KIRKUS REVIEW
In this self-help guide, Harrison offers a plan of action for overcoming psychological obstacles to living life fully.
The “fog” of the title “represents those times you are stuck, confused, bewildered.” The author has drawn on his readings of classical psychiatrists, such as Carl Jung; Daniel Goleman’s work; as well as his own life and intimate personal journals, to develop his approaches to clearing the fog. Harrison provides a model of personality development based on seven “chakras,” or “energy centres,” and he discusses how each can manifest itself in one’s behavior. He goes on to consider what he calls “survive reactions,” or ineffective ways of dealing with problems. To the classic “fight” and “flight,” the author adds “freeze” and “fabricate.” After describing the Freudian model of personality and the Jungian idea of “the shadow,” Harrison illustrates the power of the shadow by detailing the confusion he felt after his first divorce. He follows this with ideas considerably more abstract; he advises that readers “acknowledge the diligence and sincerity of the protective self.” Harrison recounts one of his own epiphanic experiences, and he goes on to explore what he calls “thrive responses,” or useful ways to deal with fog. These are again alliteratively categorized as “assert,” “attend,” “act,” and “authenticate” and followed by subheadings and further definitions. The guide notes that analyzing one’s feelings of frustration and depression can lead to self-acceptance and optimism, which Harrison calls “positive framing.” Throughout, the writer is honest in presenting his own experiences. There are several points, however, where more specific recommendations might have been helpful.
While some readers may find here a surfeit of idiosyncratic terms and broad precepts, others may indeed find several useful blueprints for resolving their own problems.
