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A Simple Guide to Being Alive
We built the smartest machines in history, and we programmed them to make us feel inadequate.
A Simple Guide to Being Alive is a bold, playful, profound science-backed manual for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by the modern world and wondered if there was a simpler, saner way to live.
This is no ordinary book. It is a life-changing software update for your nervous system disguised as something you can read on a plane. You’ll discover why anxiety isn’t your enemy, but a signal, what psychedelics teach us about how your nervous system shapes every moment of your existence, and why the simplest things, like a deep breath, a shared laugh, or a 20-second hug, can change your life more than any optimization hack ever could.
Dr. Rabin combines cutting-edge medicine with ancient wisdom to show that safety, not productivity, is the foundation of performance, joy, and longevity. Drawing from his work as a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, A Simple Guide blends the scientific method with unapologetic humor, inviting you to return home to your breath, your body, and your beautifully human self.
A Simple Guide to Being Alive is a bold, playful, profound science-backed manual for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by the modern world and wondered if there was a simpler, saner way to live.
This is no ordinary book. It is a life-changing software update for your nervous system disguised as something you can read on a plane. You’ll discover why anxiety isn’t your enemy, but a signal, what psychedelics teach us about how your nervous system shapes every moment of your existence, and why the simplest things, like a deep breath, a shared laugh, or a 20-second hug, can change your life more than any optimization hack ever could.
Dr. Rabin combines cutting-edge medicine with ancient wisdom to show that safety, not productivity, is the foundation of performance, joy, and longevity. Drawing from his work as a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, A Simple Guide blends the scientific method with unapologetic humor, inviting you to return home to your breath, your body, and your beautifully human self.
- GenresNonfiction
485 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 21, 2026
Part science, part philosophy, part poetry and part wisdom, this book provides a compelling commentary on the state of the world we currently live in and how to navigate through it. It is engaging and beautifully written with humor and empathy. I'm a physician, author, and regular human being, and I can truthfully say that this is a book that will both entertain and educate. It's the kind of book I’ll want to pick up from time to time and read random chapters that particularly resonated with me. Bravo on a wonderful book!
June 24, 2026
Truly excellent book everyone can benefit from.
Great book Dr Dave- really. I’ve been a psychotherapist for 34 years and this is truly excellent. Yes it is all about safety and all the ways our need for it manifest and can also be manipulated, and getting back to the body (mostly) to reclaim our amazing nervous systems and thus our lives. Thank you. Bruce Killen, PsyD, LMFT
Great book Dr Dave- really. I’ve been a psychotherapist for 34 years and this is truly excellent. Yes it is all about safety and all the ways our need for it manifest and can also be manipulated, and getting back to the body (mostly) to reclaim our amazing nervous systems and thus our lives. Thank you. Bruce Killen, PsyD, LMFT
June 22, 2026
My favorite book of the year. I recommend!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews