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Through the Mind's Eye: A Journey of Self-Discovery
Depression, self-loathing, unemployment, and destroyed relationships: the effects of drug and alcohol addiction run so much deeper than the morning-after hangover. However, awareness alone will not save the struggling addict, as J.P. Willson reveals in his fearless examination of substance dependency; recovery means doing the mental and emotional work to look inside oneself and discover a way to live as a sober, fulfilled individual in an often challenging world.
Through the Mind’s Eye: A Journey of Self-Discovery is a thought-provoking and honest examination of the emotional, psychological, and physical ways someone must enact their own healing. As a recovering alcoholic, Willson courageously shares his own story of addiction, as well the ups and downs he experienced along the road to recovery. Packed with astonishing insights about our culture’s relationship to alcohol, as well as the lies we tell ourselves in order to keep using, this book will change the way you view addiction. Willson has no qualms about telling the reader how difficult recovery is—and how there is no quick cure-all—but his compassionate, candid reflections help foster the knowledge and will to change.
Through the Mind’s Eye: A Journey of Self-Discovery is a thought-provoking and honest examination of the emotional, psychological, and physical ways someone must enact their own healing. As a recovering alcoholic, Willson courageously shares his own story of addiction, as well the ups and downs he experienced along the road to recovery. Packed with astonishing insights about our culture’s relationship to alcohol, as well as the lies we tell ourselves in order to keep using, this book will change the way you view addiction. Willson has no qualms about telling the reader how difficult recovery is—and how there is no quick cure-all—but his compassionate, candid reflections help foster the knowledge and will to change.
- GenresNonfiction
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 31, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
August 31, 2020
This July, I opted to focus a majority of my reads on non-fiction books, mostly on the autobiographical end of the spectrum. The first was a memoir by J. P. Willson who wrote 'Through the Mind's Eye: A Journey of Self-Discovery.' I stumbled upon the author via his Goodreads profile and liked the cover and synopsis, so I added it to my TBR a couple of years ago. I finished it in a short time, but it's also written in a way where you can easily stop and start at your leisure.
J.P. is in his fifties and tells us from the beginning that he's always been an alcoholic. From the get-go, you feel the honesty and raw pain he's gone through. Rather than blame others, he's taken the bull by the horns, so to speak, to focus on his recovery and ensure his future is a happy one. By the end of his memoir, readers clearly understand the key things he went through, what he believes changed him, and how the AA program helped him get to where he is today.
Is one drink per night too much? Two? Five? Drinking before noon? It's not that simple, as Willson generously shares with his readers. The AA program worked for him on many levels, but not necessarily on all. One by one, he discusses each of the twelve steps, the original religious aspects, and the concept of having a sponsor. In his introspective and personal analytics, readers find common sense and new ideas to consider. It's not as simple as 'stop drinking' or 'follow the plan.' It's a disease, he reminds us, and sometimes, it can be sneaky and vengeful.
Willson is brave to share this with others. Then again, after what he went through in reality, perhaps sharing this truth is cathartic. Whatever you believe, it's clear that the man has truly learned how to live without the dependency. He wasn't satisfied to understand why he drank on a surface level; it was necessary to dive deep and explore everything that led to his decisions. And now that he's a recovering alcoholic, he can even poke fun at himself on the things he can't believe once occurred. Or point out how hard it is for a chef who loves to pair wines to suddenly not be able to do it anymore.
It's wonderful to see a success story, and while he will always remember the pain of the past, the new attitude and attentiveness to his words in this book clearly show the success he deserves to have in the future. I'd recommend this book for anyone who has an issue with alcohol (or other addictions) or is watching someone they care for go through it themselves.
J.P. is in his fifties and tells us from the beginning that he's always been an alcoholic. From the get-go, you feel the honesty and raw pain he's gone through. Rather than blame others, he's taken the bull by the horns, so to speak, to focus on his recovery and ensure his future is a happy one. By the end of his memoir, readers clearly understand the key things he went through, what he believes changed him, and how the AA program helped him get to where he is today.
Is one drink per night too much? Two? Five? Drinking before noon? It's not that simple, as Willson generously shares with his readers. The AA program worked for him on many levels, but not necessarily on all. One by one, he discusses each of the twelve steps, the original religious aspects, and the concept of having a sponsor. In his introspective and personal analytics, readers find common sense and new ideas to consider. It's not as simple as 'stop drinking' or 'follow the plan.' It's a disease, he reminds us, and sometimes, it can be sneaky and vengeful.
Willson is brave to share this with others. Then again, after what he went through in reality, perhaps sharing this truth is cathartic. Whatever you believe, it's clear that the man has truly learned how to live without the dependency. He wasn't satisfied to understand why he drank on a surface level; it was necessary to dive deep and explore everything that led to his decisions. And now that he's a recovering alcoholic, he can even poke fun at himself on the things he can't believe once occurred. Or point out how hard it is for a chef who loves to pair wines to suddenly not be able to do it anymore.
It's wonderful to see a success story, and while he will always remember the pain of the past, the new attitude and attentiveness to his words in this book clearly show the success he deserves to have in the future. I'd recommend this book for anyone who has an issue with alcohol (or other addictions) or is watching someone they care for go through it themselves.
August 4, 2017
In the book “Through the Mind's Eye: A Journey of Self-Discovery” writer J.P. Willson describes his long-term struggle with alcohol addiction. The book is perfectly honest and the writer opens to his own core. Because of the alcohol, his life has become a ruin. Because of his addiction broke up his marriage, the daughter did not want at all contact with him and in the end, he lost his job. The author sincerely from the soul through the book is trying to explain the state of his mind that is banged with alcohol and does not want to admit that addiction controls his life. When he finally decides to go to the healing of a fight, he is just starting to fight with himself because of addiction; the mind converts into the battlefield. Writer us all the turmoil in his mind is transferred to the paper and trying us a simple way to explain his feelings that are often in conflict. Fighting with the mind and mind that is captured with alcohol and any addiction is terrible because most addicts do not want to admit they are addicts. With this book, the writer is trying to get closer to the addicts and tries to explain all the possible situations and the struggle he led with addiction. As the writer wrote in the book that fights never stops and will last until the end of his life. But his life is completely changed from the roots after treatments and the biggest benefit is that it is now a happy man. But the writer is aware that it is a constant struggle but he is aware that he would lose everything if he returned to the path of addiction. The book I would suggest as a good advisor to all addicts who are trying to get back on the road to recovery. I'm sure his honest tips will help them to overcome some difficult moments and give them the strength to fight against addiction.
July 19, 2017
4.5 stars
This is a powerful memoir of an alcoholic’s journey into and out of his addiction, made more powerful because of J.P. Willson’s talents with the written word. His book is not some People Magazine’s version of being lost and then found in the cushy space of an alcohol rehab center during 28 days of enforced sobriety. This is a story of a man who failed many times and hit bottom more than once. But when an opportunity came in the form of a treatment facility run by the Salvation Army, he found the right place at the right time and started his recovery. The result was this book, which includes excerpts from journals he kept during the months following.
This is a powerful memoir of an alcoholic’s journey into and out of his addiction, made more powerful because of J.P. Willson’s talents with the written word. His book is not some People Magazine’s version of being lost and then found in the cushy space of an alcohol rehab center during 28 days of enforced sobriety. This is a story of a man who failed many times and hit bottom more than once. But when an opportunity came in the form of a treatment facility run by the Salvation Army, he found the right place at the right time and started his recovery. The result was this book, which includes excerpts from journals he kept during the months following.
