Book excerpt: A definitive guide to personal change in therapy and in life. Why is it so hard to change? Not only does psychiatrist and teacher, Dr. Smith's crystal clear prose give the answer, but he shows how to outsmart our own mind's many ways of keeping us the same. Each person's problems and dysfunctional patterns are different but they start out as ways to shield us from painful and uncomfortable feelings. The good news is that facing just those feelings is the path to freedom, and it is not as hard as it seems. Dr. Smith shows how to get to know your feelings, understand why and how they have been hidden from you and how to face them so that you, too, can heal and grow into the person you want to be.