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INTRODUCTION
I became a medical doctor in 1980. Throughout my career I have been a family doctor in a variety of different settings and practice types, both in Canada and in the United States.
This book is a product of what I have learned since becoming a doctor. It represents what I understand to be the most important information that I can share with a patient in order to help that individual achieve well-being.
Since entering the world of medicine, I have become increasingly disillusioned with both the objectives and methods of standard medical practice. I firmly believe that much of what is generally promoted by doctors is both wrong and counterproductive to health.
As a result of my perception, I have learned and developed a radical method to enable individuals to maximize their quality of life and well-being. I call this method Rational-Emotional Integrative Updating. As the name suggests, its objective is to change both what you think and what you feel in an integrative manner.
The pages that follow will introduce the reader to the philosophical basis of the approach as well as its methodology. The ideas presented in the book are in many cases extremely controversial and often fall far outside of what is commonly accepted in modern society.
I, therefore, recognize that they will be criticized and rejected and, most importantly, that a significant number of those who read this book with the idea of possibly using my method will, based on what they read here, choose not to. This is part of my intent in writing the book. I wish to state my position as clearly as possible so as to facilitate the reader's decision-making process regarding whether to accept or reject my proposal for health.
While it is understood that all readers will have their own reasons that led to them finding this book in their hands, it is my position that everyone seriously interested in their quality of life would greatly benefit from this method. For those who decide to learn it, I would be most happy to assist in the necessary skill-acquisition process to enable them to use the method independently.
The most important thing that I have learned as a doctor is that well-being is largely the result of the choices that we make. We, therefore, have the power to become healthy if we have the courage and enough caring about our lives to make the correct choices. What follows is some information and an introduction to some skills for those who do.
This book was written for individuals, in order to enable them to enhance their lives and health. While the ideas presented have societal implications, my intent is not to advise what would be good for society (i.e. the collective) but what would be good for the individual (i.e. you). As shall become obvious, much of what is suggested would not be good for society as it now exists. As you become more alive and healthy, the changes within you will alter the society around you.
It bears stating that Rational - Emotional Integrative Updating operates from a logical and thus a scientific and a Darwinian evolutionary perspective. Those who seek a spiritual therapy, who choose to base their approach to life on a foundation constructed of leaps of faith, will not be interested in what I propose.
It has been my observation that things make sense and are thus ultimately explicable without resorting to magic or illogic. Recognizing that one does not have an explanation to some problem is often a very appropriate position. Going on to posit magical and mystical explanations for the unknown is both stupid and dangerous.
The title of this book - "Liberating the Caged Human Animal" - addresses the fundamental health problem experienced by the reader. You are a caged animal. This fact may or may not be apparent to you already.
The objective of the book is to help you get out of your cage. To be more accurate, its objective is to get you out of your cages because you are inside of a cage within cages. Some of your cages are outside of you but many are within you.
Many who read this book will choose to remain within their cages, having already learned to cope and survive as caged animals. Having made this choice, they will try to escape from reality in some manner or another so as to dull the inevitable pain that caged existence brings.
This book is for the few who will choose instead to free themselves from their cages to become the untamed animals that they are built to be.
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