June 12, 2017
This was an incredibly hard book to read for me. I had a difficult time getting through it, not because of the content, but because the author wouldn’t get to the point. It’s a stream-of-conscious garden hose of verbiage that I really wanted to dig into and… couldn’t because the author kept wandering off to another concept. I felt like he kept saying, (not literally, but figuratively) “It was bad. Real bad.” And you as the reader, ask, “How bad was it?” and he, the author, would say, “It was bad. Trust me on this, it was bad. I couldn’t possibly go into how bad it was.” Frustrating. There was a lot of “Telling, not Showing,” as far as the things that went on in his life. He lost his job. He lost his home. He was depressed. He has a daughter who hated him but now loves him. But how did those things occur? What happened when they did occur? So, the voyeur in me, (sorry, I’m not an addict so that’s why I read books like this, to see how that life is lived and how it is so very different from my own) gets the door shut in my face at the most interesting parts, while the people, who the author states that he can help with this book, loses out because of the jumping around of concepts. There is no way a recovering addict, looking for help is going to “get” this book’s concepts. Way too complicated. People on a razor’s edge of losing control need actionable steps, not a lifestory.
I want to go on this journey with him and I want to understand his message, and I’m sure, in the author’s head, this is all clear. But I’m not there. I was just left confused. I’m thinking he is hoping that his story will help and inspire other addicts and, I assume others who are in relationships with addicts to better understand the condition and perhaps, using his experience, find a way to recover from their addictions and go on to a healthier life. He comes across as very sincere and, unfortunately like many recovering addicts, quite engrossed in his own process, treatment and needs, such as the need to know “why.”
This causes me to pause again and wonder who his intended audience is. Is he preaching to the choir? ie., other recovering addicts? Or is he trying to inspire the addict who is still in denial. Later in the book he suggests that unless the reader is at least out of denial (of their addiction) then they wouldn’t even be reading his book anyways.
I struggled with it being half a guidebook to recovery and half a memoir about his life experiences as an addict without a succinct interpretation of either.
I’d give this book a 3 star on content for whether I got something of quality out of the book’s intended purpose. The nuggets of truth are in there. I just had a hard time holding on to them as he wanders around dipping his toes into this or that concept or quandary or thought process. His very good points sometimes get lost in his musings and clarifications. His teaching (or self-help) style is buried under his writing style. Teaching style, for me, needs to be short and sweet, get to the point, get in and get out. A list, like the AA’s 12-step is good for keeping track of where you’ve been and where you’re going. That’s probably why it’s been so successful.
But here is where this author does shine: He is very intelligent. You can tell he is very articulate with an elegant, classical, old style play of words that is truly engaging. I believe if this author wrote a fiction book, using the creative wordplay he uses to describe his life, that that could be a really great story. A fictional character could have the humorous monologues and change of thought directions and be considered interesting. I love twisty, convoluted characterizations and writing style. Just not when I’m trying to “Learn” something.
So, for this reason, I’m going with an end product that may be the same as many of the other reviewers, a 4 star, but for entirely different reasons, altogether. I want to remember that I like this author's writing style.
I want to go on this journey with him and I want to understand his message, and I’m sure, in the author’s head, this is all clear. But I’m not there. I was just left confused. I’m thinking he is hoping that his story will help and inspire other addicts and, I assume others who are in relationships with addicts to better understand the condition and perhaps, using his experience, find a way to recover from their addictions and go on to a healthier life. He comes across as very sincere and, unfortunately like many recovering addicts, quite engrossed in his own process, treatment and needs, such as the need to know “why.”
This causes me to pause again and wonder who his intended audience is. Is he preaching to the choir? ie., other recovering addicts? Or is he trying to inspire the addict who is still in denial. Later in the book he suggests that unless the reader is at least out of denial (of their addiction) then they wouldn’t even be reading his book anyways.
I struggled with it being half a guidebook to recovery and half a memoir about his life experiences as an addict without a succinct interpretation of either.
I’d give this book a 3 star on content for whether I got something of quality out of the book’s intended purpose. The nuggets of truth are in there. I just had a hard time holding on to them as he wanders around dipping his toes into this or that concept or quandary or thought process. His very good points sometimes get lost in his musings and clarifications. His teaching (or self-help) style is buried under his writing style. Teaching style, for me, needs to be short and sweet, get to the point, get in and get out. A list, like the AA’s 12-step is good for keeping track of where you’ve been and where you’re going. That’s probably why it’s been so successful.
But here is where this author does shine: He is very intelligent. You can tell he is very articulate with an elegant, classical, old style play of words that is truly engaging. I believe if this author wrote a fiction book, using the creative wordplay he uses to describe his life, that that could be a really great story. A fictional character could have the humorous monologues and change of thought directions and be considered interesting. I love twisty, convoluted characterizations and writing style. Just not when I’m trying to “Learn” something.
So, for this reason, I’m going with an end product that may be the same as many of the other reviewers, a 4 star, but for entirely different reasons, altogether. I want to remember that I like this author's writing style.
February 25, 2018
If you are touched by the subject of addiction, either yourself or if you have been linked to it by a family member of friend then this is an accessible read opening up the mind and thoughts of the addict. Through the book we are presented with the authors own journey of addiction, and at times this is not an easy read, and the reader is faced with the unpleasant side of the harrowing effect this can and does have on life. I have to say hats off to the author for writing what had to be a hard book.
April 2, 2019
This is a raw, candid look into alcoholism and the difficult recovery process. The author has an obvious talent for writing, and I thoroughly enjoyed his honesty as he shared the personal details of his battle with the bottle. It's not an easy subject to talk about, and I loved that he was able to do so with openness and even humor.
As a family member of an alcoholic, I found myself relating to SO much of what the author talks about; the depression, the addiction, the denial, how even after seeking treatment and recovery, you can never just order a glass of wine or a pint of beer while out to dinner. It all rang so true, and yet I also learned a lot about the internal and external struggles before, during, and after recovery.
This is a must read for anyone dealing with alcoholism, for anyone who knows and loves someone struggling with it, or for anyone who just wants to understand this often misunderstood addiction.
As a family member of an alcoholic, I found myself relating to SO much of what the author talks about; the depression, the addiction, the denial, how even after seeking treatment and recovery, you can never just order a glass of wine or a pint of beer while out to dinner. It all rang so true, and yet I also learned a lot about the internal and external struggles before, during, and after recovery.
This is a must read for anyone dealing with alcoholism, for anyone who knows and loves someone struggling with it, or for anyone who just wants to understand this often misunderstood addiction.
July 16, 2017
The contents of this book is told through the author's eyes. He has done a good job of retelling his story, which I guess was quite difficult for him to write. I think he did a really good job of describing what he went through with his addiction. The hardships he endured, and the heartache he caused himself and his family. I thought the book was very well written, and I'm glad to see that he has pulled out of his addiction, and rebuilt his bridges. It was good to see that he got all the support he could ever want, from family, friends, rehab clinics and such.
Thank you to the author, for sharing your life, your struggles, and your fight against addiction.
4.5 stars given!
Thank you to the author, for sharing your life, your struggles, and your fight against addiction.
4.5 stars given!
April 17, 2017
This book was a difficult read because of the subject matter: addiction. The author presents a very clear and compelling story of his own path through his own addiction. You are given an uncomfortably close view into the authors thought's and experiences. This book is necessary to read for anyone who may themselves or may know someone with an addiction problem. The author is no doctor, which he reminds us of, but he pulls away the veils that society has placed over addiction and gives us a raw look at the problem and hope that there is indeed a solution. This hope is not without hard work on the part of the addict. I appreciate the honesty and how forthcoming the author was with what must be a difficult subject to be transparent with. I think this book could be a real help to those struggling with addiction and to their loved ones walking with them.
May 9, 2017
"Through the Mind's Eye" is a real talk advice manual that deals with addiction and recovery in a way that draws from Willson's personal experience. For me, this book did not have the impact that I believe the author intended due to a loose structure that felt disorienting to me as a reader. It was colloquial, autobiographical in parts, and somewhat self-absorbed which made it too personal to feel like a self-help book. Yet, it was neither consistent nor linear enough in personal storytelling to give it the feel of a memoir.
As a result, I found myself trying to ignore the structure in favor of mining the book for kernels of wisdom. There were some gems, but it felt difficult to unearth them given a writing style that was so informal that I often felt as if there were simply too many words. Much of the content is very good, but my overall feeling is that this book could have done with a better edit that guided the reader a little more, and that removed repetition and a fair bit of preamble Willson gave at various points rather than simply jumping into wisdom and insights.
With that said, I acknowledge that healing and recovery topics are difficult to write, to the extent that readers may be on different paths on their journeys. There is always the reality that a beginner who is taking her very first steps into the subject matter will have much to learn and consider, whereas somebody who is more indoctrinated into the subject matter will be looking for a little more. I think this book would be best-appreciated by someone unfamiliar with the recovery process and early into their own journeying of self-improvement. For that type of reader, I think that Willson's accessible and frank tough-love style could be effective.
As a result, I found myself trying to ignore the structure in favor of mining the book for kernels of wisdom. There were some gems, but it felt difficult to unearth them given a writing style that was so informal that I often felt as if there were simply too many words. Much of the content is very good, but my overall feeling is that this book could have done with a better edit that guided the reader a little more, and that removed repetition and a fair bit of preamble Willson gave at various points rather than simply jumping into wisdom and insights.
With that said, I acknowledge that healing and recovery topics are difficult to write, to the extent that readers may be on different paths on their journeys. There is always the reality that a beginner who is taking her very first steps into the subject matter will have much to learn and consider, whereas somebody who is more indoctrinated into the subject matter will be looking for a little more. I think this book would be best-appreciated by someone unfamiliar with the recovery process and early into their own journeying of self-improvement. For that type of reader, I think that Willson's accessible and frank tough-love style could be effective.
June 16, 2017
J.P. Willson describes his journey into addiction and out the other side into his current path. In his case, the addiction was alcohol, but this book is relatable to all sorts of addictions, I believe. The author mentions several times that his journey is a personal one. He is not offering this memoir as a cure-all prescription. He says in the introduction that he wrote this book to help himself to heal, and also to help others on their own journeys.
I read this book from the viewpoint of a person who has someone close to them suffering from addiction, and I found it helpful to glean at least a little part of what the struggle is like for the addict attempting to remake his or her life without depending on an addictive substance. I therefore recommend "Through the Mind's Eye" to friends and family members on the outside looking in, as much as I would recommend it to those who are aware of their addiction and are seeking a way out, or at least a way forward.
I read this book from the viewpoint of a person who has someone close to them suffering from addiction, and I found it helpful to glean at least a little part of what the struggle is like for the addict attempting to remake his or her life without depending on an addictive substance. I therefore recommend "Through the Mind's Eye" to friends and family members on the outside looking in, as much as I would recommend it to those who are aware of their addiction and are seeking a way out, or at least a way forward.
February 26, 2018
A Courageous Book
‘If tomorrow someone throws me a curveball I know I am adept enough, I am of a mindset that I can figure things out without so much as the hint of a thought of a drink.’
A personal account of a successful battle against alcoholism with guidance on how others in the same place can look to follow in his footsteps. It also offers valuable insight to people who have never had an addiction issue into how it can arise, what the lived experience of alcoholism is like - and how great is the fight to escape from it.
This book has the immediacy of the lived experience and combines the benefits of a self-help book with genuine rather than anecdotal examples of the issues and how they can be overcome. It also helps show how even once free of alcoholism the problems and circumstances that led to it can be and need to be addressed if the alcoholic is not just to become a ‘dry drunk’ who is in denial and depression. So it is more than just a book about recovering from alcoholism - it is a book about facing up to life.
‘Because I have this indescribable need to know why and how everything happens in the way that it does, I persist and succeed in finding an explanation for that which I am seeking.’
The strength of this book is in the personal nature of the story and the ability of the author to self-analyse. His voice speaks directly to the reader from a place of profound personal experience. I also thought the breadth of the book was impressive - for example, it has a very good chapter on depression which anyone who has walked that dark road, with or without alcohol, will find both familiar and helpful. I feel it would be a valuable read for those escaping other addictions too.
The writing is in a friendly chatty style and the author avoids using technical words, but sometimes dips a bit too far in the opposite direction, in my opinion and is happy to use vulgarities. If you dislike swear words this is not going to be the book for you.
This is a book I would recommend to anyone who wants to understand the causes and challenges of alcoholism and those who are suffering from it and are looking for a way out of it.
‘If tomorrow someone throws me a curveball I know I am adept enough, I am of a mindset that I can figure things out without so much as the hint of a thought of a drink.’
A personal account of a successful battle against alcoholism with guidance on how others in the same place can look to follow in his footsteps. It also offers valuable insight to people who have never had an addiction issue into how it can arise, what the lived experience of alcoholism is like - and how great is the fight to escape from it.
This book has the immediacy of the lived experience and combines the benefits of a self-help book with genuine rather than anecdotal examples of the issues and how they can be overcome. It also helps show how even once free of alcoholism the problems and circumstances that led to it can be and need to be addressed if the alcoholic is not just to become a ‘dry drunk’ who is in denial and depression. So it is more than just a book about recovering from alcoholism - it is a book about facing up to life.
‘Because I have this indescribable need to know why and how everything happens in the way that it does, I persist and succeed in finding an explanation for that which I am seeking.’
The strength of this book is in the personal nature of the story and the ability of the author to self-analyse. His voice speaks directly to the reader from a place of profound personal experience. I also thought the breadth of the book was impressive - for example, it has a very good chapter on depression which anyone who has walked that dark road, with or without alcohol, will find both familiar and helpful. I feel it would be a valuable read for those escaping other addictions too.
The writing is in a friendly chatty style and the author avoids using technical words, but sometimes dips a bit too far in the opposite direction, in my opinion and is happy to use vulgarities. If you dislike swear words this is not going to be the book for you.
This is a book I would recommend to anyone who wants to understand the causes and challenges of alcoholism and those who are suffering from it and are looking for a way out of it.
May 13, 2017
I'm not someone who likes to read books that are depressing or have to deal with addiction. Its funny. The last few books that I've recently been asked to review all contain subject matters, I would never give a second chance to. This book is one of those books that I would normally bypass, but I'm glad that this book didn't bypass me.
Addiction is a process that each person deals with differently in their own way and own time. I smoked for almost fifteen years of my life, and yes I was addicted. So when I read this account of the author's battle of addiction, I could feel my own battle with nicotine. The thing about these substances is that they are gratifying on so many levels, but if you're not careful - they can destroy you.
This book chronicles the author's journey well, and shows no matter how you may fall - you can still get back up and climb your way back to the living. I think it took a great amount of courage for J.P. to put his life out there like this, and for that I applaud him. This is a story of courage and denial. Hope and failure. Most of all, it is a story of how the human spirit can overcome.
Bravo, sir.
Addiction is a process that each person deals with differently in their own way and own time. I smoked for almost fifteen years of my life, and yes I was addicted. So when I read this account of the author's battle of addiction, I could feel my own battle with nicotine. The thing about these substances is that they are gratifying on so many levels, but if you're not careful - they can destroy you.
This book chronicles the author's journey well, and shows no matter how you may fall - you can still get back up and climb your way back to the living. I think it took a great amount of courage for J.P. to put his life out there like this, and for that I applaud him. This is a story of courage and denial. Hope and failure. Most of all, it is a story of how the human spirit can overcome.
Bravo, sir.
May 18, 2018
I can’t judge this book from the point of view of an addict, which is the intended audience. Many years ago, however, I did work as a registered nurse on both a detox unit and a 28-day substance abuse unit, so I have some experience with the problem from that point of view. It seems to me that this book would be helpful for addicts to read, even though it might not hit home with all of them—a point the author is careful to make. There is no one-size-fits-all solution even though there are some commonalities in the addiction and recovery process.
One point especially stood out to me. The author talked about suffering from depression and how that played a role in his drinking and subsequent addiction to alcohol. This is so true. Addicts are often self-medicating for unrecognized mental illness. I think of this every time I hear the proposed wall on the Mexican border touted as a way to stop or slow the drug crisis. Until there is no market here for drugs, we will always have a drug crisis, and added to that is that one of the most common drugs—alcohol—is legal here. To reduce the market for drugs of any sort, mental illness has to be addressed.
