One Powerful Mind: The Complete Approach to Emotional Management at Home and at Work

Robert B. MacIntyre is head of the Centre for Relationship Therapy and
Education in Orangeville, Ontario.

One Powerful Mind presents the main elements of Paul Witz’s workshops
on emotional management. In particular, it provides strategies for
containing and controlling damaging emotional reactivity, or what the
author calls the “cave brain.” His metaphor of an emotionally
explosive and primitive old brain coupled with a rational “computer
brain” does have some basis in brain structure and function and seems
useful in helping people understand and modify their behavior,
particularly in stressful situations. Witz, who cites no references and
suggests that his system grew out of his own experiences and
observations, has produced a self-help book that is consistent with much
of the previous literature on effective interpersonal relations,
self-management, and building self-esteem. While it offers little that
is new for the professional in psychology or related fields, its lucid
and attractive presentation makes it an appealing choice for the general
reader.