About the Book
"Smokescreen may initially present itself as a program to quit smoking and does so in in way that addresses the reader personally and effectively. Included is a vast array of motivational ideas and operational techniques that integrate Jewish philosophy and current psychological approaches. Almost immediately, the book expands into an approach to living and values that elevate a cessation manual on smoking into a journey of awareness and potential for living a meaningful life. All the golden insights of Judaism and psychology synthesize into a guidebook for personal effectiveness and significance.
To one with no background or a limited understanding of Judaism, Smokescreen presents a brilliant, understandable, sweet awareness of the Jewish perspective of values, ideas and richly woven stories that have been the guiding principles of morality and purposeful to mankind for the past 3,500 years.
To one well-versed in Jewish thought, everything comes together as to both a practical guide and a thrilling experience and reawakening into the sheer grandeur of G-d's creation.
To one with little focus on the psychological aspects of life events, Smokescreen is the book that explains, with a taste of honey, the human mind in a way that encourages and permits management of life's challenges.
To one who has a background in psychological thought, Smokescreen brings together the various facets of the human mind, especially in the workings of the conscious and unconscious processes that direct human action and aspiration. All together, the writers, with a lovingness and kindness in their words, create a wonderful book that defines Jewish psychology. Anyone, at any age or level of learning, will be enriched and well the wiser by being engaged in this gift of insight. The smoker will have effective tools to desist the grip of the addiction. The non-smoker will have a guide to dealing with other negative patterns of habit. All who take in the contents of Smokescreen will derive the benefit of experiencing the finest examples of awareness of the human condition and Jewish wisdom coming together into one beautifully crafted book."
--Rabbi Donald T. Stein, JD, PhD, Psychologist, Morristown, NJ
About the Author :
Rabbi Bruce Forman earned his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Duke University in 1978, and has worked in both academia and independent professional practice. Following a religious epiphany at age 50, he pursued spiritual education opportunities and was ordained as a rabbi in 2003. With a passion for stories, Rabbi Bruce later received ordination as a maggid, a traditional Jewish teacher and storyteller, from renowned maggid Yitzhak Buxbaum. Rabbi Bruce Forman has published dozens of scientific and professional articles and book chapters in psychology.Rabbi Bruce resides in South Florida, where he continues to practice psychotherapy and hypnosis. Rabbi Bruce enjoys serving the Jewish community by officiating at weddings, baby namings, bar mitzvahs, funerals, or other life cycle events. With his zeal for travel, Rabbi Bruce also serves as rabbi-at-sea on cruise ships. Shoshannah Brombacher-Miller (Amsterdam 1959) is an academic, visual artist, author and maggidah (ordained Jewish preacher, story teller and spiritual guide). She studied Ancient Middle Eastern Linguistics, Culture and Codicology at Leyden University (Holland), and received a PhD in medieval Sephardic Hebrew poetry of the Portuguese-Jewish Community of Amsterdam. She taught and researched at the Free University of Berlin and in Jerusalem and currently lives in Brooklyn with her family. She never smoked, but is convinced that a spiritual approach helps overcome many manifestations of the yetzer hara, of which smoking is just one. Therefore, this book is interesting for smokers and non-smokers alike. Brombacher authored several academic and artistic books and illustrated even more. Her art is internationally recognized and delves deeply into Jewish lore and legends.
Review :
"Ostensibly about smoking cessation, this book goes beyond describing techniques and strategies, instead emphasizing how optimizing one's spiritual well-being becomes a means to stop smoking. The authors' presentation of diverse topics such as history, biblical law, Jewish mystical thought, psychology, biology and neuroscience results in a text that is both fascinating and informative. The inclusion of illustrations in addition to Talmudic and Chassidic tales aids in bringing home the teaching points and makes for entertaining reading. Their conclusion that maximizing one's spiritual potential is consistent with the evolutionary direction in which humankind is moving is certainly thought provoking. Overall, the authors offer a unique perspective on smoking cessation and end on an uplifting note of hopefulness on what is otherwise a grim subject."
--Harold G. Koenig, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director, Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
"I thought I was at least moderately familiar with Jewish thought and Judaism in general, but now I feel far more knowledgeable thanks to this book. I thought the inclusion of spirituality in the quest to overcome such a difficult addiction was a wonderful way to approach this topic. It reminded me of the quote from Jung regarding his patient who was an alcoholic, 'His craving for alcohol was the equivalent, at a low level, of the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness; expressed in medieval language: the union with God. You see, 'alcohol' in Latin is spiritus, and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as for the most depraving poison.' In short, it's a lovely book that's an easy read for the lay person interested in using this unique perspective to overcome a difficult addiction."
--Reverend W. Steven Saunders, PsyD., Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, Orlando,
