It’s All in the Mind
- The book “It’s All in the Mind” by Greek psychologist Eleftherios Eleftheriadis wins you over with its simple, almost unhurried approach, guiding the reader through topics of stress, phobias, panic attacks, and obsessive thoughts – without ever resorting to a lecturing tone.
- The book’s central message is powerful and liberating – keep living normally in spite of your symptoms, because the real challenge isn’t avoiding fear but moving through life despite it.
- The spiritual thread woven throughout the text, rather than undermining the psychological framework, enriches it further – making this slim, easy-to-read book a surprisingly peaceful and genuinely useful experience.
“Being under stress – that is not a sign of weakness. It’s the strong ones who crack at some point. ” – Eleftherios Eleftheriadis
Some books find you in the most unexpected places. The book “It’s All in the Mind” by psychologist Eleftherios Eleftheriadis found me… in a church.
I’ve always seen myself as more spiritual than religious, but sometimes a need or a desire brings a person to church. And you decide to buy candles at the church shop, and you notice some books, and you just — without thinking – point to a particular one. As if something draws you to it.
I wasn’t familiar with this psychologist’s work (from what I can tell, he hasn’t been translated into many languages), and a book’s title often has nothing to do with what’s actually inside… but sometimes you do end up “hitting on” something genuinely beautiful and useful.
What makes “It’s All in the Mind” interesting is the approach itself. The author has no intention of lecturing you. No intention of impressing you with technical jargon. Imagine you’re on a small Greek island, sitting in a simple café with a sea view, trees casting shade over you, a little church nearby, nothing but the sound of waves and a gentle breeze. The author sits across from you as coffee is served – ouzo works too, why not 😁 – along with some simple biscuits. And he just starts chatting with you…
That’s exactly the feeling you get when reading this book.
What’s interesting is that the book opens in a somewhat unusual way. Right from the start (the first fifth of the book), the author explains – in simple, almost poetic language – what phobias, compulsions, obsessions, psychosomatic symptoms, and panic attacks are. But he also threads through the root cause of all of these.
Stress.
And from that point on, you’re completely absorbed in the book.
The author reveals why people “break,” and how some things we perceive as signs of weakness actually aren’t.
Being under stress – that is not a sign of weakness. It’s the strong ones who crack at some point.
The author also does a wonderful job of distinguishing between stress and “discharge” — that is, the release of accumulated stress. He spends considerable time on panic attacks as well, explaining why we need to understand them and what they truly are.
That “what will people think?” – it has cost us dearly.
The author will try to show us how to deal with these stress outbursts and the “effects” they produce (phobias, panic attacks…).
One of perhaps the most powerful ideas in this book:
Regardless of everything, I go everywhere and do everything.
“What if a panic attack hits me?” Let it.
“What if I have obsessive thoughts?” Let yourself have them.
“What if I have many compulsions?” Let yourself have them.
You continue living your life normally. As if nothing is happening.
You do your job – and let the symptoms do theirs.
A fascinating concept, isn’t it? Moving through life in spite of fear.
The part of the book I particularly enjoyed was about distinguishing between types of thoughts: productive positive thoughts, productive negative thoughts, unproductive positive thoughts, and unproductive negative thoughts… and out of all of these, only one type should not be allowed into your mind. This section can genuinely shift your perspective on how you view your life and your thoughts.
And throughout all of this, the book naturally weaves in (as you might expect) quite a few religious motifs. But this spiritual component is by no means a flaw that undermines the book’s concept (written, after all, by a psychologist). Quite the opposite – it complements it beautifully.
“It’s All in the Mind” is a book that reads easily and effortlessly. And it sounds unusual to say, but you genuinely feel a sense of peace while reading it. The book isn’t long, it isn’t taxing, and yet somehow, you don’t rush through it. I can’t quite explain it myself – you’ll have to experience it for yourself.
All in all, “It’s All in the Mind” was a genuinely interesting reading experience, and I’m definitely planning to give another book by this author a chance in the near future.
And you, dear reader – in what “unusual” setting has a book ever found you? 😊
Number of pages: 120
