Book Review
Disclaimer: This book was published by the University of the Rockies Press, of which I am Editor-in-Chief.
Ethics and Lao Tzu is a monumental contribution to psychological literature. The book is written by Ed Mendelowitz, who may be the best contemporary writer in the field of psychology. Few authors are able to bridge a literary writing style with a scholarly work in the manner the Mendelowitz demonstrates in this writing. Through his writing approach, he is able to bring many of the great thinkers of all time, such as Nietzsche, Kafka, and Camus, into dialogue with each other.
Ethics and Lao Tzu is not really about Taoism, and is not about ethics as we think of it today. Yet ethical thinking and Taoist ideas permeate many aspects of the book. Instead, the book is about a client diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Her story is the starting point for a discussion that illustrates existential psychology and thought, while not being bound to it. The book is filled with artwork from the client, Kristina, who is a very talented artist. Mendelowitz also utilizes many quotes from the great thinkers mentioned earlier. Through the many quotes, artwork, stories of Kristina, and Mendelowitz's voice, the many voices or personalities of DID is in some ways replicated. Yet, every quote and piece of art is thoughtfully places so that there is not so much as a comma out of place. In the end, Mendelowitz doesn't offer the easy solutions or clean happy endings we are so used to in psychotherapy; indeed, Mendelowitz is too honest about the human condition to provide a simplified answer to a difficult existence. But he shows that a complicated existence can still be beautiful and meaningful.
Product Description
Ethics and Lao-Tzu is an intricate story of psychotherapy. Dr. Mendelowitz draws on great literary, psychological, and philosophical works in describing the journey of existential therapy. The book follows the story of Kristina, a client of Dr. Mendelowitz with multiple personalities (i.e., Dissociative Identity Disorder). Kristina's story is told, in part, through her artwork, which illustrates her journey through visually stunning pieces of art, each imbued richly with symbolism and meaning. Along the way, Mendelowitz creates a collage between the artwork, stories and letters from their therapy, illustrative quotes from classic works, and Mendelowitz's own poetic thoughts. Throughout the book, Mendelowitz invites the reader to come along exploring the depths of the human soul. Kirk Schneider refers to Mendelowitz as "the poet laureate of existential psychology." In Ethics and Lao-Tzu, Mendelowitz illustrates why this high praise from the leading existential psychologist in the United States is so fitting.