The author has done a lot of soul searching, and I commend him for that and wish him well. I also commend him for publishing this in the hope it will help others.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
One point especially stood out to me. The author talked about suffering from depression and how that played a role in his drinking and subsequent addiction to alcohol. This is so true. Addicts are often self-medicating for unrecognized mental illness. I think of this every time I hear the proposed wall on the Mexican border touted as a way to stop or slow the drug crisis. Until there is no market here for drugs, we will always have a drug crisis, and added to that is that one of the most common drugs—alcohol—is legal here. To reduce the market for drugs of any sort, mental illness has to be addressed.
The author has done a lot of soul searching, and I commend him for that and wish him well. I also commend him for publishing this in the hope it will help others.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 24, 2019
A frank and brutally honest exploration of alcoholism, addiction and depression, as well as the steps needed to change the cycle one can find themselves trapped in. Part memoir and part self-help book, author JP Willson writes from the experience of having lived these issues, gone through residential rehab (those were some of my favorite sections—their level of detail in describing the process by which he and his therapists worked to get down to underlying issues were outstanding), relapsed, found himself at rock-bottom and had to rebuild his life from scratch.
I found this quite well-written. The 12 steps most people are probably familiar with are examined in depth and explained. Willson writes with a sense of candor on this subject that can only come from having lived it—from his stories of what he would tell himself when he was in the grip of addiction in order to keep enabling the behavior, to what it’s like to be a “dry drunk” and that it can be much harder in the phase after you’ve gotten sober. Informative and a good read.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
I found this quite well-written. The 12 steps most people are probably familiar with are examined in depth and explained. Willson writes with a sense of candor on this subject that can only come from having lived it—from his stories of what he would tell himself when he was in the grip of addiction in order to keep enabling the behavior, to what it’s like to be a “dry drunk” and that it can be much harder in the phase after you’ve gotten sober. Informative and a good read.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
August 20, 2017
Tough but worth it.
This was a tough read. Tough in the sense that this book shows one man’s personal battle with addiction. With a vulnerable everything laid bare the author delves deep into his battle both within and without with alcohol, and he does it with a talented pen. This didn’t come across to me as a self-help book, but was more of an autobiography of a man who struggled through active addiction and recovery.
I recommend this book for the keen insight into the personal experience of addition and recovery.
Reviewed as part of 18+ Review Group, and received a free copy from the author for an honest review :)
This was a tough read. Tough in the sense that this book shows one man’s personal battle with addiction. With a vulnerable everything laid bare the author delves deep into his battle both within and without with alcohol, and he does it with a talented pen. This didn’t come across to me as a self-help book, but was more of an autobiography of a man who struggled through active addiction and recovery.
I recommend this book for the keen insight into the personal experience of addition and recovery.
Reviewed as part of 18+ Review Group, and received a free copy from the author for an honest review :)
December 23, 2016
"Through The Mind's Eye a Journey Of Self - Discovery" by J.P. Willson is an inspiring and captivating book! There are brief moments of humour, sadness and heart thorought the book from start to end. The storyline is written excellently you can not put this book down. I finished reading this book faster than other books due to the the interesting and true story!
This book is an inspiring book about a man with an addiction towards alcohol who we follow thorughout the book through all his experieces and emotional feelings. We get a lot of character development and you end up wanting to read more. When you start reading this book you cant stop reading, because you want to know whats going to happen next on his journey!
"Through The Mind's Eye a Journey Of Self - Discovery" by J.P. Willson is a fantastic book and i recommend it to anyone who enjoys good books! Be you someone with an addiction or even somone who likes inspiring stories this book is for you! 5 Stars way up!
This book is an inspiring book about a man with an addiction towards alcohol who we follow thorughout the book through all his experieces and emotional feelings. We get a lot of character development and you end up wanting to read more. When you start reading this book you cant stop reading, because you want to know whats going to happen next on his journey!
"Through The Mind's Eye a Journey Of Self - Discovery" by J.P. Willson is a fantastic book and i recommend it to anyone who enjoys good books! Be you someone with an addiction or even somone who likes inspiring stories this book is for you! 5 Stars way up!
July 25, 2017
An ongoing project.
Through the mind’s eye is the story of the author’s struggle to acknowledge his alcohol addiction and to learn to live with it. Writing the book itself was in fact a therapeutic exercise. As such it already has great merit, far reaching or not.
This is a book about personal experience, not expert advice. It is divided into themed chapters, but the author’s thoughts tend to ramble off into the thickets, getting scratched, trying to get things off his chest without revealing too much, giving the impression his recovery is still a work in progress. In itself a valuable lesson.
The language, perhaps a tad too street wise and familiar, lends the work a certain spontaneous honesty that may make it more accessible to others who struggle with any form of addiction, either directly or in someone they know.
Through the mind’s eye is the story of the author’s struggle to acknowledge his alcohol addiction and to learn to live with it. Writing the book itself was in fact a therapeutic exercise. As such it already has great merit, far reaching or not.
This is a book about personal experience, not expert advice. It is divided into themed chapters, but the author’s thoughts tend to ramble off into the thickets, getting scratched, trying to get things off his chest without revealing too much, giving the impression his recovery is still a work in progress. In itself a valuable lesson.
The language, perhaps a tad too street wise and familiar, lends the work a certain spontaneous honesty that may make it more accessible to others who struggle with any form of addiction, either directly or in someone they know.
October 22, 2017
Through the Mind’s Eye was a rough read. Not because of the writing style or talent of the author, but due to the content matter. The author was brilliantly honest and I found myself a bit raw reading this book. I connected with it emotionally which I was surprised about because I don’t have any substance abuse or alcoholism issues myself. I found myself contemplating quite a few different issues in my life after reading this book however and I know it was due to the striking honest approach the author had at self reflection. I always find books that really make me think about them days later to be amazing. I also find books that actually change my viewpoints to be extraordinary. I think this book did a surprising amount of both. This is one of my top reads of the year. I couldn’t recommend it higher.
June 17, 2017
Through The Mind's Eye was a powerful yet poignant exploration of struggle, addiction and how we pick up the pieces when things fall apart. I found the author's honesty to be inspirational because he was telling his truth, not necessarily claiming his experience was universal. However, I found little gems throughout the book that made me pause and think of my own life. You don't have to be in recovery to glean hope and insight from this book and the humor and straightforwardness of the text kept me as engaged as if I were reading fiction. Well done!
November 22, 2018
‘Through The Mind's Eye’ as an autobiographical work by J.P. Wilson describes his descent into alcohol dependency, steps through his recovery and characterises his ongoing struggle with sobriety. The book is aimed at those who have dealt with the same substance abuse as him, or those about to embark on a recovery programme whereupon he offers no-bones, down-to-earth advice on what to expect and the posture to adopt socially and mentally if they are to succeed as he has to date.
Although the book is well proofed, it is written in a familiar and informal style, is structurally loose and at times repetitious, of which Wilson kindly reminds the reader. For those seeking structure and directness, this could be off-putting. At a fundamental level the message told is stylistically apologetic not apologist and alas, this brings the strength of Wilson’s story down. Doubtlessly, he does have a rallying message to those who are in the grips of alcohol addiction, overcoming it or battling sobriety each day, but that message is lost in an informal, loose, over-cautious, humble approach aimed at appeasing a reader who may disagree with his thoughts and beliefs. After all, he has trodden a path that many have never trodden and applied will to power in pursuit of self-survival, this message and all others should speak assertively from these pages, but it does not. For these structural reasons, I must rate the book at 3 stars.
Nevertheless, for those who can read through the apologetic nature and loose style of ‘Through The Mind's Eye’ they will find a story of a real survivor. One who made it through where many have fallen. He offers simple and sound advice on what to expect should you be unfortunate enough to carry a propensity for substance abuse, particularly alcohol addiction, and that there is happiness ahead when will to power is applied. On this basis, the book is well worth reading.
