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Engaging the Ineffable: Toward Mindfulness and Meaning
Integrates mind and brain sciences on 21 topics to catalyze insights on a meaningful and happy life. Every day we use words like "desire," "time," "story," "hope," and "mastery," thinking we know what they mean. But these concepts are beyond words― ineffable. Understanding each concept passes through neuro filters shaped by our societies and life stories. Each concept, ubiquitous and elusive like Rorschach's inkblots, shows that it is not just what we think but how we engage the inexpressible that matters. Engaging the Ineffable is unique in that each of the 21 topics is treated from the perspective of a psychoanalyst, neuroscientist, and Mentor Coach.
The 21 topics discussed are desire, time, memory, nostalgia, belief, hope, story, serendipity, synchronicity, self, feelings, mastery, gender, secrets, attachment, empathy, psychoanalysis, unlived, joy, fairytales, and death.
These notions are ineffable, in part, because there is no single place in the brain you can point to and say, "This is the location of memory, hope, nostalgia, mastery, desire, or serendipity." Nor are these functions even located in a single hemisphere of the brain. Standard psychoanalytic literature tends to focus on the pathological aspects of the subjects of these chapters, but not to address happiness, creativity, hope, humor, inspiration, joy, and other positive transformations. The insights in this book will lead to mindfulness and meaning, guiding us to perspectives that will lead to rewarding choices and happiness.
The 21 topics discussed are desire, time, memory, nostalgia, belief, hope, story, serendipity, synchronicity, self, feelings, mastery, gender, secrets, attachment, empathy, psychoanalysis, unlived, joy, fairytales, and death.
These notions are ineffable, in part, because there is no single place in the brain you can point to and say, "This is the location of memory, hope, nostalgia, mastery, desire, or serendipity." Nor are these functions even located in a single hemisphere of the brain. Standard psychoanalytic literature tends to focus on the pathological aspects of the subjects of these chapters, but not to address happiness, creativity, hope, humor, inspiration, joy, and other positive transformations. The insights in this book will lead to mindfulness and meaning, guiding us to perspectives that will lead to rewarding choices and happiness.
310 pages, Paperback
Published March 1, 2019
2 people are currently reading
4 people want to read
About the author
David Krueger
21 books22 followersDavid Krueger, M.D. is an Executive Mentor Coach, and CEO of MentorPath, an executive coaching, publishing, and wellness firm. His approach integrates the insights of psychology, neuroscience, and professional coaching to help professionals and executives write the next chapter of their business stories.
Author of 23 trade and professional books on success, wellness, money, and self-development, and seventy-five scientific papers, his coaching and writing focus on the art and science of success strategies: mind over matters.
The Secret Language of Money. (McGraw Hill)
is a Business Bestseller and translated into 10 languages
A Mentor/Trainer Coach and Dean of Curriculum for Coach Training Alliance, he has been quoted in Money, Fortune, Forbes, Town and Country, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Founder and Director of his own licensed, specialty-certified New Life Story™ Coaches, he has trained professionals worldwide. www.NewLifeStoryCoaching.com
Dr. Krueger formerly practiced and taught Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis and was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry. He was listed in The Best Doctors in America (Woodward/White, Inc. Publishers) annually from 1996-2002, and was listed in America’s Top Psychiatrists (Consumer Research Council of America, Washington DC). He founded and served as CEO for two healthcare corporations, co-founded a third startup that went from venture capital to merger/acquisition. He gives keynote addresses nationally and internationally.
www.MentorPath.com
dkrueger@mentorpath.com
Most recent releases:
Paragon House release on March 8, 2019
ENGAGING THE INEFFABLE: Toward Mindfulness and Meaning (Paragon House)
YOUR NEW MONEY STORY: The Beliefs, Behaviors, and Brain Science to Rewire for Wealth (Rowman & Littlefield, New York/London)
Author of 23 trade and professional books on success, wellness, money, and self-development, and seventy-five scientific papers, his coaching and writing focus on the art and science of success strategies: mind over matters.
The Secret Language of Money. (McGraw Hill)
is a Business Bestseller and translated into 10 languages
A Mentor/Trainer Coach and Dean of Curriculum for Coach Training Alliance, he has been quoted in Money, Fortune, Forbes, Town and Country, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Founder and Director of his own licensed, specialty-certified New Life Story™ Coaches, he has trained professionals worldwide. www.NewLifeStoryCoaching.com
Dr. Krueger formerly practiced and taught Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis and was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry. He was listed in The Best Doctors in America (Woodward/White, Inc. Publishers) annually from 1996-2002, and was listed in America’s Top Psychiatrists (Consumer Research Council of America, Washington DC). He founded and served as CEO for two healthcare corporations, co-founded a third startup that went from venture capital to merger/acquisition. He gives keynote addresses nationally and internationally.
www.MentorPath.com
dkrueger@mentorpath.com
Most recent releases:
Paragon House release on March 8, 2019
ENGAGING THE INEFFABLE: Toward Mindfulness and Meaning (Paragon House)
YOUR NEW MONEY STORY: The Beliefs, Behaviors, and Brain Science to Rewire for Wealth (Rowman & Littlefield, New York/London)
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August 27, 2023"Denial is one of the most powerful forms of engagement."
January 17, 2026
If you’ve ever felt that words like hope, desire, or mastery are bigger than their definitions, this book is for you. Engaging the Ineffable takes you on a journey into the everyday intangibles that shape who we are and how we can engage them to live more fully.
Dr. David Krueger blends psychoanalysis, neuroscience, and coaching wisdom in a way that’s both deeply thoughtful and surprisingly practical. Every chapter sparks reflection, challenges assumptions, and leaves you seeing your own mind and the world differently.
This isn’t just a book to read; it’s a book to experience. Insightful, uplifting, and profound, it will make you pause, think, and maybe even rethink your approach to life itself. Truly a gem for anyone seeking mindfulness, meaning, and the joy of living intentionally.
Dr. David Krueger blends psychoanalysis, neuroscience, and coaching wisdom in a way that’s both deeply thoughtful and surprisingly practical. Every chapter sparks reflection, challenges assumptions, and leaves you seeing your own mind and the world differently.
This isn’t just a book to read; it’s a book to experience. Insightful, uplifting, and profound, it will make you pause, think, and maybe even rethink your approach to life itself. Truly a gem for anyone seeking mindfulness, meaning, and the joy of living intentionally.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews