Pack Leader Media Kit - Pack Leader Psychology

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Now a psychotherapist, West has written the award-winning “Pack Leader. Psychology ... transform themselves into confident, assertive pack leaders of people.
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Pack Leader Psychology Learn What Dogs Can Teach Us About Human Behavior by Harper West, MA

Silver Award Winner in the Psychology category of the 2013 Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Benjamin Franklin Awards.

PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Harper West, MA 248-464-1297 (mobile) 248-726-9751 (office) [email protected]

What Can Dogs Teach Us About Human Relationships? While training her dog, author Harper West learned to be the “alpha” or “pack leader.” She quickly discovered that the same skills that worked so well in dog training could be applied to human relationships. She then began a journey that transformed her personality from submissive, abused wife into a confident, self-assured leader of people. Now a psychotherapist, West has written the award-winning “Pack Leader Psychology,” a unique combination of self-help book and deeply personal memoir that arose out of her experiences in life and dog training. Based on the elemental wisdom of the animals and the latest research on human social psychology, “Pack Leader Psychology” draws parallels between dog and human behavior. Stories from the animal world are used to illustrate simple, yet powerful explanations for the difficulties in human relationships. Because the explanations are rooted in concepts that will resonate with readers, the content forms an easily understood model for human behavior. Written in a crisp, direct and upbeat style, the book’s commonsense explanations can be immediately applied to all aspects of a reader’s life and can help improve relationships with family, friends and colleagues. Readers will learn to unleash primal powers, gain confidence, improve leadership skills, claim respect and discover their authentic personality. The book helps readers intuitively understand why they behave

as they do, become more emotionally healthy, and identify and predict the behaviors of others. “Pack Leader Psychology” by Harper West is available in print ($12.99) and in ebook ($4.99) at www.PackLeaderPsychology.com. For more information or to follow West's blog, go to: www.PackLeaderPsychology.com www.facebook.com/harperwestauthor www.linkedin.com/in/harperwestauthor ###

3128 walton blvd., suite 279 rochester hills, mi 48309 248-464-1297

Summary of

Pack Leader Psychology A Non-Fiction Book by Harper West Unleash your primal powers to gain confidence, claim respect, improve leadership skills and, strengthen relationships with people!

“Pack Leader Psychology” is a non-fiction book that uniquely draws parallels between a popular dog-training method and human behavior to help readers effortlessly transform themselves into confident, assertive pack leaders of people. Author and psychotherapist Harper West recounts how the lessons she learned while training her dog, Reilly, transformed her from a submissive, abused wife to a calm, confident and assertive human pack leader. In learning to be a pack leader to Reilly, she uncovered a simple, yet powerful, paradigm about human behavior that readers can immediately apply to all aspects of their lives. The book helps readers intuitively understand why they behave as they do, become more emotionally healthy, and identify and predict the behaviors of others. Readers will be able to take control of their lives as they: •

learn how to be a calm, assertive leader to their human pack



spot those who want to take advantage of them



pick an appropriate life partner



improve relationships of all types



perform better on the job



raise emotionally healthy children and



discover their authentic personality

Written in a crisp, direct and upbeat style, “Pack Leader Psychology” combines personal stories from the author’s experiences in life and dog training, with the elemental wisdom of animals and the latest research on human social psychology. “Pack Leader Psychology” offers deeper explanations for human behavior than other self-help books, yet is easy to understand and a quick read. The book’s commonsense

explanations of human behavior can be immediately applied to all aspects of a reader’s life and can help improve relationships with family, friends and colleagues. Using indisputable primal behaviors of fight, flight, avoidance, submission and dominance, “Pack Leader Psychology” simplifies the hundreds of psychological “disorders” into just a few key categories and concepts. Because the explanations are rooted in elemental concepts that will resonate with readers, the content forms an easily understood model for human behavior. Readers will learn: •

why some people become aggressive Dominators and others are Submissive "pleasers"



why we unwittingly attract certain types of people into our lives



why most relationships today are unhealthy and turn into fights for control



why self-blame and low self-worth lead us to “lash out” with fight responses or “lash in” with flight responses

