Inspirational Book
This book is an inspiration and must read for everyone looking for meaning in their lives. It's empowering and brings such freedom and space to learn how to identify our thoughts and make a change which Alex Pattakos teaches based on Viktor Frankl's principles.

Valuable Additions to Great Wisdom
There is a lot to like about this book. As a voracious reader of psychology/philosophy/mind/body material, I found the work well written, well organized, and in some places full of fascinating details. Frankl's life and work are known to me in connection with study of the history of anti-Semitism and the holocaust. Although his writings are inspirational and in large ways timeless, this book makes a good contribution by bringing Frankl's principles into modern parlance and context.

I was surprised to see another reviewer mention that they did not think Pattakos added much to Frankl's work. I couldn't disagree more. In addition to reframing the principles, the author goes on a number of fascinating and relevant riffs that give Frankl's material added complexity and depth. I liked the quotes he adds to Frankl's (Einstein says "Imagination is more important than knowledge.") I like Pattakos' discussion of team play and how the personal rewards of successful team play are always most profound during the action.

The author's professional experience and personal references lend a handle to some of the more difficult concepts, and his personal examples were helpful. At one point he references Buddhism. The Buddhist notion of mindfulness is all about creating meaning. Substituting the concept of meaning for achievement, ambition, recognition, money, and other buzz words of the New Age and our American speed-and-greed culture is itself an important enough contribution to merit buying and reading the book. Imagine if we taught our children to look for meaning in what they did. Imagine if we actually looked at relationships and work that way.

"Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!"

What a concept.

The Key to Happiness
Finding peace or happiness in every situation, no matter how dreadful the circumstances. Some are lucky enough to do it naturally, others need a book like "Prisoners of Our Thoughts" to guide them. "Prisoners" offers readers the principles, tools and examples that teach us to stop being carried away by our negative reactions to difficult situations, to step back, find perspective and creatively realize the good that can come from not getting what we think we want in the moment. Frankl's life and work epitomize the triumph of the human spirit in transforming suffering into peace and turning the sourest lemons into the sweetest lemonade. Pattakos has paid homage to this great man by interpreting and reframing his work for new generations.

Integrating Spirituality with Pragmatism
In this inspirational book, Dr. Alex Pattakos takes the work of his mentor Dr. Viktor Frankl to a new level. With anecdotes and case studies that address the spiritual and pragmatic needs of the 21st century reader, the author shows how future-oriented thinking and applied intuition can help us retain an optimistic outlook regardless of external circumstances.

In today's volatile times, it is easy to become overwhelmed by the multitudes of uncertainties that present to us every day.

In "Prisoners of our Thoughts" we are given a set of cognitive and spiritual principles that we can use to form an imaginary periscope with which to look ahead to a meaningful future.

Bravo, Dr. Pattakos!

Meaning is an idea whose time has come
Meaning is an idea who time has come...and none too soon.

Have you ever known someone you admire and respect and wanted their esteem?

Alex Pattakos succeeds at this masterfully, i.e. Victor Frankl would indeed be proud of him, and we the readers are the beneficiaries.

"Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Victor Frankl's Principles at Work" takes the wealth of Frankl's ideas out of the psychotherapist's office and makes it available for understanding, using and living in our professional, personal, interpersonal, intrapersonal and even transpersonal worlds.

If you have ever stared into the darkness and wondered what is meaningful to you and come up empty, this book will help you fill your cup and then some.

I highly recommend this book.

-Mark Goulston, M.D.
"The Leading Edge" at Fast Company
"Solve Anything with Dr. Mark" at Tribune Media Services
author: "Get Out of Your Own Way at Work" (Perigee, 2006)