Marc Brackett Ph.D.

I mostly liked the content of the book, and I definitely agree with the message the author is trying to convey. But there were a lot of moments of casual ableism, either in stories the author told about his days as a teacher or a public speaker, or within the messages given in the book itself. I finally got fed up after he made a joke about a guest's comment, saying he wanted to reply with "Does many of us mean you and your 30 personalities?".
Ableism isn't a good look if you're trying to get people to talk about their feelings.… (plus d'informations)

I RECEIVED AN ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER. THANK YOU.

My Review: The author's credentials are impeccable. I quite enjoyed the read, though I found it very repetitive when read straight through. It occurs to me, however, that the target market...the women who would read Marge Simpson's iconic magazine from the ancient opening credits, Fretful Mother...do not ever have that much time to themselves to read a book straight through. That, plus the simple, direct language and the really easy to remember acronym RULER (see below), make this a very, very useful and helpful read for the trackless wastes of Parenthood that ZERO people are really ready for.

RULER stands for:

RECOGNIZING the emotion in the moment...can't do anything until you name it.

UNDERSTANDING the source..."why this? why now?"

LABELING encourages the use of precise, descriptive language...eg, "bummed out" not just "sad...to get at the root of the emotion.

EXPRESSING out loud, in words, what the emotion experienced really is. Hardest thing in the list to do.

REGULATING the expression of emotion into situationally, socially appropriate channels. Another difficult task.

None of these tasks are unattainable goals. Each one, in my opinion, would be more effectively done with a professional counselor within a theraputic setting. Nothing to say one can't, or shouldn't, make a start on the process by reading this fascinating (but repetitive) book.… (plus d'informations)

Permission to Feel is a wonderful guide to recognizing our own emotions and those of others. Author Marc Brackett has spent years researching this important topic after his experiences as a child showed him how life-changing it was to have someone see, listen and truly recognize the things you have gone through as an individual.

While Brackett has spent decades studying this important topic, he presents the information in this book in an attainable and accessible manner for his readers. The first part of this book dives into how understanding emotions and determining their sources can help us influence our behaviors moving forward. When we understand where and why we are feeling a certain way, we can regulate our own emotions instead of them regulating us. The more we know the more we can find practical strategies for dealing with what we feel and why we be might feeling that way.

Brackett shares that emotions are a powerful source of information. He shares that when we become "emotion scientists" we can learn how to use our emotions wisely, even when they are challenging emotions. Learning how to use them instead of ignoring them can help our figure out our steps forward.

Both physical and emotional symptoms can help us identify our feeling so we can respond appropriately. Feelings are strengths we all have when we learn how to label and understand them. When we can better understand both ourselves and each other, more people are able to be their best most authentic selves.
"Emotional skills are the key to unlocking the potential inside each one of us." Highly recommend!!

Thank you to Celadon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)

I love that Marc Brackett is attempting to teach the value of expressing and understanding emotions, but, for me, this book fell short of its goal.

The content is geared much more toward educators, which is where his RULER system excels. Also, if you're the parent of a young child or a soon-to-be parent, then there are some important lessons here.

I couldn't make the stretch with Brackett's discussion about implementing his RULER system in the workplace. Here's the thing: I can't imagine a scenario in which my boss or coworkers would care to listen to me express my feelings, nor do I think they should be expected to. Honestly, I think we (society) are becoming far too entitled with our emotional sensitivities. Even the author complains about being "triggered" (his word) by his student's snarky but otherwise innocuous comments. We're suddenly demanding "trigger warnings" on novels, and coworkers are complaining about being offended by the way a request is worded. I was hoping this book would be a discussion about how to get our own emotions and sensitivities under control so we don't feel the need to walk on eggshells around each other, but instead it's more about enabling those sensitivities.

Brackett shares a lot of information about his childhood, during which he was abused and bullied. This is at the heart of it all. If he'd been able to express his feelings to his parents, and if they'd been better equipped to listen, then the bullying wouldn't have gone as far as it did. His perspective on this offers tremendous insight. I think that's the book he should write.

*I received a review copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.*… (plus d'informations)