“Pack Leader Psychology” by Harper West is available in print ($12.99) and in ebook ($4.99) at www.PackLeaderPsychology.com. For more information or to follow West's blog, go to: www.PackLeaderPsychology.com www.facebook.com/harperwestauthor www.linkedin.com/in/harperwestauthor

CONTACT: Harper West, MA 3128 Walton Blvd., Suite 279 Rochester Hills, MI 48309 248-464-1297 www.PackLeaderPsychology.com [email protected]

Bringing Pack Leader Skills to People

Author’s Credentials Harper West, MA, is a psychotherapist, speaker, consultant, and author. She has a passion for bringing relationship skills, leadership skills, and personal assertiveness skills to people through her book, “Pack Leader Psychology.” West earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Michigan School of Professional Psychology but used Pack Leader Psychology principles to completely transform her personality. Prior to her career in psychology, West was a marketing consultant and freelance writer specializing in marketing communication for healthcare entities and professionals. She began her career as a newspaper reporter and editor after earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University. She later studied psychology at Oakland University and Wayne State University. She has written for publication for 30 years, winning numerous awards for her work in marketing, advertising and public relations.

Questions for Interview of Harper West, Author of "Pack Leader Psychology" Bio/Short: Harper West is a psychotherapist from the Detroit area and author of “Pack Leader Psychology,” a book that uses lessons from the dog world to help us understand our human relationships. Bio/Long: Harper West is a psychotherapist from the Detroit area and author of “Pack Leader Psychology,” a book that uses lessons from the dog world to help us understand our human relationships. She earned a master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Michigan School of Professional Psychology. Prior to her career in psychology she was a healthcare marketing consultant and freelance journalist for 25 years. And, yes, she is a pack leader to two dogs: Reilly and Hope. Her book “Pack Leader Psychology” is available at www.PackLeaderPsychology.com or go to Amazon.com or BN.com. WEBSITE: www.PackLeaderPsychology.com

1. Pack Leader Psychology is about what dogs can teach us about human behavior. How did you make the connection between how dogs and humans act? 2. What is a Pack Leader? 3. Why is it important to be a Pack Leader? 4. How did becoming a Pack Leader affect you? 5. Can anyone become a Pack Leader? What if I don't want to be a Pack Leader, because I'm not comfortable in a leadership role? 6. What if I don’t own a dog? Will I understand Pack Leader Psychology? 7. How does becoming a Pack Leader improve our human relationships?

8. A lot of people have heard of Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, because he uses the phrase “pack leader.” What did you learn from Cesar? 9. What specific things can we do today to become Pack Leaders? 10.How can listeners improve their relationships using Pack Leader Psychology ideas? 11.In Pack Leader Psychology you write a lot about the fear response. What is this? 12.What are some signs that people aren't behaving as Pack Leaders? 13.It seems that men are generally "Dominators" in relationships and women "Submissives." Is that true? Does that cause problems in relationships? 14.You give 7 lessons in how to be a pack leader. What are those lessons? 15.You write a lot about honesty and direct communication, that Pack Leaders are assertive in their relationships. Why is this so important? 16.You write that fear of criticism is the main reason people behave as "Submissives," "Dominators" or "Avoiders." What is the root of that fear? 17.How can listeners overcome that fear of criticism? 18.You write that our society seems to be one of the reasons we have so few Pack Leaders right now. Explain. 19.How can parents raise children to be Pack Leaders?

