Beyond Your Ego

Book excerpt: Beyond Your Ego is an exploration of the mind, the ego, and the formation of personality in the light of the Torah. It goes far beyond the limitations of conventional psychology, drawing its guidelines from the source of the true meaning of life. The model of Torah psychology presented in this book has been developed by the world-renowned Dr. Shalom Srebrenik, one of the founders of Arachim. The richness of Dr. Srebrenik's own background, both as a trained scientist and as a dedicated Torah scholar, manifests itself in the clarity of his teachings on Torah-inspired mental health and emotional well-being. Dr. Judith Mishell, who wrote this work based on Dr. Srebrenik's teachings, is a prominent psychologist who has found in the Torah an enrichment of her own life and her ability to help patients. She writes with conviction, erudition, clarity, and wit. Dr. Mishell brings superb credentials to the task of writing this important book. After completing her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University Graduate School she established and served as director of Psychological Services for Douglass College and was an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers Medical School. She also had a busy private practice and was a psychological consultant to Emek Hebrew Academy. She lectured widely on both Jewish and psychological issues all across the country. She now lives in Jerusalem where she taught at Neve Yerushalayim Seminary and has a private practice. Beyond Your Ego has been much acclaimed by leading rabbanim and roshei yeshivah, who graciously permitted their glowing testimonials and approbations to accompany this seminal work.