BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS

Part 1 – Awakening Consciousness

First thoughts on the book?

Do you have voices inside your head?

What do they say?

Who do they represent?

What do you think of the idea to bring them (as a person) along side with you all the time?

How do you present yourself?

Who are you?

Are you the same person all the time?

Part 2 – Experiencing Energy

What was your biggest revelation in this chapter about energy?

Do you have anything stuck?

What came up for you after reading this? Were you tested by the universe?

Why do you think you don’t live in perfect energy all the time? If it’s a choice?

What energies/past experiences do you think you need to let go of?

Have you tried to let some energy go?

Have you noticed when someone says something you don’t like how your body and thoughts react?

“You are the experiencer of your heart”, what do you think of that?

“If you protect yourself, you’ll never be free”, what do you think of that?

Part 3 – Freeing Yourself

He writes “Your psyche is not okay” – do you agree with that?

Why do we have to think about ourselves all the time?

How to you protect your self-concept?

Do you think the world is frightening? Do you feel the need to protect yourself?

What do you need to feel in order to feel okay?

Are there certain situations, people, experiences you avoid because of fear?

What has been the biggest take away/lesson from the book so far?

Have you tried any of the techniques?

Pg. 94 he talks about “firing your mind” – what you think about that?

Have you tried to setup trigger points in your everyday day to help you pay attention?

Part 4 – Going Beyond

Explore the untethered state through the use of an allegory – “the house” – was this helpful to you to better understand?

What do you think of not doing your hair, dressing a certain way one day, as he suggests to find out why you do those things?

Comparing our mental freedom to a dog’s electronic collar.. being afraid of the edges, can you relate?

Have you ever gotten lost in the experience? (a movie perhaps)

What is your self-concept?

“You came here to visit, then you leave again”, how does this make you feel? Pg. 135

What is pain to you? How do you feel it?

On page 137 he writes “you never have to worry about anything ever again…” How does he know this?

Part 5 – Living Life

Do you want to be happy? Regardless of circumstances?

If you want to be close to God, learn to be joyful, what does that mean to you?

“Stress only happens when you resist life’s events” – what stress do you have right now? Can you tie it to resisting life’s events?

Since the event has already passed, you’re actually struggling with yourself – do you recognize that?

How do you feel about death?

Are you going to wait until the last moment to let death be your teacher?

What would you do with your last day/week?

Life itself is your career – what does that make you think?

Do you have any extremes in your life?

What did you already know about this book’s subject before you read this book?

Questions for the Foreword & Preface

Why does he call his book success “an expression of misery of our time”?

What does he mean by “for success, like happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue”

How would you have made that impossible choice he faced when he found out his visa was ready (staying or leaving)? 

His definition of success “insert” do you agree?

Questions for Experiences in a Concentration Camp

Which of the 3 phases that he describes were most shocking to you? 

• admission into camp
• well into the camp or 
• after liberation

Pg. 40 he says: ”…I was struggling to find the reason for my sufferings, my slow dying. […]  I felt it transcend that hopeless, meaningless world, and from somewhere I heard a victorious “Yes” in answer to my question of the existence of an ultimate purpose.” Would you say that might be a spiritual awakening/calling? 

What do you think of the term “separating of the mind from the body” after reading this book? 

If you had had the opportunity to meet Viktor, what would you have said to him?

Why do you think this book has been so popular? 

What new things did you learn after reading this chapter?

What are some of the quotes/sayings that have stayed with you?

Questions for Logotherapy in a nutshell

What new things did you learn?

Pg. 99 he says: “Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life … it must and can be fulfilled by him alone” – how do you take that into your own life?      

Pg. 102 he says: “…suffering may well be a human achievement, especially if the suffering grows out of existential frustration”. He also speaks of suffering well – what do you make of that? 

Pg. 106 – the existential vacuum, do you ever find yourself trapped between distress and boredom? 

Pg. 106 – Among his American students 60% marked a degree of existential vacuum, compared to 25% European – why is that? 

Pg.108 – the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day, from hour to hour – what do you make of that? Also page 111 the meaning of life always changes, but never ceases to be.

