The Happiness Solution: Finding Joy And Meaning In An Upside Down World [Perfect Paperback]

Alan Gettis (Author), Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2008

The Happiness Solution: Finding Joy And Meaning In An Upside Down World is a fascinating collection of parable-like stories, myths, and anecdotes. Dr. Gettis draws upon his 40 years of clinical experience as a psychologist and combines that with the latest research on the science of happiness. The result is markedly influenced by Dr. Gettis' passionate involvement with eastern philosophy in general and Zen in particular. The book is written in a down-to-earth, non-pedantic style, that makes it easy to read and digest despite dealing with complex human issues. It combines Zen wisdom, cognitive behavioral therapy, spirituality, and the new paradigm of positive psychology. The Happiness Solution won the Best Mental Health/Psychology Book Award from USA Book News. It was also selected as one of the Top Ten Books Of The Year by The Best You Can Be Foundation. The book confronts our societal notions of what brings us true happiness. The answers may surprise you. It turns out that power, fame, fortune, prestige, possessions, and intelligence level are not the ultimate answers. You can't buy integrity, love, self-esteem, and peace of mind at the mall. Dr. Gettis uses humor, pathos, and storytelling to lead you to the solution. He believes we are hard wired for stories, dating back to the earliest cultures and our collective unconscious. Dr. Gettis firmly believes that the stories in The Happiness Solution may indeed change the way the reader lives her life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Happiness Solution is an extraordinary book filled with wisdom, wit, and profound solutions to creating a life of deep joy and fulfillment. Each page will make your heart dance and your soul smile. This book is perfect for anyone facing challenges and also for anyone who is seeking a deeper level of happiness and meaning in their lives. Through the use of delightful stories, Dr. Gettis is able to impart profound answers in a magical and uplifting manner. It can be read alone or read together with your family. In this very busy world we live in, The Happiness Solution is like a breath of fresh air. Truly a magnificent beacon of wisdom. --Debbie Milam: UPI Syndicated Columnist

Every once in a while, a book comes along that may change the way you live your life. Using psychology, philosophy, humor, and practical experience, Dr. Gettis will teach you that happiness is an option. You'll find this book to be a distillation of dazzling stories, myths, and anecdotes that offer a simple solution to a mundane, unhappy, or struggling life. It will awaken within you a capacity for true and genuine happiness. Dr. Gettis will show you how to remove the obstacles that interfere with your happiness. This is not only an important book, but it is a brilliant, eye-opening book. --Dr. Joseph Luciani, author of The Power Of Self-Coaching

First there was Elavil, then Prozac and Wellbutrin. Now, there is Dr. Gettis' remarkable new book. This book consists of a series of stories, some personal and some almost archetypal. Each story contains the potential to inspire the reader to think, feel, and behave in a self-enhancing way. This book, full of wisdom, gives countless tips and ideas to pull out of low energy and depressive states, and pull into the joy, beauty, and creativity of life. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be happier and live a more spiritual and satisfying life. --Dr. Sam Menahem, President of the Association for Spirituality and Psychotherapy.

This book is intoxicating. It may change the way you live your life. --Dr. Joseph Luciani, bestselling author of The Power of Self-Coaching

The Happiness Solution is extraordinary. It is filled with wisdom and profound solutions. --Debbie Milam, UPI Syndicated Columnist

About the Author

Dr. Alan Gettis is a clinical psychologist who is well steeped in both Western psychology and Eastern philosophy. His previous books include the critically acclaimed Seven Times Down, Eight Times Up: Landing On Your Feet In An Upside Down World and Sun-Faced Haiku, Moon-Faced Haiku. In the 1960's, Dr. Gettis was a Viet Nam-era army psychologist stationed at a military hospital. In the 1970's, he was Chief Psychologist at a large mental health center in northern New Jersey. Since 1975, he has maintained a private practice in River Edge, NJ, where he specializes in individual psychotherapy for adults. Dr. Gettis holds degrees from four different universities including Utah State University and Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons. He gives talks on 'The Happiness Solution' and appears regularly on radio and television.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 214 pages
• Publisher: Goodman Beck Publishing; First Goodman Beck Edition edition (May 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097987551X
• ISBN-13: 978-0979875519
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great addition to your "Best Books" collection......., June 27, 2007

