Beyond Fear

by Dorothy Rowe

Dorothy Rowe shows us how to have the courage to acknowledge and face our fears - only through courage can we find a sustaining happiness. Fear is the great unmentionable. We fear loss, bereavement, old age, death, rejection, failure - most of all we fear annihilation of the self. Yet all of this we keep to ourselves, afraid of being thought weak. Denying our fear of self-destruction, around which our entire sense of self is built, can have profound effects upon ourselves and those around us in later life. It can lead to physical illness, like anorexia, or to mental problems, such as panic attacks, depression and schizophrenia. In "Beyond Fear" psychologist Dorothy Rowe explains how to recognize the need for change and how to bring it about.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Mental Health

Paperback

First published June 3, 1996

About the author

The psychologist who has changed how we understand depression and happiness

"Dorothy Rowes is the calm voice of reason in an increasingly mad world"
Sue Townsend

Dorothy Rowe is a world-renowned psychologist and writer. Her explanation of depression gives the depressed person a way of taking charge of their life and leaving the prison of depression forever.

She shows how we each live in a world of meaning that we have created. She applies this understanding to important aspects of our lives, such as emotional distress, happiness, growing old, religious belief, politics, money, friends and enemies, extraverts and introverts, parents, children and siblings.

Her work liberates us from the bamboozling lies that mental health experts and politicians tell in order to keep us in our place and themselves in power.

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Reviews

[Philippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating, really delves into the psychology behind fear. How you move beyond fear is by accepting yourself,and accepting others as they are. Accepting the ambiguous, chaotic state of the world. Seeing the unknown as freedom. I really liked it but skipped some of the more theory-heavy chapters. She reminds me of an old school Brene Brown, had she been writing in the 1970s and 1980s.

[Veronika Pooky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on case studies and conversations between the author and her clients, this is her psychological analysis of fear. She is good at explaining human fears and how fear can develop into depression, schizophrenia and other mental disorders. In the last chapter, she explains the importance of self-love and what she meant by self-love. Even though I have put the book back to the shelf for a while, this book has great impact on my life and I started to understand self-love is very important for any human being to survive in a critical, pretentious society. It is meant to be a self-help book, but it is more like a critical evaluation of human thinking. It may be a typical psychotherapist's book, but to any outsider of this industry, this book is amazing.

[Filjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this, then I immediately started it again. It has been a revelation to me as to how my mind, and other people's minds, work. Only wish I'd found it thirty years ago.

[Neil Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several of Dorothy Rowe's texts and have enjoyed everyone with this as no exception.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

What looks like a self help book turns out to not be your typical self help book. Instead it delves more into the psychology of fear and explains the human relationship to fear to give an understanding rather then a quick fix.
Usually I have difficulty reading such deep thinking non fiction as I become quite bored with the writing style that a lot of 'self help' books have but Dorothy Rowe was not only easy to understand and follow but she wasn't dull in her delivery. Perfect for anyone interested in psychology but not used to reading such heavy material.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book fundamentally changed the way I look at people and the world. If you have the remotest interest in yourself and the development of your psyche, you should read this. It also helps if you have flirted with the reality of anxiety, self-doubt and panic attacks. Dorothy Rowe's speciality seems more to be about depression, but that is a close relative to anxiety, and this book delves into the construction and roots of these mental states. Fascinating, difficult and introspective but, in the end, hopeful and uplifting too, this is a book that makes you think.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've given up half way through. I found the book vaguely interesting but found her atheist stance off putting because it seems closed-minded to the hope that those of us with a faith, strong at times and very wavering at others- have. And no, I suppose because of my faith, I do not find the thought of my "ultimate annihilation" remotely frightening because I believe it is untrue.

[Alison]

New edition is out, comprehensive and lots of interesting connections.