Capture: Unraveling the Mystery of Mental Suffering

"A breakthrough book. In a world of increasingly specialized knowledge, it takes a particular gift and some stubbornness to cut across the fields of neuroscience, psychiatry, philosophy and psychology and to ask the fundamental question: Why it is that we can allow our best selves to be captured by and torpedoed by thoughts and actions that sink us?. . . . [Kessler's] ultimate answer is profound and one that could be life-changing and life-saving. I know I will be handing this book out for just that reason.” — Abraham Verghese, MD, author of Cutting for Stone

In Capture, New York Times bestselling author Dr. David A. Kessler considers some of the most profound questions we face as human beings: What are the origins of mental afflictions, from everyday unhappiness to addiction and depression—and how are they connected? Where does healing and transcendence fit into this realm of emotional experience?

Analyzing an array of insights from psychology, medicine, neuroscience, literature, philosophy, and theology, Dr. Kessler deconstructs centuries of thinking, examining the central role of capture in mental illness and questioning traditional labels that have obscured our understanding of it. Looking to the emotionally resonant lives of figures such as David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf, William James, Tennessee Williams, John Belushi, Sylvia Plath, and Robert Lowell, among others, he explains how this concept is at play in their lives and—by extension—our own.

Ultimately, Capture offers insight into how we form thoughts and emotions, manage trauma, and heal. For the first time, we can begin to understand the underpinnings not only of mental illness but also of our everyday worries and anxieties. Capture is an intimate and critical exploration of the most enduring human mystery of all: the mind.

Dr. Kessler’s unified theory of "capture" provides a new framework for understanding our deepest struggles, revealing:

• A Unifying Theory of Mental Health: Discover ‘capture,’ the common mechanism that underlies everything from anxiety and depression to addiction and our everyday worries, finally connecting disparate mental afflictions.
• The Science of a Captured Mind: Explore the neurobiology of how a single thought, memory, or feeling can seize control of your attention, hijack your brain, and dictate your actions.
• Case Studies of Brilliant Minds: Gain profound insights from the struggles of figures like David Foster Wallace, Virginia Woolf, and Sylvia Plath, whose lives powerfully illustrate the force of capture.
• The Roots of Addiction and Depression: Understand why traditional labels have failed and how this new perspective illuminates the true origins of our most persistent emotional suffering.
• A Pathway to Emotional Healing: Learn how understanding this fundamental process offers new strategies for managing trauma, finding relief, and reclaiming control of your own mind.