"Why do we think, feel, and act in ways we wished we did not? Dr. David A Kessler has identified a mechanism common to a broad range of human suffering. This phenomenon - capture - is the process by which our attention is hijacked and our brains commandeered by forces outside our control. What are the origins of mental afflictions, from everyday unhappiness to addiction and depression? Analyzing an array of insights from psychology, medicine, neuroscience, literature, philosophy, and theology, Dr. Kessler examines the central role of capture in mental illness and questions traditional labels that have obscured our understanding of it. He explores the concept of capture through the emotionally resonant stories of both well-known and un-known people caught in its throes. The closer we can come to fully comprehending the nature of capture, Dr. Kessler argues, the better the chance to alleviate its deleterious effects and successfully change our thoughts and behavior This book offers insight into how we form thoughts and emotions, manage trauma, and heal. For the first time, we can begin to understand the underpinnings of not only mental illness, but also our everyday worries and anxieties. An intimate and critical exploration of the most enduring human mystery of all: the mind. David A. Kessler is a pediatrician and has been the dean of the medical schools at Yale and the University of California, San Francisco."--Provided by publisher.