One medical doctor (he asked me not to use his real
name), after reading my book, contacted me saying that instead of shutting down
emotions that bother you, it’s wiser to turn to a trained professional—a psychologist,
psychiatrist, or social worker—for help. I couldn’t agree or disagree with him,
because it all depends on an individual and his or her specific situation. For
example, suppose you wish to decrease or completely get rid of the anxiety that
you feel before a job interview. What’s wrong with trying to learn how to
control it using your natural resources? After all, this is what you
instinctively do many times a day, and all you need is to observe how your body
and mind pull it off. Do you really want to see a mental-health professional
with every little thing?
Nobody seems to argue against children (and
especially adults) to be potty trained, even though holding it in is not
exactly natural. Being potty trained—as banal as this example may sound—really helps
us to live in a civilized society. I see control of emotions as a next step in
societal development.
The method explained in Secret Techniques for Controlling Sadness, Anger, Fear, Anxiety, and
Other Emotions is ancient. It took me more than two decades to learn it
well enough to clearly explain it to others. The method works remarkably well
in real life, and I hope that somebody will find it valuable. At the very
least, it’s an unusual (to a modern reader in the West) approach that provides
the reader with an alternative solution to an emotional problem.
