In many ways we have never been more ‘free’. We are freer to follow our dreams, set goals and live the life we choose. Yet mental health issues are sky-rocketing. Anxiety and depression are rife and more people feel overwhelmed by daily living. We are more addictive, distracted and pressured. This is a world that increasingly seems to breed discontent. So, is all our so-called freedom nothing more than a trap of our own making? Are we, as the saying goes, simply decorating the cage that keeps us imprisoned? Does everything that flies under the banner of freedom actually promote it? What can we do to change the status quo? The Freedom Trap is an inspiring call for clear thinking and a fresh appraisal of what our freedoms mean and can become. In this challenging, confronting and eye-opening look at what freedom actually is — examined from philosophical, psychological, political, social, legal, ethical, scientific, historical and neurological perspectives — mindfulness expert Associate Professor Craig Hassed explores how we can alleviate our burdens (our worries, regrets and material desires) and find a life of peace, happiness and harmony — true freedom.

Including practical thinking steps to help further your understanding of what freedom really means, this book is essential reading for anyone who has ever thought ‘there has to be more to life than this’.

Contents:

• Prologue
• The freedom trap
• In praise of freedom
• So free we seem
• Contemporary freedom – where are we now?
• The Philosophy of freedom
• Freedom under the law
• Liberte, egalite and fraternite, – the politics of freedom
• The science of freedom
• The psychology of freedom
• The ethics of freedom
• Child rearing and education
• Freedom of speech and privacy
• Epilogue
• Endnotes
• Index

Author Bio:

Associate Professor Craig Hassed works at the Department of General Practice and is coordinator of mindfulness programs at Monash University. His teaching, research and clinical interests include mindfulness-based stress management, mind–body medicine, meditation, health promotion, integrative medicine and medical ethics. Craig is regularly invited to speak and run courses in Australia and overseas in health, professional and educational contexts. He was the founding president of the Australian Teachers of Meditation Association and is a regular media commentator. He writes regularly for medical journals and has published eleven books, as well as featuring in the documentary The Connection. Craig has a long-term interest in philosophy and the world’s great wisdom traditions.