Escape Your Own Prison - by Bernard Starr (Paperback)

About the Book

A well established psychologist argues from personal experience that it is spirituality rather than psychology that can lead us to true personal freedom and happiness.

Book Synopsis

After many years as successful psychologist, Dr. Bernard Starr embarked on a spiritual quest to find true peace of mind. Escape Your Own Prison charts his journey and his discovery that spirituality is essential to deep well-being in a way that psychology alone cannot achieve. Starr's understanding of how to experience true freedom embraces aspects of psychology and spirituality, and is compatible with a spectrum of religious beliefs. Revealing his own transformation from pure psychologist to spiritual practitioner and sharing examples from his practice, he offers practical advice on moving beyond false notions of the self and ego to broader, deeper consciousness.

Review Quotes

"Dr. Starr has brilliantly articulated why we need a spiritually driven psychology to find the genuine Self. This remarkable book is a synthesis of Western and Eastern thought, taking us though the labyrinth of counseling, psychotherapy, and self help and exposing the near enemies of religious and psychological concepts that have been created by Ego driven minds rather than Omni Consciousness. Escape Your Own Prison is a must read if one is ever to attain inner peace in this anxious, Ego-driven world of materialism." --Hugh Colmer, co-founder, Windham Retreat Center, managing director of the Crosscircle Group

"Dr. Starr has taken the spiritual wisdom of the ages and applied it to these difficult modern times, as has been the work of masters throughout history. Anyone whose life seems too busy or pressed by cycles of worry will benefit from this most inviting, caring and helpful book." --Stuart Sovatsky, PhD, author of Advanced Spiritual Intimacy and Words from the Soul

"Profound and perceptive, Dr. Bernard Starr distills elements of psychology and spirituality into a guide useful to anyone yearning for true peace of mind. Dr. Starr's insights as both psychologist and spiritual seeker can touch people at any point in their lives and may be particularly moving for those contemplating the journey of aging." --Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., author of Age Wave

"Bernard Starr is a modern Diogenes, who is lighting the way for a nation of aging boomers toward a more honest and effective understanding of themselves. His pathway bridges the analytical framework of psychology with the seeker's desire for a richer sense of life's meaning. In Escape Your Own Prison he illuminates the darker reaches of our egos and shows how we can free ourselves from the confines of our limited perceptions of who we are." --Paul Kleyman, Editor, Aging Today, American Society on Aging

"This book is not good news for traditional psychotherapists, but for those of us caught between the demands of the ego and the desire for transcendence, it's a way out and a way up. Thank you Dr. Starr." --Emily Squires, co-founder of the Coalition for One Voice, award-winning director and documentary filmmaker

"Beyond the realm of faith and psychology, Dr. Starr's Escape Your Own Prison takes the reader on a radical inner journey which challenges preconceived notions about true spiritual consciousness. It offers a refreshing new approach to break free from the illusory prison of the ego and a roadmap to awakening to what he calls omni-consciousness, a powerful state of being with lightening rod focus and limitless potential." --Judy Martin, founder Work/LifeMonitor.com, formerly of American Public Media's Marketplace Morning Report

"Not only a veteran educator in developmental psychology, as well as a practicing psychologist, media host, and writer, Starr has the good judgement that comes from facing himself, asking hard questions, making hard decisionss, and living fully the hard-won lessons of his own experience. His common-sense insights satisfy; his take on the subject matter feels solid." --Melanie Mineo, Metapsychology Online

"Bernard Starr is a masterful teacher... Escape Your Own Prison is a delightful journey into human consciousness...and comes closer than any book...to defining the path of spiritual growth achievable through meditation and psycho-spiritual therapy." --Sam Menahem, Ph.D., Psychospiritualtherapy.Org

About the Author

Bernard Starr, Ph.D., is a practicing psychologist, writer, radio host, and psychology professor formerly at City University of New York and now at Marymount Manhattan. He has appeared on national TV talk shows and writes a weekly column for religionandspirituality.com. He lives in New York City.