Although the book is well proofed, it is written in a familiar and informal style, is structurally loose and at times repetitious, of which Wilson kindly reminds the reader. For those seeking structure and directness, this could be off-putting. At a fundamental level the message told is stylistically apologetic not apologist and alas, this brings the strength of Wilson’s story down. Doubtlessly, he does have a rallying message to those who are in the grips of alcohol addiction, overcoming it or battling sobriety each day, but that message is lost in an informal, loose, over-cautious, humble approach aimed at appeasing a reader who may disagree with his thoughts and beliefs. After all, he has trodden a path that many have never trodden and applied will to power in pursuit of self-survival, this message and all others should speak assertively from these pages, but it does not. For these structural reasons, I must rate the book at 3 stars.
Nevertheless, for those who can read through the apologetic nature and loose style of ‘Through The Mind's Eye’ they will find a story of a real survivor. One who made it through where many have fallen. He offers simple and sound advice on what to expect should you be unfortunate enough to carry a propensity for substance abuse, particularly alcohol addiction, and that there is happiness ahead when will to power is applied. On this basis, the book is well worth reading.
July 23, 2017
Through the Mind's Eye covers a difficult topic: addiction and recovery. Both of these come in many forms, so it's good to be able to read of others' experiences.
I did find it fairly repetitive and sometimes contradictory (though maybe that was intentional in order to mimic the recovery process). Still, I think it would be more effective with less repetition and more concrete examples. The parts where the author shares specific stories from his life are powerful, and I would have liked more of them. Sometimes I found myself wanting less of the “why” and more of the “how” and “what.” He often writes of how bad things were or how difficult the process of recovery is. I would rather have been shown this through more scenes of his life.
The writing itself is conversational yet elegant. I found very few typos and other errors.
To me, the book lands somewhere between memoir, self-help, and philosophy, so if you're looking specifically for one of those three, you might only graze the target. If you want something with looser structure, a tone both darkly honest and hopeful, and some compelling writing, this might fit the bill.
Warning: some foul language
I did find it fairly repetitive and sometimes contradictory (though maybe that was intentional in order to mimic the recovery process). Still, I think it would be more effective with less repetition and more concrete examples. The parts where the author shares specific stories from his life are powerful, and I would have liked more of them. Sometimes I found myself wanting less of the “why” and more of the “how” and “what.” He often writes of how bad things were or how difficult the process of recovery is. I would rather have been shown this through more scenes of his life.
The writing itself is conversational yet elegant. I found very few typos and other errors.
To me, the book lands somewhere between memoir, self-help, and philosophy, so if you're looking specifically for one of those three, you might only graze the target. If you want something with looser structure, a tone both darkly honest and hopeful, and some compelling writing, this might fit the bill.
Warning: some foul language
March 2, 2018
‘Through the Mind’s Eye’ is a heart wrenching honest account of the trials and tribulations an alcoholic (recovering) endures. First the flawed mind processes and then the struggle to come to terms with a debilitating addiction. J P Willson holds nothing back, you experience his demons at work and his tortuous road to recovery.
The book is targeted to help others suffering from this cruel disease although I’m sure it plays a big part in the author’s journey of recovery. For others the book will assist in their coping, having compassion, and understanding of someone similarly affected. Addictions are a fact of life, most of us know someone who has traveled or is still in the process of coping with this blight on society.
The book is targeted to help others suffering from this cruel disease although I’m sure it plays a big part in the author’s journey of recovery. For others the book will assist in their coping, having compassion, and understanding of someone similarly affected. Addictions are a fact of life, most of us know someone who has traveled or is still in the process of coping with this blight on society.
March 30, 2018
This autumn, my husband burst into the kitchen and went ape because he found me pouring his precious 20 year old Laphroaig into the Christmas cake I was making. It wasn’t sold as 20 year old Laphroaig, but as 10 year old Laphroaig – it’s been sitting in the cupboard for the last 10 years and I pointed out to him that I unless I used it for something it was going to end up as 30 year old Laphroaig. So I think it’s safe to say that there are no issues with substance misuse in my own household (in fact maybe we could do with a visit from a hopeless alcoholic for a weekend, to hoover up all those disgusting relics of holiday trips – ouzo, bison grass vodka, limoncello, génépi – you know the sort of thing…)
In case you’re wondering, the Christmas cake turned out amazing – you wouldn’t normally think to pair Christmas spices (heavy on the cloves) with a tipple that tastes of slowly burning salted peat that has been first doused with kerosene and shredded rubber tyre and then overlaid with rotting seaweed, but trust me – it really works.
Yep, I’ll get to the book eventually, but more about me first… You can look at my CV and see that I have worked with just about every possible demographic of hurting person – but never those suffering from addiction. There’s a reason for this. It wouldn’t be conducive to my mental or emotional health to do so. Caring about someone in the throes of an addiction is like handing over your heart to get ripped to shreds and then stomped on and then pissed on and then handed back with a sob story to get you drawn right back in and make the same mistake all over again. And nothing you say makes any difference. They fall through the door at 2 am, sob suicidally on your bed while you sympathetically listen and offer sacrificial support and next day you crawl into work feeling like shite, only to find that the person in question wakes up all fine and dandy themselves without having any awareness of anything that happened last night, nor what they did or demanded of you, nor anything you said or helped them with. You can only hope that what the brain alcohol wiped, the spirit received on some level. But you really can’t keep going like that. Until they’re ready to actually change and do the work there seems no point in putting in the time. And oh, the violent responses and denials if you mention the ‘A’ word with ‘ism’ or ‘ic’ on the end! My point of view was that I needed to look after my own mental health. There are people equipped to cope with it, and they weren’t me. Recently recovered alcoholics do an awesome job at reaching out to those who are still in the throes, and those still-in-denial ones can’t brush them off by implying that they don’t understand… Those in recovery can lay out the honest truth in a brutally straight down the line way that the rest of us just can’t get away with. One of those people that I loved, I bumped into a couple of years later in a town centre. Things had got worse. She’d ended up in a homeless project (Centrepoint) and promptly been violently raped by one of the other residents while the staff weren’t around. So much for a safe place for recovery!
Now to the book. Be prepared that this is a work akin to Philosophy rather than an autobiography or a testimony. J.P.Willson tells you almost nothing about his life, feeling that furnishing the reader with all the gory details of hitting the bottom are neither entertaining nor instructive and definitely not uplifting. The style is conversational. He is sitting on the sofa in your living room with a mug of tea (or coffee if you’re in the States) and chatting in a lively and colourful way into your head. (For obvious reasons you are not having this chat together down the pub with a pint in your hand). When I say colourful, I mean I’d love to pick up a few of those phrases and use them sometime (if only I were sure of my ground about what exactly they mean) – ‘hold on to your knickers, Billy’ and ‘suck it up, Buttercup’! I’ve come across this author prior to this in a Goodreads forum and I was watching out for his fantastically passive-aggressive little phrase that he uses – ‘just saying’. (I always imagine this said with a little jerk of the head like a triumphant eleven year-old…). Anyhow, I don’t think it was there…
It starts out a bit rambling, but power on through – you’re going to get to some really worthwhile thoughts and advice in the main body of the book.
On the practical side he emphasises don’t isolate yourself, find a supportive community of people who want the best for you (and this can be your family), find the right counsellor and find the right programme to take part in. He underscores the fact that you can’t do this on your own, so don’t be arrogant – you’re going to need all the support you can get, but neither can anyone else miraculously sort this out for you, you’re going to have to do the work yourself and deal with the root problems that caused your reliance on drink in the first place, and once the distancing and numbing alcohol is removed, reality is going to rush right up and smash you in the face. He warns you to resist the temptation to throw yourself into the arms of a new relationship as you undergo the recovery process. The love of another human being isn’t going to be your salvation – it’s just another avoidance mechanism to avoid facing yourself, and you’re going to need to put all your emotional energy into stripping yourself bare and re-building yourself from scratch. If you gallop too soon into a relationship your resources and creative energies will be hijacked into that relationship and you will be forced to mould yourself to your partner’s needs to keep them happy and you won’t be free to do the things you need to do to sort yourself. And in addition, if you follow through the recovery process successfully enough, you are going to come out the other end such a completely different person that this relationship will quite likely no longer be a good fit for you anyway.
