Beyond Fear

Dorothy Rowe shows us how to have the courage to acknowledge and face our fears – only through courage can we find a sustaining happiness.

‘Beyond Fear’, first published in 1987, has changed the lives of thousands of people. In this edition, the renowned psychologist Dorothy Rowe examines the changes in the psychiatric system since 1987 in the context of showing how most of our suffering comes from our greatest fear, that of being annihilated as a person, when we shall disappear like a puff of smoke in the wind, never to have existed.

We feel this fear whenever others humiliate or belittle us, or whenever we discover a serious discrepancy between what we thought our life was and what it actually is. The greater our fear, the more desperate our defence against it, the most desperate of defences being what psychiatrists call mental disorders. Yet, by knowing ourselves we can go beyond our fear and face life with courage.

Reviews

‘This is a most extraordinary and valuable book and Dorothy Rowe is a most extraordinary and valuable person. Not only is she phenomenally wise, but she imparts her wisdom in a kind of prose poetry that moves, enlightens, reforms, beguiles and educates all at once.’ Fay Weldon

'Dorothy Rowe's is the calm voice of reason in an increasingly mad world. Buy this book.' Sue Townsend

'Dorothy Rowe has a unique ability to tackle our most fundamental emotions and issues with her innate wisdom, common sense and quiet compassion. In a market saturated with pop psychology paperbacks with their quick-fix jargon, she reminds us that we are both the creators and thus also the destroyers of our deepest fears and looks beyond dependency to encourage us to find our own solutions.' Meera Syal

About the author

Dorothy Rowe was born in Australia in 1930, and worked as a teacher and child psychologist before coming to England, where she obtained her PhD at Sheffield University. From 1972 until 1986 she was head of Clinical Psychology. She is now engaged in writing, lecturing and research, and is world-renowned for her work on how we communicate and why we suffer. Her books include ‘‘Wanting Everything’, ‘‘Beyond Fear’ and ‘‘Time On Our Side’.