In his foreword to this paperback, Stanley Krippner says: "Breggin is a well-known and respected psychiatric reformer who for decades has taken on the 'psychopharmaceutical complex,' as well as the simplistic explanations of human behavior proffered by 'neuromania.' Instead of buying into the proposition that one's neurology controls one's action, he cites research that demonstrates that human activity, especially spiritual practices, can alter brain function." The author jumps in to explain where he is coming from:

"We are potentially the most loving and the most violent creatures on Earth. Given our passion for physical and emotional intimacy, and given our tendency to react to each other with willful aggression, nature faced a daunting task: how to keep us from destroying each other within our families."

Breggin shows how guilt, shame, and anxiety serve an adaptive evolutionary function by stemming the aggressiveness and violence in our private and public lives. Although children seek emotional freedom, many of them are damaged by abuse, bullying, domestic violence. and post-traumatic stress. Breggin believes that all of us can take three steps toward emotional freedom:

1. Identify your emotional legacy emotions.
2. Reject any compliance with these emotions.
3. Triumph over and transcend these emotions.

This means rejecting guilt and self-destructive feelings; overcoming shame and defensive feelings, and conquering anxiety and helpless feelings. According to Breggin, love is our highest purpose, and it can be put to good work in joyful awareness and establishing a loving partnership.