aptitude for success. Most of us believe that we live in only three states of consciousness: wakefulness, sleep, and dreaming. But there is so much more. In Super Mind, clinical psychiatrist and bestselling author Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., shows how the incredibly simple daily practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) can permanently improve your state of mind during the routine hours of waking life--placing you into a super-mind state of consciousness where you consistently perform at peak aptitude. In his most ambitious and practical book yet, Rosenthal shows how TM is more than a tool for destressing or for general wellness. It is a gateway to functioning physically, emotionally, and intellectually at levels we never knew we could attain. Written in Rosenthal's trademark style of restraint and intellectual carefulness, Super Mind explores how we can aspire to so much more than we ever thought possible. From the Hardcover edition.

Now in paperback--this acclaimed book from Norman Rosenthal, the New York Times-bestselling author and research psychiatrist, shows how life's disappointments and difficulties provide us with the lessons we need to become happier and more resilient human beings. Winner of the 2014 Nautilus Award represents "Better Books for a Better World"--the Silver Award in the category of Heroic Journeys. Adversity is an irreducible fact of life. Although we can and should learn from all experiences, both positive and negative, bestselling author Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, believes that adversity is by far the best teacher most of us will ever encounter. Whether the adversity one experiences is the result of poor decision-making, a desire to test one's mettle, or plain bad luck, Rosenthal believes life's most important lessons--from the value of family to the importance of occasionally cutting corners--can be best learned from it. Running counter to society's current prevailing message that "excellence" must always be aspired to, and failure or mistakes of any sort are to be avoided at all costs, Rosenthal shows that engaging with our own failures and defeats is one of the only ways we are able to live authentic and meaningful lives, and that each different type of adversity carries its own challenges and has the potential to yield its own form of wisdom. Using stories from his own life--including his childhood in apartheid-era South Africa, his years after suffering a violent attack from a stranger, and his career as a psychiatrist--as well as case studies and discussions with well-known figures like Viktor Frankl and David Lynch, Rosenthal shows that true innovation, emotional resilience, wisdom, and dignity can only come from confronting and understanding the adversity we have experienced. Even when life is hardest, there are meanings to be found, riches to be harvested, and gifts that can last a lifetime. Rosenthal illustrates his message through a series of compact, memorable chapters, each one drawn from episodes in the lives of his patients, colleagues, or himself, and concluded with a take-away maxim on the lesson learned.

"Dr. Norman Rosenthal's Transcendence is the best-ever book on Transcendental Meditation: accessible and substantive, engaging and scientific, practical and profound. A very enjoyable read that can change your life, for good."--David Lynch In this definitive book on the scientifically proven health and stress-relieving benefits of Transcendental Meditation, a renowned psychiatrist and researcher explores why TM works, what it can do for you, and how to use it for maximum effect. This New York Times bestselling paperback edition includes a new afterword by the author on the latest research and breakthroughs. Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., a twenty-year researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health and the celebrated psychiatrist who pioneered the study and treatment of Season Affective Disorder (SAD), brings us the most important work on Transcendental Meditation since the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Science of Being and Art of Living-- and one of our generation's most significant books on achieving greater physical and mental health and wellness. Transcendence demystifies the practice and benefits of Transcendental Meditation for a general audience who may have heard about the method but do not necessarily know what it is, how it is learned, or what they stand to gain, physically and emotionally, from achieving transcendence. Dr. Rosenthal clearly and practically explains the basic ideas behind Transcendental Meditation: It is a nonreligious practice that involves sitting comfortably for twenty minutes twice a day while using a silent mantra, or nonverbal sound, to attain a profound state of aware relaxation. Alongside exclusive celebrity interviews-where figures like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Martin Scorsese, Russell Brand, Laura Dern, Moby, and David Lynch openly discuss their meditation-Dr. Rosenthal draws upon experience from the lives of his patients and a wealth of clinical research amassed on TM over the past generation (340 peer-reviewed published articles). He provides the fullest and most accessible book ever on the broad range of benefits of this remarkably simple practice, from relief of anxiety, stress and depression to new hope for those experiencing addiction, attention-deficit disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Dr. Norman Rosenthal's Transcendence is the best-ever book on Transcendental Meditation: accessible and substantive, engaging and scientific, practical and profound. A very enjoyable read that can change your life, for good." - David LynchNorman E. Rosenthal, MD, a twenty-year researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health and the celebrated psychiatrist who pioneered the study and treatment of Season Affective Disorder (SAD), brings us the most important work on Transcendental Meditation since the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Science of Being and Art of Living - and one of our generation's most significant books on achieving greater physical and mental health and wellness.Transcendence demystifies the practice and benefits of Transcendental Meditation for a general audience who may have heard about the method but do not necessarily know what it is, how it is learned, or what they stand to gain, physically and emotionally, from achieving transcendence. Dr Rosenthal clearly and practically explains the basic ideas behind Transcendental Meditation: It is a nonreligious practice that involves sitting comfortably for twenty minutes twice a day while using a silent mantra, or nonverbal sound, to attain a profound state of aware relaxation.Alongside exclusive celebrity interviews-where figures like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Martin Scorsese, Russell Brand, Laura Dern, Moby and David Lynch openly discuss their meditation - Dr Rosenthal draws upon experience from the lives of his patients and a wealth of clinical research amassed on Transcendental Meditation over the past generation (340 peer-reviewed published articles). He provides the fullest and most accessible book ever on the broad range of benefits of this remarkably simple practice, from relief of anxiety, stress and depression to new hope for those experiencing addiction, attention-deficit disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Feel Better. . .Live Better Scientific discoveries are unlocking the mysteries of our emotional lives. Every week brings us new information on the environmental, hormonal, genetic, and chemical factors that affect our feelings, and an ever-expanding repertoire of methods to manage specific emotional conditions. But how can we apply this cutting-edge research to our own lives? In The Emotional Revolution, Norman E. Rosenthal, psychiatrist, researcher, and specialist in the fields of psychopharmacology and psychobiology, offers a comprehensive guide to these exciting breakthroughs. He explores the latest findings about the body mechanisms that create emotions--and why our feelings can sometimes go out of control. He also offers simple self-help strategies and evaluates dozens of the newest treatments--both traditional and alternative--that can help with everything from depression and addiction to anxiety and excessive anger. Here is fascinating, up-to-the-minute information you won't find in any other single resource, including: - Clues to the biological basis of monogamy - A new link between depression and heart disease, and what this means for the treatment of both conditions - How simple patterns of eye movements can help alleviate painful memories - How taking a commonly-used blood pressure medication can help you cope with trauma - How lying in the dark releases a hormone that can alleviate anxiety and craving - The surprising health benefits of friendship and religion - The deadly dangers of anger - The health-promoting powers of love The first book to combine scientific research with prescriptive guidelines for the general reader, The Emotional Revolution is your guide to understanding the complexities of human feelings--and improving your life. "A well-researched, clearly-written, and absorbing book. Highly recommended for anyone who's ever seen a psychiatrist--or who hasn't " --Dean Hamer, Ph.D., author of The Science of Desire Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University. A practicing psychiatrist, Dr. Rosenthal has been listed in The Best Doctors in the U.S. For twenty years, he was a senior researcher in psychiatry and psychobiology at the National Institute of Mental Health. He has appeared on 20/20, CNN, National Public Radio, The Today Show, CBS Morning News, and Good Morning, America. Dr. Rosenthal lives and practices in Rockville, Maryland. Visit his Web site at www.normanrosenthal.com.