HEADLINER
Practical Books
THE FOUR FEARS THAT PREVENT US FROM LIVING
On the tail of his best-selling books Harcèlement fusionnel and Les Pensées qui font maigrir, clinical psychologist Eudes Séméria now writes about the four fears that prevent us from being fulfilled. An enlightening book that encourages us to take charge of our lives.
We are all afraid of something: being a burden, failing, disappointing, conflict. And especially of: blushing, driving, making phone calls... These multiple everyday fears that constrain us fall into four categories for everybody:
- fear of growing up, or difficulty in taking on the status as an independent adult;
- the fear of asserting ourselves, that is to say, of defining who we are, of identifying our role and place in life;
- the fear of taking action, which translates into difficulty in projecting ourselves and giving meaning to our lives;
- fear of separation, or difficulty trusting emotional relationships.
In this book, the author, who is a psychotherapist and the vice-president of the French Association of Existential Psychology, helps us identify and understand these fears and proposes tools to free us from them: "This book is both theoretical and practical (...). Each chapter starts out by describing the fear in question and its existential causes, then includes patient testimonials and finishes by proposing practical and concrete solutions proven through therapy. In the end, as we will see, it will boil down to one simple act: becoming more of an adult and more oneself," the author points out. A simple and encouraging approach that earned him the 2022 Psychologies-FNAC Essay Prize. "Eudes Semeria guides his readers towards self-awareness (...). This intelligent, clear, empathetic and warm essay never claims to hold the 'truth'. It is a great gift and something to be kept close at hand," explains the jury. Laurence Badot, head of foreign rights at Albin Michel, highlights the value of such a book in the current environment: "I find it very useful for our uncertain and restless post-Covid society. It is written by a specialist but for a wide readership." To date, translation rights have been sold to China (Simplified Chinese), Poland and Romania. "The three deals were made very quickly. It is a book that transcends cultural differences because it applies to both the East and the West," Laurence Badot adds.
Katja Petrovic
October 2022
On the tail of his best-selling books Harcèlement fusionnel and Les Pensées qui font maigrir, clinical psychologist Eudes Séméria now writes about the four fears that prevent us from being fulfilled. An enlightening book that encourages us to take charge of our lives.
We are all afraid of something: being a burden, failing, disappointing, conflict. And especially of: blushing, driving, making phone calls... These multiple everyday fears that constrain us fall into four categories for everybody:
- fear of growing up, or difficulty in taking on the status as an independent adult;
- the fear of asserting ourselves, that is to say, of defining who we are, of identifying our role and place in life;
- the fear of taking action, which translates into difficulty in projecting ourselves and giving meaning to our lives;
- fear of separation, or difficulty trusting emotional relationships.
In this book, the author, who is a psychotherapist and the vice-president of the French Association of Existential Psychology, helps us identify and understand these fears and proposes tools to free us from them: "This book is both theoretical and practical (...). Each chapter starts out by describing the fear in question and its existential causes, then includes patient testimonials and finishes by proposing practical and concrete solutions proven through therapy. In the end, as we will see, it will boil down to one simple act: becoming more of an adult and more oneself," the author points out.
A simple and encouraging approach that earned him the 2022 Psychologies-FNAC Essay Prize. "Eudes Semeria guides his readers towards self-awareness (...). This intelligent, clear, empathetic and warm essay never claims to hold the 'truth'. It is a great gift and something to be kept close at hand," explains the jury.
Laurence Badot, head of foreign rights at Albin Michel, highlights the value of such a book in the current environment: "I find it very useful for our uncertain and restless post-Covid society. It is written by a specialist but for a wide readership."
To date, translation rights have been sold to China (Simplified Chinese), Poland and Romania. "The three deals were made very quickly. It is a book that transcends cultural differences because it applies to both the East and the West," Laurence Badot adds.
Katja Petrovic
October 2022