A Sneak Peek at the 4th Edition of Winter Blues
Introduction to the Fourth Edition of Winter Blues
A “Landmark Book” gets a Major Update
Winter Blues has been called a “Landmark” book by the New York Times because over 100,000 readers have turned to the book for help in understanding their own unique responses to the shortening days of autumn and winter.
For that matter, all the different seasons may present challenges to different people. Winter Blues explains that all to the reader and has been a survivor’s manual for those struggling to cope with these seasonal changes.
The author, Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D., who described the syndrome and is the world’s leading expert in its treatment, has remained at the cutting edge of the field, and returns to update the reader on its development.
But why update a classic and what’s new about it?
In a word, lots.
The new version of the Winter Blues has become leaner. The author cut out a lot of literary and historical information that was originally designed to prove the case that SAD exists – a case that no longer needs to be made.
Everyone agrees that Winter Blues is here to stay. The reader wants to know how to recognize it, all the options available to treat it and, for those who are a little more curious, why some people are more likely to get it than others. All this is covered in the new Winter Blues.
The new version of the book is more reader-friendly than ever, with the help of chapter openers that tell readers what questions are answered in the chapter so they can zero in on the material they need when they need it. Likewise, pullout quotes have been provided to draw attention to important take-home facts and points, and boxes to highlight special material.
All new treatments have been updated. Many changes have been made to the section on light therapy and there are pictures of some of the latest boxes and devices for treating Seasonal Affective Disorder and the Winter Blues. All the latest research in SAD has been included and all sections have been updated since the last edition was published 6 years ago.
The most radical and perhaps interesting change in the new Winter Blues is an entire chapter on the use of meditation to treat the condition. Since the last edition of Winter Blues was published, Rosenthal has written the New York Times best-selling “Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation.” (Tarcher-Penguin, 2011). In the new version of Winter Blues, he presents case reports of individuals who have benefited from both Transcendental Meditation and Mindfulness Meditation. Rosenthal explains that one of the triggers for the Winter Blues is stress, and one of the best stress-relievers available is meditation. This chapter offers Winter Blues sufferers a brand new approach to dealing with their problems.
But Rosenthal has always emphasized eclecticism, so there is updated information about psychotherapy, medications and practically everything you can think of to help the Winter Blues – all packaged in a leaner and easier to read format than ever.
Additional Resources:
How to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder and The Winter Blues [Infographic]
What interesting topics for research. My solution for winter blues this year had been to escape the dreaded Cape Town winter for sunny California. What a joy! Have been cheerful since mid-May without a moment’s regret. Heading back home shortly for another Spring and Summer on the slopes of Table Mountain. Have to ask whether you are related to Eric Rosenthal as our families were great friends. Best wishes and continued success, Valda
I go around all day wearing a hat and sunglasses to help stave off migraine, then get up and blast myself with ultrabright light. Is it OK to at least wear the hat during SAD therapy, or will it negate the benefit? A couple of days ago the SAD light did seem to trigger what I recognize as pre-migraine symptoms. I have given copies of your book to my sisters and a neighbor and have them using lights, by the way.
For migraine sufferers, whose migraines are triggered by light, but who also have SAD, the use of light therapy is a delicate balancing act I usually recommend that people start with the light at a lower level or further away, monitoring their responses carefully Often, after a while it is possible to gradually increase the light to more therapeutic levels without triggering the migraine
But everyone is different, so each person becomes a new experiment — but one worth doing if you can succeed in treating your SAD successfully without triggering migraines.
Best,
Norman