Addicted to the Monkey Mind: Change the Programming That Sabotages Your Life

THE MONKEY MIND CHATTERS ALL DAY…

“I look terrible in these pants—why can’t I lose some weight?”
“I’m stuck in traffic again. Why didn’t I leave earlier?”
“If I wasn’t working all the time, I could have saved my marriage.”

…resulting in stress, shame, and ultimately, “Bartender, can I get a drink?”

In his book, J.F. Benoist—a visionary thought leader in the fields of addiction treatment and personal development—uses the journeys of two relatable characters to teach you how to develop a powerful new mindset and finally break the pattern of negative self-talk.

Addicted to the Monkey Mind offers a toolbox of practical skills to shift self-sabotaging, programmed ways of thinking and learn actionable steps to:

· Overcome addiction & debilitating habits
· Resolve relationship issues
· Replace burnout with passion
· Sustain an abiding joy

This book is designed as a step-by-step guide for creating lasting change. You’ll learn why our thoughts are so erratic; why our emotions sometimes spiral out of control; why some days we feel great, but other days we’re so anxious that we drink, use drugs, snap at our partners, sabotage our career, or feel so depressed that we can’t get out of bed.

Most of us are caught in these endless, self-sabotaging cycles because we’ve been taught that external factors determine our experience. How many times a day do we blame others and outside circumstances for how we’re feeling? The hairstylist who butchered our haircut, the spouse who isn’t pulling their share, the job that consumes all our time, the alcohol that made us act like a fool last night — the list is endless.

When we think this way, we’re viewing the world through our Monkey Minds, whose constant chattering continues our cycles of self-destructive behavior.

Luckily, Addicted to the Monkey Mind offers another way to view the world. The Observing Mind.

By applying the skills of the Observing Mind, you will finally actualize the things you’ve been deeply longing for in your life: a substance-free lifestyle, healthy relationships, a thriving career, and a healthy body and mind.

“‘Addicted to the Monkey Mind’ is one of the most concrete, practical self-help books I have ever read. As I read these compelling real-life stories, I could feel my inner landscape shifting. J.F. Benoist offers a profound approach to overcoming our self-sabotaging conditioning. A must-read!”
— Jennifer Read Hawthorne, coauthor, #1 New York Times best sellers “Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul” and “Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul”

“J.F. Benoist has given us a book of insight and clarity. Both psychotherapists and their clients will greatly benefit. The author’s use of vignettes and suggested exercises is informative, instructive and holds the reader’s interest. I highly recommend this book.”
— Teni Garrett-Johnson, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

“J.F. goes straight to the core of human dysfunction in a most unique way.
From page one to the very end, as we follow people on their healing journeys, we feel what they feel, and can then explore our own inner process. I hold this book as a potent, personal therapeutic tool. Excellent!”
— Bill Kauth, co-founder of The ManKind Project, author of “A Circle of Men”, and coauthor of “We Need Each Other: Building Gift Community” with Zoe Alowan