And my own bit of advice that I’d like to add to that, is that once you’ve gone into your cocoon, melted down all your component parts to a liquid soup, and rebuilt them all again to emerge as a butterfly – then go and find someone else who’s also already done the work – don’t hang around with those caterpillars. Because if you get into a relationship with someone who doesn’t understand about mutual, honest, self-examination you will feel like you’re living in a world where a big door has been slammed against the part of you that is the most real – the most precious part of your soul – and you’ll feel only half alive…
The author goes into a lot of depth about the components of the Twelve Steps, and why it is important to follow through every step and take your time over them. You can’t rush this process, there are no short cuts, you need to bear the pain of facing up to the real you and re-building yourself from scratch, and making amends to those you have hurt along the way to provide closure to both parties. He explains that the Twelve Steps initially seem somewhat repetitive. They consist of many questions you need to ask yourself, and then they seem to ask them again. But that is because, he says, each time they ask you the question again, it is to come at it from a different angle, so you can go into it in more depth and thus peel the onion back to its core, layer by layer, in manageable portions.
He emphasises the importance of finding yourself a good counsellor during this recovery period, to deal with all the suppurating wounds you’re going to discover when you take that plaster off. He himself had a professional counsellor, some people make do with a ‘sponsor’ from the local AA group. Whoever it is, make sure they are a good fit for you. He tells you to not give up if the first one isn’t right for you, but try again and this time you might just ‘click’. This is going to be important, as part of the steps is to leave no stone in your psyche unturned, and no dark corners unlit. You are instructed to tell someone every single deepest awfullest thing you’ve ever done and thought. Nothing is going to be allowed to be discreetly shoved behind the psychological sofa. This process of healing is as old as humanity. Alternative names for this person in other spheres are ‘Spiritual Director’, ‘Confessor’, ‘Psychotherapist’, ‘Counsellor’, ‘Sponsor’ and (in Protestant religion) ‘Accountability Partner’. That last title sums it up. They’re going to hold you (kindly and non-judgementally) to account and you’re not going to wriggle out of this. But don’t panic too much, once you get over the shame and shock you are going to find the process a liberating relief, ‘glorious, uplifting and freeing’ is how the author reports his experience of it.
He suggests that this self-questioning microscope is going to have to be a habit you get into for the rest of your life. And again, I have something to add to that – there is a condition well known for centuries in Roman Catholic circles which encourage confession, referred to as ‘Scrupulosity’. This is where someone becomes obsessed with self-examination, drilling down into the motivation and detail of everything they do until it becomes paralysing and close to mental illness. So I want to add a thought here – there are seasons for everything. Sometimes the human spirit just needs to withdraw from the world and retreat into contemplative silence and just rest in nature and heal gently without recourse to words. Sometimes there comes a time when you need to give yourself permission to take a break from the process, back off, and just live life for a while without feeling guilty about not questioning everything – otherwise you’ll end up stuck on a ‘learning plateau’ and burnt out with self-exhaustion. Don’t worry, when you need to confront yourself again, you’ll still have those skills, and you’ll find yourself returning to it naturally when the time is right.
The author finishes on an uplifting note. He confesses to actually at last being happy and enjoying life, and he exhorts the reader to not give up. He assures us that anyone who wants the change can actually achieve it if they really want to enough – ‘I am living and breathing proof of that,’ he says.
It would be easy to dismiss this book as ‘stream of consciousness’, but I advise you to pay closer attention to the words and the message. It is ‘stream of consciousness’ with a profound and helpful message of hope to both sorts of readership, those with an addiction that they want to break out of, and those of us who can’t bear the pain of watching them destroy themselves with it. I, for one, am always willing to be there for anyone who has moved beyond the first step and is genuinely making the journey, even though I have to keep my distance from those who are still in the full throes of addiction for reasons of my own mental and emotional safety. Socrates is supposed to have said, ‘the unexamined life is not worth living.’ I’m thinking that is something J.P. Willson will unequivocally agree with.
5 stars for the meat of it, 4 stars for some of the gravy round the edges.
In case you’re wondering, the Christmas cake turned out amazing – you wouldn’t normally think to pair Christmas spices (heavy on the cloves) with a tipple that tastes of slowly burning salted peat that has been first doused with kerosene and shredded rubber tyre and then overlaid with rotting seaweed, but trust me – it really works.
Yep, I’ll get to the book eventually, but more about me first… You can look at my CV and see that I have worked with just about every possible demographic of hurting person – but never those suffering from addiction. There’s a reason for this. It wouldn’t be conducive to my mental or emotional health to do so. Caring about someone in the throes of an addiction is like handing over your heart to get ripped to shreds and then stomped on and then pissed on and then handed back with a sob story to get you drawn right back in and make the same mistake all over again. And nothing you say makes any difference. They fall through the door at 2 am, sob suicidally on your bed while you sympathetically listen and offer sacrificial support and next day you crawl into work feeling like shite, only to find that the person in question wakes up all fine and dandy themselves without having any awareness of anything that happened last night, nor what they did or demanded of you, nor anything you said or helped them with. You can only hope that what the brain alcohol wiped, the spirit received on some level. But you really can’t keep going like that. Until they’re ready to actually change and do the work there seems no point in putting in the time. And oh, the violent responses and denials if you mention the ‘A’ word with ‘ism’ or ‘ic’ on the end! My point of view was that I needed to look after my own mental health. There are people equipped to cope with it, and they weren’t me. Recently recovered alcoholics do an awesome job at reaching out to those who are still in the throes, and those still-in-denial ones can’t brush them off by implying that they don’t understand… Those in recovery can lay out the honest truth in a brutally straight down the line way that the rest of us just can’t get away with. One of those people that I loved, I bumped into a couple of years later in a town centre. Things had got worse. She’d ended up in a homeless project (Centrepoint) and promptly been violently raped by one of the other residents while the staff weren’t around. So much for a safe place for recovery!
Now to the book. Be prepared that this is a work akin to Philosophy rather than an autobiography or a testimony. J.P.Willson tells you almost nothing about his life, feeling that furnishing the reader with all the gory details of hitting the bottom are neither entertaining nor instructive and definitely not uplifting. The style is conversational. He is sitting on the sofa in your living room with a mug of tea (or coffee if you’re in the States) and chatting in a lively and colourful way into your head. (For obvious reasons you are not having this chat together down the pub with a pint in your hand). When I say colourful, I mean I’d love to pick up a few of those phrases and use them sometime (if only I were sure of my ground about what exactly they mean) – ‘hold on to your knickers, Billy’ and ‘suck it up, Buttercup’! I’ve come across this author prior to this in a Goodreads forum and I was watching out for his fantastically passive-aggressive little phrase that he uses – ‘just saying’. (I always imagine this said with a little jerk of the head like a triumphant eleven year-old…). Anyhow, I don’t think it was there…
It starts out a bit rambling, but power on through – you’re going to get to some really worthwhile thoughts and advice in the main body of the book.
On the practical side he emphasises don’t isolate yourself, find a supportive community of people who want the best for you (and this can be your family), find the right counsellor and find the right programme to take part in. He underscores the fact that you can’t do this on your own, so don’t be arrogant – you’re going to need all the support you can get, but neither can anyone else miraculously sort this out for you, you’re going to have to do the work yourself and deal with the root problems that caused your reliance on drink in the first place, and once the distancing and numbing alcohol is removed, reality is going to rush right up and smash you in the face. He warns you to resist the temptation to throw yourself into the arms of a new relationship as you undergo the recovery process. The love of another human being isn’t going to be your salvation – it’s just another avoidance mechanism to avoid facing yourself, and you’re going to need to put all your emotional energy into stripping yourself bare and re-building yourself from scratch. If you gallop too soon into a relationship your resources and creative energies will be hijacked into that relationship and you will be forced to mould yourself to your partner’s needs to keep them happy and you won’t be free to do the things you need to do to sort yourself. And in addition, if you follow through the recovery process successfully enough, you are going to come out the other end such a completely different person that this relationship will quite likely no longer be a good fit for you anyway.
