The Pleasure Prescription: To Love, to Work, to Play ― Life in the Balance

by Paul Pearsall

National Bestseller  Are you stressed and unhappy? Are you feeling burned out? anxious? unmotivated? Do you feel you have too much to do in too little time? You are not alone. More and more people struggle with a lack of pleasure in their daily lives and the illnesses that go along with stress.  Take a Pleasure Prescription! Psychologist and author Paul Pearsall is an expert on the relationship between pleasure,  stress, and the immune system. According to him, it isn't too much stress but too little joy that is killing people. "We have no time to enjoy the moments of our life," he says. "We need to counteract our 'delight deficiency' and 'toxic success syndrome' with some balanced, healthy pleasure. We need a prescription to slow down, rediscover the joy in daily living, and reconnect with people." Combines Ancient Polynesian Wisdom with Breakthrough Scientific Research Dr. Pearsall shows how the latest research in physical and emotional health validates the Oceanic Way—the principles and practices of ancient Polynesian cultures. The five key components of this Way are  patience, connection, pleasantness, modesty,  and  tenderness . Dr. Pearsall gives simple tests to find areas of particular stress and unhappiness in our lives, and offers practical suggestions for dealing with our real, everyday in relationships, on the job, as parents, and in caring for our community and planet. We know more than we think we know, Dr. Pearsall reassures us, about what is good and healthy for us. He invites us to embrace a new contentment, and his compelling lessons gleaned from science and an age-old wisdom light the way.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Spirituality

286 pages, Paperback

First published August 26, 1996

About the author

Dr. Paul Pearsall was a licensed clinical neuropsychologist, clinical professor at the University of Hawai`i, and on the Board of Directors of the Hawai`i State Consortium for Integrative Health Care. He was a member of the heart transplant study team at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and Senior Research Advisor for the Human Energy Systems Laboratory at the University of Arizona.

Reviews

[Tristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of this book that I LOVED and other sections I could barely get through. In the end, Paul Pearsall's message is one of delight and joy and pleasure and I love that. It's also really wonderful to find a very "Health at Every Size (HAES)" approach in a book that does not label itself officially as "fat-friendly." I did feel a bit oppressed by his many "questionnaires" that were designed to show us, the readers, how woefully empty of pleasure our lives are. The on-going message in the book is that if you are not of Polynesian-descent, you never really will "get it" but you can try harder by using the techniques shared in the book. This felt a little dated and a bit too much of the "Holy Native" paradigm. Polynesian people are just as complex and complicated as any other group of people. Can we learn from the spiritual tenets of their culture? Yes, absolutely. So this book is a bit of a mixed bag but worth a read if just for the reminder of how joyful our lives can be if we just get out of our own way and reach out and connect with our fellow human beings.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This framed oceanic philosophy as an underappreciated "third way", in contrast to the basic concepts from typical eastern and western traditions with regard to the body, mind, spirit, and self. I especially appreciated the focus on practicing the five concepts of Aloha in daily life. Yes, it's a bit hokey and cliched at times. I might appreciate a review or two from Polynesian sources, to better understand the degree to which what he offers is universal.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit preachy, and challenging to read due to all the polynesian nomenclature used. I enjoyed some sections of the book more than others. It seems a bit outdated, but it was published in 1996 -- so that's understandable. I just didn't resonate with this author. There are a lot of interesting books written lately about creating happiness, joy and pleasure in life -- I'd recommend reading a more current title.

[SFBlau · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a joyful man. I would have loved to participate in one of his workshops. Sadly, he passed on several years ago but he has left us many insights on how to live a happier life. His style is a bit cliche-driven, but his message is uniquely uplifting.

[Amy Wyckoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Book!

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

from the library c1996
wrote many other books
uses Hawaiian concepts
positive psychology