Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm

A licensed psychologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Uzi Ben-Ami has operated his own private practice in Rockville, Maryland, for many years. When he isn’t working, Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D., is an avid reader who counts the humanist philosopher and psychologist Erich Fromm among his favorite writers.

One of Fromm’s most significant works is the 1941 treatise Escape from Freedom. This book examines the concept of freedom as a dichotomy by dividing it into two poles,: positive freedom (which draws people toward it as an escape from tyranny) and negative freedom (when people try to escape feelings of inferiority and powerlessness by supporting a dictator that makes them feel important).

Escape from Freedom is even more remarkable for the timing of its release, as Fromm analyzed various manifestations of negative freedom and their relationship to totalitarianism during the rise of the Nazi Party. He writes that understanding the underlying reasons behind negative freedom “is a premise for any action” that attempts to overthrow a totalitarian regime.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D.

Dr. Uzi Ben-Ami is an experienced psychologist who holds both an MA and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park. He has his own private practice in Rockville, Maryland. Outside of the professional arena, Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D., is a fan of classical music who ranks Modest Mussorgsky among his favorite composers.

A Russian composer, Mussorgsky is perhaps best known for Boris Godunov, an opera that was first performed in finished form in 1874. Although it was composed in the same year, his other widely popular work, Pictures at an Exhibition, saw neither performance nor publication until after his death from alcoholism at age 42.

A suite of 10 movements written for solo piano, Pictures at an Exhibition maintains a reputation among pianists as a notoriously difficult piece to play. Over the years, it has been widely performed in various orchestral arrangements. The progressive rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer even devoted an entire album to its interpretation of the piece.

Many Ways to Learn, A Children’s Book About Learning Disabilities

Many Ways to Learn
Image: amazon.com

A Licensed Psychologist with more than 30 years of experience in Maryland, Uzi Ben-Ami, Ph.D., is currently a psychotherapist in private practice in Rockville, Maryland. In his post-doctoral training, he trained and became a certified school psychologist, a certified sex therapist, and a certified NLP practitioner. He received extensive training in cognitive-behavioral therapy and Trauma treatment, among others. Dr. Uzi Ben-Ami shared his knowledge of children with special needs in “Many Ways to Learn: Young People’s Guide to Learning Disabilities,” a book he co-authored in 1996.

Designed to be read by the children about whom it is written – mainly those between 8 and 13 years of age – Many Ways to Learn offers easy-to-understand descriptions outlining different types of learning disabilities and how they manifest themselves. Dr. Ben-Ami and his co-author examine the ways in which each disability affects the behavior, performance, and emotions of the child, and how these learning differences can be best managed at home, at school, and in social situations. The book provides a convincing major metaphor to be used in order to explain learning differences. The use of the book and the central metaphor would help parents explain to their child and normalize learning differences. In addition to the explanations by the authors, the book shares a personalized, first-hand account from a child with a learning disability. Other chapters supply parents with helpful resources.

Ultimately, Many Ways to Learn teaches children struggling with a disability that they have as much – if perhaps in different areas – intelligence, spirit, and experience compared with their peers and that they could find creative ways to handle and improve challenging aspects of their lives.