And my own bit of advice that I’d like to add to that, is that once you’ve gone into your cocoon, melted down all your component parts to a liquid soup, and rebuilt them all again to emerge as a butterfly – then go and find someone else who’s also already done the work – don’t hang around with those caterpillars. Because if you get into a relationship with someone who doesn’t understand about mutual, honest, self-examination you will feel like you’re living in a world where a big door has been slammed against the part of you that is the most real – the most precious part of your soul – and you’ll feel only half alive…
The author goes into a lot of depth about the components of the Twelve Steps, and why it is important to follow through every step and take your time over them. You can’t rush this process, there are no short cuts, you need to bear the pain of facing up to the real you and re-building yourself from scratch, and making amends to those you have hurt along the way to provide closure to both parties. He explains that the Twelve Steps initially seem somewhat repetitive. They consist of many questions you need to ask yourself, and then they seem to ask them again. But that is because, he says, each time they ask you the question again, it is to come at it from a different angle, so you can go into it in more depth and thus peel the onion back to its core, layer by layer, in manageable portions.
He emphasises the importance of finding yourself a good counsellor during this recovery period, to deal with all the suppurating wounds you’re going to discover when you take that plaster off. He himself had a professional counsellor, some people make do with a ‘sponsor’ from the local AA group. Whoever it is, make sure they are a good fit for you. He tells you to not give up if the first one isn’t right for you, but try again and this time you might just ‘click’. This is going to be important, as part of the steps is to leave no stone in your psyche unturned, and no dark corners unlit. You are instructed to tell someone every single deepest awfullest thing you’ve ever done and thought. Nothing is going to be allowed to be discreetly shoved behind the psychological sofa. This process of healing is as old as humanity. Alternative names for this person in other spheres are ‘Spiritual Director’, ‘Confessor’, ‘Psychotherapist’, ‘Counsellor’, ‘Sponsor’ and (in Protestant religion) ‘Accountability Partner’. That last title sums it up. They’re going to hold you (kindly and non-judgementally) to account and you’re not going to wriggle out of this. But don’t panic too much, once you get over the shame and shock you are going to find the process a liberating relief, ‘glorious, uplifting and freeing’ is how the author reports his experience of it.
He suggests that this self-questioning microscope is going to have to be a habit you get into for the rest of your life. And again, I have something to add to that – there is a condition well known for centuries in Roman Catholic circles which encourage confession, referred to as ‘Scrupulosity’. This is where someone becomes obsessed with self-examination, drilling down into the motivation and detail of everything they do until it becomes paralysing and close to mental illness. So I want to add a thought here – there are seasons for everything. Sometimes the human spirit just needs to withdraw from the world and retreat into contemplative silence and just rest in nature and heal gently without recourse to words. Sometimes there comes a time when you need to give yourself permission to take a break from the process, back off, and just live life for a while without feeling guilty about not questioning everything – otherwise you’ll end up stuck on a ‘learning plateau’ and burnt out with self-exhaustion. Don’t worry, when you need to confront yourself again, you’ll still have those skills, and you’ll find yourself returning to it naturally when the time is right.
The author finishes on an uplifting note. He confesses to actually at last being happy and enjoying life, and he exhorts the reader to not give up. He assures us that anyone who wants the change can actually achieve it if they really want to enough – ‘I am living and breathing proof of that,’ he says.
It would be easy to dismiss this book as ‘stream of consciousness’, but I advise you to pay closer attention to the words and the message. It is ‘stream of consciousness’ with a profound and helpful message of hope to both sorts of readership, those with an addiction that they want to break out of, and those of us who can’t bear the pain of watching them destroy themselves with it. I, for one, am always willing to be there for anyone who has moved beyond the first step and is genuinely making the journey, even though I have to keep my distance from those who are still in the full throes of addiction for reasons of my own mental and emotional safety. Socrates is supposed to have said, ‘the unexamined life is not worth living.’ I’m thinking that is something J.P. Willson will unequivocally agree with.
5 stars for the meat of it, 4 stars for some of the gravy round the edges.
February 17, 2017
The most complimentary thing about this book is how well-written it is. And the author shares how he has always written during his life, then got back into writing during his time in treatment and recovery - very cool. It's clear he has natural talent and skill, a well-written book is always a joy to read and that was my initial impression in starting in on this book.
I enjoyed the story as well, it's a personal narrative sharing his thoughts and experiences with an alcohol addiction (very serious, he was on a path to early death before getting help) and recovery. It has a nice, honest feel to the sharing.
He focuses much of the book on the psychological aspects of his experiences (hence the title "Through the Mind's Eye") and talks about how he feels his addiction, and possibly the illness itself, is a 'personality disorder'. At first that made me a bit sad. Personality disorders exist in the realm of psychiatry and psychology but in general seem to me to be a bit victimizing outside of someone who has severe mental health issues.
Meaning - we are all a little screwed up, the majority of people on the planet could probably fit into one of the DSM's categories for personality disorders. But then I read more of the book and saw how he was just trying to understand more of the dynamics of his self, his personal experiences and the 'why' of his becoming addicted to alcohol in the first place.
Then it made more sense. I have no idea of the validity of it. He shares his experiences with depression and that did make a lot of sense. That when he stopped drinking he needed to deal with some of the underlying issues that the drug use was covering up to some extent.
He talks about medication and depression, etc. and that info wasn't completely accurate - though I know it was what he has been told and is the commonly accepted narrative i.e. that someone's brain is off, they have a chemical imbalance and wonderful scientists have created medications that treat this condition.
It's all based on a lie - a very big lie that's been very hard to get out of mainstream consciousness: There is not a single study that has identified any 'imbalance' in a mentally ill person's brain. Yes they have learned a lot about neurotransmitters, etc. but antidepressants treat nothing identifiable. They are a bandaid - and very harmful with long-term use.
And - why I'm commenting on this - addictive. Giving someone who has some genetic or other vulnerability to abuse substances or become addicted to substances a medication that can create dependency and then severe health consequences (kids dead from these meds, folks unable to work, disability from side effects, etc) is not good medical care.
But that is only a small part of this excellent sharing and I can't imagine anyone who has lived with addiction or been affected by someone elses or just wants to know more, not enjoying reading it.
I enjoyed the story as well, it's a personal narrative sharing his thoughts and experiences with an alcohol addiction (very serious, he was on a path to early death before getting help) and recovery. It has a nice, honest feel to the sharing.
He focuses much of the book on the psychological aspects of his experiences (hence the title "Through the Mind's Eye") and talks about how he feels his addiction, and possibly the illness itself, is a 'personality disorder'. At first that made me a bit sad. Personality disorders exist in the realm of psychiatry and psychology but in general seem to me to be a bit victimizing outside of someone who has severe mental health issues.
Meaning - we are all a little screwed up, the majority of people on the planet could probably fit into one of the DSM's categories for personality disorders. But then I read more of the book and saw how he was just trying to understand more of the dynamics of his self, his personal experiences and the 'why' of his becoming addicted to alcohol in the first place.
Then it made more sense. I have no idea of the validity of it. He shares his experiences with depression and that did make a lot of sense. That when he stopped drinking he needed to deal with some of the underlying issues that the drug use was covering up to some extent.
He talks about medication and depression, etc. and that info wasn't completely accurate - though I know it was what he has been told and is the commonly accepted narrative i.e. that someone's brain is off, they have a chemical imbalance and wonderful scientists have created medications that treat this condition.
It's all based on a lie - a very big lie that's been very hard to get out of mainstream consciousness: There is not a single study that has identified any 'imbalance' in a mentally ill person's brain. Yes they have learned a lot about neurotransmitters, etc. but antidepressants treat nothing identifiable. They are a bandaid - and very harmful with long-term use.
And - why I'm commenting on this - addictive. Giving someone who has some genetic or other vulnerability to abuse substances or become addicted to substances a medication that can create dependency and then severe health consequences (kids dead from these meds, folks unable to work, disability from side effects, etc) is not good medical care.
