Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl's Principles for Discovering Meaning in Life and Work / Alex Pattakos and Elaine Dundon
RATINGS
Overall: 3/ 5 stars
Text Level: Medium
Entertainment: Low
Self-Help: High
Page Count: 228
Is this book right for me and my inmate?
Inmates wanting change their attitude towards the way life unfolds around them can find value in this book.
Buy on: Amazon
Review By: Blackbird (Inmate)
Finding meaning and freedom in your actions.
I have already read Viktor Frankl's Man Search for Meaning and I think that in order to get the most out of this book you should read that book first. This book is more of a self help guide using the principles and ideas that Frankl learned during his time in concentration camps. However, even if you haven't read his work this is a great book with lots of tools to find a mental freedom and resilience for all inmates that read it.
The book is broken down into seven principles of life out can build your life on to create a deeper meaning. The one principle that I found especially important for myself and other inmates I have met is the freedom we have to choose our own attitude. This has been a big breakthrough for me during my years locked up. For myself and many inmates we feel that things are happening to us when we first become incarcerated and it can lead to anger and resentment. Especially as the years go by and you might feel forgotten by society. However, once I began to realize that I can control my attitude towards life and I can chose to live with the positive mindset I deserve my time being incarcerated began to take on much more value.
That is what this book tries to show us. That we are most often prisoners of our own mind and until we choose to change our attitudes toward a real belief that there is something worthy and great possible we will remain stuck. Learning to find a life of meaning is always possible, even behind bars if we choose to turn our thinking patterns and attitudes towards hope. This is a strong book for anyone needing that lesson as a reminder.
Book Quotes
"Viktor Frankl taught us that if we look for it, there is a seed of meaning in every moment of our lives. "
"Understanding why we do what we do also improves our ability to manage stress."