What is the meaning of this very moment? 

Pg. 110 – The meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man’s own psyche. What does he mean by this?

Do you agree for yourself this is how you find meaning? Either 1) creating work, 2) experiencing something/someone and 3) our attitude towards suffering

The role of the therapist pg. 116 – more and more a psychiatrist is approached today by patients who confront him with human problems rather than neurotic symptoms. Would you also agree with that? (Especially after reading Maybe You Should Talk to Someone).

“Having been is the surest kind of being” would you agree with this statement?

Do you actualize yourself based on conditions or decisions?

Questions for Postscript 1984 – the case for a tragic optimism & Afterword

He says man must have a reason to be happy, must have a reason to laugh. Do you know your reason to be happy?

Like wise, what is your reason to keep going on?

Can anyone relate to the “unemployment neurosis” he describes on pg. 140?

What do you think about the fact that we won’t know the meaning until it’s over (the movie analogy on page 143-144)

Do you agree that America has an imposed “be happy” trend? (further described earlier in the book on page 114)

When you hear more about his life (friends with Freud, being a gifted child etc.) Does it surprise you the strength he has displayed throughout his life? 

What would you like to take with you from this book? 

Questions for Part 1

Do you recall the Ruby Ridge Siege of 1992?

Have you had any experience with people or families that have made similar choices as those we’re introduced to in the book?

Do you think the children had a happy childhood? Why or why not?

If you could ask her father a question, what would it be?

If you could ask her mother a question, what would it be?

Is there anything that fascinates you about living life this way? Or that you’re curious about?

Which part of the book so far shocked you the most and why?

What do you think this book aims to address? Topics that comes to mind are religion, abuse, Mormonism, gender, survivalists, mental health… What do you think?

Questions for Part 2

How would you describe her first school experience? 

What do you think her biggest challenge was that first semester?

She starts having a lot of firsts – talking to a boy, taking Advil, washing her hands after using the bathroom, what do you think this was like?

Why do you think it’s so hard for her to ask for help?

Why do you think she keeps going home, even though the abuse keeps getting worse?

Questions for Part 3

Now that we’ve read the entire book, what would you say this book is about? 

What surprised you the most?

Why do you think Tara wrote this book?

Do you think she’ll reunite with her family ever?

What do you make of this family, the siblings and the head of the household?

Tara didn’t know the word “holocaust” and had no knowledge of race issues in the United States, why is that such a big deal?

Which family members had the biggest influence on Tara do you think?

Which of Tara’s relationships (with a family member) did you find the most interesting?

What does education mean to you?

How do you know something is true? What is something you once believed was true, that you later learned was not?

Has anyone ever given you advice to do something beyond what you thought you were capable of doing? Did you follow the advice?

What else are you curious about?

Questions for first half of the book

• What is your first impression of this book?
• Do you personally know anyone who’s gone through something like this?
• Do you have a favorite character?
• What do you wish we had learned more about in the book?
• What does “an American marriage” mean to you?
• What are the topics in this book?
• What has been to most shocking thing so far? (The crime, Ghetto Yoda, the love torn apart?)

Questions for the latter part of the book

Coming soon!

Questions for the entire book

• What did you already know about this book’s subject before you read this book?
• Do you know anyone living with mental illness close to you?
• If yes, how has that been for you?
• What aspects of the author’s story could you most relate to?
• What new things did you learn from this book? 
• What do you think the author’s most wanted to highlight with this book?
• What did you like best about this book?
• What did you like least about this book?
• What feelings did this book evoke for you?
• Think about the other people in the book besides the author. How would you feel to have been depicted in this way?
• If you were making a movie of this book, who would you cast?
• If you could hear this same story from another person’s point of view, who would you choose?
• Share your favorite quotes from the book.

Questions for the entire book

Questions for the entire book

• What was this book about for you? 
• What did you learn from this book? 
• Favorite character? What about them did you enjoy? 
• Any part that shocked you? 
• Any part surprised you? 
• Which part of the book did you identify with, if any?