An entirely new perspective on how emotions influence mental and physical health. The authors present recent thinking about the development and regulation of emotions, and argue that several common but difficult to treat psychiatric illnesses, including drug addictions, eating disorders, panic disorder and post traumatic stress disorders, are a consequence of an inability to regulate distressing emotions through mental processes. The book also advances a model in which dysregulated emotions may alter other bodily systems and thereby contribute to the development of physical illnesses and diseases. Generously illustrated throughout with clinical vignettes and providing descriptions of innovative therapeutic approaches, this book offers a valuable and stimulating reference for clinicians and researchers alike.