I liked this book and put into practice things from it daily i would recommend it too other people for sure

I would not recommend this book. It did not provide helpful insight. There are better books on meditation than this one.

I received this galley from NetGalley.

Thank you Books Go Social and Netgalley for an ARC in return of my honest review.

This is a very very short book which I found to be more of a long article or booklet.

I had a lot of questions while I was reading this. Initially I found it quite unusual for a medical doctor, specialised in Psychiatry to state that he was not aware of the mind-body connection until he went to a monestary, although he had been treating and medicating patients with anxiety, depression and other conditions. I found this quite concerning to be honest.

I also questioned his initial response at the arrival of the monestary when told to go and sit still with no distractions for an hour a day. He seemed so resistant to being alone for just an hour a day which made me wonder what he really thought going to a monastary would entail.
As someone who meditates and has completed a ten day silent retreat at a monastary, where meditating and living mindfully for 18 hours a day is the expectation of anyone entering the gates I was a bit perplexed. I was also surprised by the big realisations he encountered each day afternamtotlamof 7 hours mediation in his whole life. Good on him, but my experience has been that not every meditation is mind blowing, much of the time it is a struggle with the monkey mind rather than experiencing life changing realisations.

I still, upon finishing the book question the reality of emptying your mind of subcomscious thought ps before you can begin doing any meditation. There are a number of meditation techniques and styles. My understanding from the insight meditation I practice is that learning to sit ( or walk) and be with yourself in the present moment is the point. There will always be unpleasant thoughts that enter our minds, there will always be pleasant thoughts, this is the nature of our mind. It is not trying to dig everything up amd choose what we would like to keep, the point is to understand our reactions to these feelings and as briefly touched upon in the book create a gap between our feelings and our reaction time to the feelings.

There were many many ideas brushed over with a quick sentence or two within the book but nothing much was substantiated with referencing (only two links for the entire research alluded to). It felt like a confused, hurried approach to publish a piece of work on an approach he uses. I would caution those with anxiety and depression taking this work too seriously and would be concerned with those persons attempting this without the structure or support of professional caregivers.

I am unsure how helpful to adults who work outside of the home using a pacifier or sucking their thumb would be when anxious. I think creating some more socially acceptable coping mechanism would be more useful to the majority of readers.

I do not like to leave such a critical review, however I have, as raised, a number of concerns with this writing, especially for the reading
Audience the author claims to be helping.

I would proceed with caution.
Thank you for the opportunity to Read and review this ARC

Western MD Dr. Leonid Altshuler briefly shares his experiences in a monastery in Nepal where he makes the transition from a mindset of DOING to one of BEING. He documents his mental struggles in being alone with himself, the difficulties he encountered and how that stress resolved itself through following the process outlined by the spiritual Master there. Also included are several excellent techniques from a scientific perspective regarding stress reduction and the medical science behind why those techniques are effective.

This book was short and to the point. Focusing on one thing instead of a dozen and telling of the author's experiences with this . I like succinct instructions without adding a lot of background just for page filler. I did learn a few new things and think this would benefit more experience people and still be a good starting point for a person with little time to spare on learning new things.

I received this book through netgalley as an ARC. The opinion is my own.

As a person with a physical chronic illness that is, at least in part, stress-related, I'm always very curious about alternative ways to master my illness. I am also a worrier, certain events keep replaying in my mind, especially at night, and obviously when I fret I can't sleep. In other words: if there is a way of emptying my mind, I'd love to know about it, which is why I picked up this book. Did it deliver? Yes, it most certainly did. The author takes us back to the when and how of his discovery of this art of emptying the brain, which was interesting, also because it was kept short, and then proceeds to explain what we, rat racers that we are, can do to empty our brain and find happiness. Part of this is actually stating the obvious, telling us things we probably already know, but although we might know the philosophy, we do not live by it, and in that aspect, it is great to be reminded. Very practical, very to the point, very short, not at all spacey or dreamy or mystic, just really straightforward and logical advice to find peace of mind.

Review was also posted on Amazon.

This is a short but worthwhile read that was well written. I really enjoyed reading about Dr. Altshuler's incredible journey to the monastery and his experience with an unforgettable monk. This book is a very interesting examination of one's life and can also be very useful as well. I recommend "The Art of Emptying the Brain" to all readers interested in self-improvement, mindfulness, and meditation.

This was a short book: part memoir and part self-help. I haven’t yet put the technique into practice – I am following a different programme at the moment which may help me be ready for this type of technique.

The author has obviously had a life-changing experience, which I feel may be more difficult to recreate at home. Which doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the effort but may mean that it is more difficult to switch off the day-to-day demands that add to stress and anxiety.

I would recommend this book to those who already have a grounding in meditation or who have a particular interest in changing the way they deal with stress and anxiety.

I received an ARC from netgalley.

A quick and painless book that goes through some of the background to meditation. I did find it took some time to get to the method, but it’s worth it.

A fascinating little book - more like a chapter than an actual book but I will explain why that's not actually a bad thing in this case.

I love books with a single change technique - it makes life so much easier when you can focus on learning one skill thoroughly rather than a whole system of change which...let's face it... who has the time?

Other books like 'The Five Second Rule' contain a single technique with a simple premise...but then take 200 pages to support it. I realise many people are so skeptical they need 200 pages of convincing but having to READ those 200 pages to find out there was nothing else you needed to know is a waste of time.

So the art of emptying your brain claims to offer a pre-technique technique - something to use before you use all other personal development techniques. It backs this up with a certain amount of scientific evidence - but not so much that you get lost. It states it claims... and then gets out.

If you are looking for a 'solution to everything book' this is not it. But there are meta-skills which sit above our everyday interactions - the skill of persuasion for instance - which help us operate more successfully everywhere. As I have some experience of this technique in this book elsewhere, I believe this book contains an essential skill that will have benefits everywhere.

However, at 30 minutes a day for a week - some people will unfortunately be too busy to benefit from it - and they are often the ones that need it most.

This book tells about the experiences of the author, Dr Altshuler an American psychiatrist, who, fed up with the stress and health problems in his own life, goes to live in a Nepalese monastery for a period of time.

There under the tutelage of a Master he learns to meditate, but first he has to go through a process of readying himself by learning to calm and empty his brain. Dr Altshuler undergoes such a personal transformation as a result of his lessons in meditation that he decides to take his learning back to his patients at home. There he uses it with great success to help those with anxiety, depression or insomnia.

As somebody who does meditate I found the book interesting, if a little on the short side.

On a friend's suggestion, looking to escape his unrelenting inner turmoil, the author made a pilgrimage to Nepal to investigate the art of meditation instructed by a true master. Little did he know at the time that his life was about to make a drastic change - for the better. Finding it difficult at first, he finally broke down the tormenting walls of his mind and discovered that his ever-present negativity in life had greatly diminished. It had always been a heavy weight on his shoulders.

A psychiatrist for many years, he was eager to share the newly-acquired meditation techniques among his many patients. He felt confident that these proven techniques would prove successful for them as well. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

As a result, for the first time in his long medical career, there was no longer the need to write prescriptions for treating various types of mental ailments. When performed correctly, meditation offered a holistic approach, specifically, for treating depression. In an immeasurable way, his positive impact on lives made the world a better place to live. Every little bit helps. Namaste.

I send my thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.