Heaven and Hell

As a mental health blogger/coach/volunteer crisis counselor and student. I found this book a helpful and interesting read. It's very rare to find philosophical, biblical and clinical takes of our various emotions (and moods) in a single book.

This book has also served as a jumping off point for deeper research of the various emotions we experience as humans.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's interested in studying human emotions.

I would consider this book to be more philosophical than psychological in nature. The author explored 30 different emotions, but not in a psychological sense. If I had known this wasn’t a book on emotions and psychology, I probably would not have read it. It was well organized and written, I was just looking for a psychological focus.

Thank you to NetGalley and Acheron Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In each chapter of Heaven and Hell, Neel Burton breaks down an emotion in it's entirety; the meaning of the word, some history and why we might feel or behave this way.

I very much enjoyed this read. It's definitely very clinical so that is something to be aware of if that is typically not your preference. I have always loved reading about psychology, how the brain works and why humans do the things they do. This book is proof that we are complex creatures, and behaviors and emotions that seem simple to understand are not always so--sometimes the reason for us doing specific things don't even seem to follow a trend line until fully explained. This was eyeopening for me and it definitely challenged me to think. Certain chapters even made me aware of my own behaviors and it gave me things to reflect on.

Emotions affect us every single second of our lives, yet we don't give them much thought. What is going on in the world right now has brought emotions right to the forefront as all of us are on a roller coaster of ups and downs due to the pandemic and all that has brought with it.

This book reminds us that emotions are an enormous part of our lives. Every day brings its own roller coaster, and any day can go from joyous to depressing.

Beyond the emotions that first come to mind, this book delves into emotions that we may be feeling but not recognize as such. The book covers these also, including (but not limited to): ecstasy, ambition, nostalgia, kissing, courage, envy, gratitude, greed, and laziness.

The author is a philosopher and a psychiatrist, which gives him insight into the areas of which he speaks. It was well written and quite interesting to read.