But that is only a small part of this excellent sharing and I can't imagine anyone who has lived with addiction or been affected by someone elses or just wants to know more, not enjoying reading it.
February 3, 2017
A torrent of an outpouring. A stream of consciousness floods the pages in a Joycean manner. The author describes his style as a ‘mishmash’, which maybe it is, but it’s more than that, and the reader is carried along with the force of the flow.
The book is the account of a very capable and companionable man whose every job and every relationship is torpedoed by alcohol, and his years of trying to get his alcoholism under control. We follow his journey from initial success to severe depression, unemployment and homelessness, and for most of this time he is in and out of treatment centres.
The skill with which he writes about his harrowing existence is extraordinary, given that this seems to be his first attempt at writing.
Although the book is extremely wordy, and often seems to lack coordination – and would have profited from the hand of a stringent editor - it gets away with it. In fact, the author’s lack of restraint seems to accentuate the searing honesty of the account, and the continual presence of his self-deprecating humour reinforces this.
The book is the account of a very capable and companionable man whose every job and every relationship is torpedoed by alcohol, and his years of trying to get his alcoholism under control. We follow his journey from initial success to severe depression, unemployment and homelessness, and for most of this time he is in and out of treatment centres.
The skill with which he writes about his harrowing existence is extraordinary, given that this seems to be his first attempt at writing.
Although the book is extremely wordy, and often seems to lack coordination – and would have profited from the hand of a stringent editor - it gets away with it. In fact, the author’s lack of restraint seems to accentuate the searing honesty of the account, and the continual presence of his self-deprecating humour reinforces this.
September 11, 2017
Amazing, insightful, moving, and well-crafted. Willson's personal account of addiction and recovery is a beautiful piece filled with life lessons for which anyone can relate. I think this is a rare account of addiction through the addict's perspective because Willson is such an intelligent and gifted writer; he paints his world so completely, in a way that few other addicts could explain. But, my enjoyment came from being able to relate to his words, even though I have never battled addiction. His thoughts are broad and realizations relatable. My favorite quote from the book, "I needed to fully explore where it
was I wanted to be, and I do not mean geographically; I mean in my head." Gorgeous and profound writing! I highly recommend this book.
was I wanted to be, and I do not mean geographically; I mean in my head." Gorgeous and profound writing! I highly recommend this book.
September 10, 2019
I treated addicts beginning as a psychology intern at the University of Michigan Hospital in 1972 and intermittently, mostly at drug diversion centers, for the next twenty-five years. I heard many stories from addicts and their families and friends, learned what worked and what failure looked like. I was anxious to see what J.P. Willson had to say in his Through the Mind’s Eye: A Journey of Self-Discovery.
It was hard to review. As a book, it doesn’t work; however, as an effort, it could be lifesaving. For treatment professionals, there is nothing new and sometimes he plays fast and loose with current psychiatric and addiction medicine knowledge, including the potentially harmful pronouncement, “One thing one must remember is the fact that you will know on your very first meeting when speaking with a counselor whether or not they are going to be able to help you in the long-term.”
For general readers, Mr. Willson does not fully explore his experiences, giving us a “glimpse” of his challenges, shortchanging the reader from truly and fully understanding his story. For example, in his discussion about suicide he says, “My experience with this was unpleasant, and the outcome was very difficult to deal with…” and moves on without further details, telling not SHOWING the depth of his experiences and observations. Overall, his presentation was wandering, repetitive and abstract.
However, he is providing something far more important for those in need. His hope is the book will be of help to at least one other person. For those who can picture themselves on the cover, who are intrigued by the book description, and who feel connected to the Amazon “look inside” material, Mr. Willson is throwing you a lifeline I hope you grasp, for he will pull you strongly toward sobriety. I believe his hope of helping others has been realized.
It was hard to review. As a book, it doesn’t work; however, as an effort, it could be lifesaving. For treatment professionals, there is nothing new and sometimes he plays fast and loose with current psychiatric and addiction medicine knowledge, including the potentially harmful pronouncement, “One thing one must remember is the fact that you will know on your very first meeting when speaking with a counselor whether or not they are going to be able to help you in the long-term.”
For general readers, Mr. Willson does not fully explore his experiences, giving us a “glimpse” of his challenges, shortchanging the reader from truly and fully understanding his story. For example, in his discussion about suicide he says, “My experience with this was unpleasant, and the outcome was very difficult to deal with…” and moves on without further details, telling not SHOWING the depth of his experiences and observations. Overall, his presentation was wandering, repetitive and abstract.
However, he is providing something far more important for those in need. His hope is the book will be of help to at least one other person. For those who can picture themselves on the cover, who are intrigued by the book description, and who feel connected to the Amazon “look inside” material, Mr. Willson is throwing you a lifeline I hope you grasp, for he will pull you strongly toward sobriety. I believe his hope of helping others has been realized.
December 2, 2017
I am buying the next book "How to be a Successful recovering Alcoholic" for a close friend of my sisters who reminds me of nice man in destruction mode. My sister has had to limit the places and times she meets with him as he has a real problem with alcohol. I don't have a problem myself with addiction and can't really advise or criticise its occupants in any way. I just know my sisters friend needs a guiding hand. Joesph Wilson and I acquainted through Goodreads. Joesph had read my book Beaten but Unbowed (waking from the nightmare of abuse) and duly gave a very nice review. He said that we had a lot in conmen with our healing paths. I was compelled to read his work, finding out that Joesph is from Vancouver in Canada. I found his first book gripping and compelling and at times I thought I was walking along with him. It is a well written book and I enjoyed the company it gave me, above all showing me the cause to the problems drew me closer to the questions in my own head too, about abuse, I suffered as a child, and how that ugly patten of belief had followed me around. I am a non drinker and managed to take great relief from Joesph and his recovery. I live in England and will watch my sisters friend with interest as I trust Joesph and he will get along, as I see similar patterns in both.
I highly recommend the work of Joesph Wilson and the healing potential it can bring.
Karen Braysher
I highly recommend the work of Joesph Wilson and the healing potential it can bring.
Karen Braysher
April 28, 2017
This book is a reference guide to recovery from addiction to alcohol, written for other addicts. I am not an addict, my father was. I read this book hoping to gain insight, which I did, somewhat.
The writing is very stream of consciousness. For me, this made the book less appealing. I would have liked a tighter structure. The chapters are organized around certain themes, Perception, Discovery, and Counseling for example. However, the author’s thoughts wandered so much that the themes were really only loosely followed. The author also spends a fair amount of the book reiterating things.
I was expecting more of a narrative, the story of a man’s recovery. There is very little of that, which I found disappointing. This book is the author’s thoughts about addiction and recovery, and it feels like it was therapeutic for him to write it. It was not a compelling read for me.
I do think this book could be of help and comfort to someone going through recovery, someone who is ready for a friend that isn’t going to sugarcoat things.
February 23, 2018
This was a very raw and honest story of self-discovery. Sometimes difficult to read due to its ups and downs harrowing content and ebb and flow style, this story follows the authors own struggles when battling addiction. It is blunt and vivid with no holds barred, if you want to know about the darkest depths of addiction then this book is for you. But also there is hope and the author leads you on a story of self-discovery as he battles with his recovery from alcoholism.
An insightful read and would be an inspiration for anyone going through the journey themselves and acknowledging the immense difficulties along the way. This book is about personal experience and therefore could be different for other individuals. However, could also be a useful read for those with relatives and friends going through similar issues so can understand from an insiders perspective about what is going on. Although it comes across as a manual in style at times, its the personal touches that make this book what it is. A courageous book to write by the author.
An insightful read and would be an inspiration for anyone going through the journey themselves and acknowledging the immense difficulties along the way. This book is about personal experience and therefore could be different for other individuals. However, could also be a useful read for those with relatives and friends going through similar issues so can understand from an insiders perspective about what is going on. Although it comes across as a manual in style at times, its the personal touches that make this book what it is. A courageous book to write by the author.
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