Abu Zayd al-Balkhi's Sustenance of the Soul: The Cognitive Behavior Therapy of a Ninth Century Physician

A very interesting and thought provoking book, especially considering the time period it was written in!

A big recognition of the 9th century physician Abu Zayd al-Balkhi !Largely ignored in the textbooks regarding the historical origins of psychology and psychotherapeutic theory.This translation is a groundbreaking discovery for the Ummah and psychologists/psychiatrists/counsellors etc worldwide.No mention of "Jinn possession" in these manuscripts!What you will find though are astonishing early theories and Treatments of obsessive thoughts, depression and anxiety not far from modern day theories of CBT, psychotherapy , TA and Behavioural Therapy.Makes you wonder why is it the psychiatric drug companies rein supreme whilst the talking therapists work mostly as volunteers and religious doctrines have been laughed off as extreme and cultish when they do indeed hold the answers to the cure!Why does modern day psychological theory generally celebrate Greek and Roman physicians?Why are Frued , skinner and the likes hailed as founders of psychotherapeutic theory?Why has psychology been largely shaped on conditions of the social & mind and largely omits the soul?And why do the ones who do hold ancestral roots in early psychological theory , ie the Muslims not shout out about it some more?Good start Proffessor Badri , more translations of such texts greatly needed

It’s a good read, philosophical

This book is what is needed to change your life, I am astonished that such a gem is not renowned. With the growing trend of self love, mindfulness, health and conscious diets, this book offers explanations and solutions, not only for the mind but for the soul, through the mind. Written over 1000 years ago, the pioneer of cognitive behavioural therapy, this book is more significant now, with all that we are aware of, whether you struggle with a mental disorder or not, this a must read. Thank you Kitaabun for making this forgotten book available!!

Everyone should read this book

This books interestingly links physical ailments to psychological ones. It goes into detail on how to tackle the common issues of the mind. Being written many centuries ago, the book is well ahead of it's time and the footnotes of the translator link the techniques to modern day western psychologists highlighting how the muslim world was medically advanced many centuries before the west.

A deeper understanding into the human psyche can be found by reading this great piece of work, translated into modern day English, I reccomend anyone who has an interest in medicine or psychology to read this compacted book.

Well worth reading this ancient manual on spiritual year--which is remarkable in that it predates CBT by more than 1000 years.

It was a stroke of genius to commission an Egyptian psychiatric professional to translate this landmark work from Arabic to English. The translation is easy to follow and brings out the the author's expertise in the field of mental health, which modern professionals are only catching up to after more than a millenium. Al-Balkhi provides insights into afflictions of the soul, along with symptoms and treatment - something that modern scientists are hard pressed to accomplish with their current orientation.

Book arrives much earlier than expected. I used this work in my masters thesis and I’m so happy to have my own copy to read and make notes in. Thanks so much!!

Le livre est arrivée à la date estimée. Je m'attendais à attendre longtemps compte des circonstances mais non... En tout cas il est exactement comme en photo, très beau ! Ce qui m'a surprise c'est qu'il est assez fin et n'a que 70 pages et des poussière (j'aime les gros livres). Mais finalment c'est pas mal car le contenu n'en ai pas moins intéressant et il se lit très facilement.Je recommande !

Die Inhalte dieses Buches entfalten ihre Wirkung und ihre Nützlichkeit im Kontekt der Auseinandersetzung mit den Inhalten des Qur'an unterstützt durch das Studium der Psychologie. Dabei sind die unterschiedliche Schulen innerhalb der Psychologie umfasst, jedoch liegt der Schwerpunkt auf die "Existenzielle Psychotherapie" nach Irvin D. Yalom, nach meinem Verständnis.Abu Zayd al-Blakhi ist der erste Psychologe/Psychiater innerhalb der muslimischen Gemeinschaft aus dem 9. Jahrhundert, dessen Erkenntnisse sich im heutigen DSM-5 bezüglich der Katalogisierung von diversen Phobien, wiederfinden.Ein Buch für jeden, den es interessiert. ...

Very wonderful read and has very great tips on how to manage things like anger, fear and sadness..It is written in a way so that even the ordinary person will understand it.