By 

Sofia Steryo-Bartmus (West Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Happiness Solution: Finding Joy And Meaning In An Upside Down World (Paperback)

By Sofia Steryo-Bartmus, Author, "Paws of Wisdom"- Valuable Lessons We
Can Learn From Our Pets

Stories are the best way to make a point and Dr. Gettis does that so well. Everyone will find a story which they can relate to. Therefore, through a collection of easy and simple advice you can use, this book will take you to the next level of happiness regardless of where you are now. Each story will add value to your life through perspectives you may not have thought about before. It is a book you can read over and over. Read a chapter or two at a time as a daily devotion and then apply what you learned.

We all have challenges in life, but it is how we perceive them that will make us happy or unhappy. There are too many illustrations to mention here, but I liked the question asked in one of the chapters: How can I be happier? And the answer? Consider the Chinese Parable: If you want
happiness for a year, inherit a fortune, if you want happiness for a lifetime, help others...What a great advice!

Not only did I enjoy the book very much, I also learned a lot about myself. I recommend it to everyone, young and old, happy or unhappy. There is no one who would not benefit from at least one new idea for more happiness in this Upside down World!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE THIS BOOK!, April 16, 2006

By 

Dr. Joe (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Happiness Solution: Finding Joy And Meaning In An Upside Down World (Paperback)

The Happiness Solution by Dr. Alan Gettis isn't the type of book you buy, read a few pages and wind up saying, "Oh well." This is a profound and powerful book that you will want to read from cover to cover. You will put it on your shelf and reread it in a month, or reluctantly, you may loan it to a friend with the stipulation that you must have it back!

I'm a confessed devotee of Dr. Gettis's unique healing philosophy and wit. His first book, Seven Times Down, Eight Time Up, has served me and my patients for years. I'm a psychologist who works with anxiety and depression; people who long for solace and happiness in their lives. At some point, every one of my patient gets introduced to Dr. Gettis's writing. I do this because Dr. Gettis looks at life differently. His gift is to be able to distill the essence of why we struggle and then, using parables, anecdotes, and humor (that I guarantee will have you laughing out loud), offers the reader an honest-to-goodness solution. There's only one word to describe this book, "intoxicating!" It is truly a reading `high,' that will change you, buoy you up, and get you to believe that happiness isn't something that happens to someone else-it's something that you generate!

Dr. Joe Luciani

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A self-help guide that blends cognitive behavioral therapy and Zen wisdom, August 10, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Happiness Solution: Finding Joy And Meaning In An Upside Down World (Paperback)

"The Happiness Solution: Finding Joy and Meaning in an Upside Down World" is a self-help guide by clinical psychologist Dr. Alan Gettis is a self-help guide that blends cognitive behavioral therapy and Zen wisdom. Structured in the format of very short vignettes, each with a lesson, "The Happiness Solution" encourages the reader to take control of his or her emotions for an improved quality of life. From giving oneself permission to be happy now, rather than wait for self- imposed conditions to trigger happiness ("I'll be happy when I'm married," or "I'll be happy when I get promoted"), to the importance of learning to lighten up and enjoy the gift of humor, "The Happiness Solution" offers valuable insight in the amusing form of parables. One insightful story tells of two shoe salesmen sent to a Pacific island; one writes his boss saying "Coming home tomorrow. No one here has shoes." and the other writes "I'll be here for a long time. No one here has shoes!" Helpful, amusing, and steeped in insight, "The Happiness Solution" is highly enjoyable simply to browse through even for readers who are already content with their lives.