Excerpts from “Pack Leader Psychology” What Holds Most People Back Isn't Lack of Ability, But Lack of Courage ! Training was difficult because Reilly had eight months of pent-up puppy energy – which, if you know German Shorthair Pointers, is a heckofa lot of energy. In the first few weeks, if I didn’t have two hands firmly on her collar she broke away and tore off to go hunting in the woods behind my house. She snuck off and pilfered the neighbor’s trashcans routinely, running proudly back home with her finds of pizza crusts and pork chop bones. She killed any critter she could grab a hold of. I was at my wits’ end during those early days. I needed more discipline with her.             The symbolism is quite ironic now that, at the same time, I also needed to exert more discipline over my husband, Ray. I had no skills or knowledge to manage a wild puppy or a jealous, controlling husband. I didn’t realize both were dominating me in unhealthy ways and, with my submissive behavior, I was ignorantly allowing them to manipulate me. I felt angry and powerless, not realizing I held the keys to asserting myself with both dog and husband with just some simple behavior and attitude changes.               So I set about training Reilly, not realizing that what I would learn would eventually help me train myself and allow me to take control of my life.

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The More Parts of Ourselves We Reject, the More Important It Is to Feel Accepted Then one day while running with Reilly, I experienced a flash of insight. I realized that I was just like a dog rolling over and showing her belly to anyone who walked up. I was exhibiting my weaknesses without question to everyone, even unstable, controlling men like Ray who clearly did not have my best interests at heart. I was too trusting and naïve. The word “accommodating” suddenly seemed far too insubstantial for how I was behaving. I was submissive. Much too submissive. I actually cowered like the lowest omega dog in the pack that is happy to receive some scraps from the carcass, pleased that that the pack doesn't beat it up or chase it away. The terms used in the animal world became much more meaningful to me. I had observed that while dominant and subordinate roles are natural states in dog packs, some domesticated dogs don’t behave in well-adjusted ways. When a dog doesn’t have

a balanced pack leader and feels fearful, it will adopt one of three main behavior modes: overly dominant, overly submissive or overly avoidant. I immediately made the connection that people, almost universally, behaved in similarly unhealthy and unbalanced ways. Once I recognized this distinction, I could look around at the difficult people in my life and see that they often fell very clearly into one of these three categories. I named people with these behavior patterns quite simply: “Dominators,” “Submissives,” and “Avoiders.” !

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When You Live Only for Your Own Approval, the Risk of Rejection Disappears Because I no longer have irrational fears of being criticized, controlled, or dominated, I am living one of Reilly’s lessons: Be brave. I am bravely allowing emotional intimacy into my life. I am allowing friends and lovers to be close but not overly demanding. I am bravely being honest with people when I feel I have been disrespected. I am expressing my emotions, which makes people sense that I am an emotionally warm person and they can be free to open up emotionally as well. I also smile at the irony that, previously, I didn’t listen to my intuition and didn’t accurately sense when I should be fearful. Yet I still lived in fear – fear of all the wrong things. I was afraid of not being liked, yet this fear was exactly the weakness others preyed on and the real reason I should have been afraid. I was busy being afraid of rejection, yet this should have been the least of my worries. I had already rejected myself, the most fundamental source of shame and criticism there is. I now realize that by existing for everyone else’s approval, one constantly risks rejection. When one lives only for one's own approval, the risk of rejection disappears. A pack leader listens to her intuition to sense fear, but knows that acting bravely starts with thinking bravely about herself. Inner, emotional fears are the most debilitating fears of all. When in doubt, be brave. I have learned a very important lesson: When you have nothing left to prove, your fear of disapproval goes away.! ! ! ! !

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Beware of the Need for Belonging “Gone Bad” Conformity, agreement, and compliance are innate in humans, because hunting, fighting off predators, and caring for young are much easier as a community. Reciprocity also feeds and drives our need to fit in. Our reputation is important if we want to be part of the tribe. Most of us don’t want to be seen as cheaters, and therefore ostracized, so we cooperate and are generous with others to boost our reputation. We conform, agree, and don’t make waves. We not only share tonight’s antelope, but this cooperation ensures that we can hang out with the group around the fire tonight and be safe. We social creatures have an inborn urge to cooperate, if only so we don’t get kicked out of the tribe. This urge for social integration is so powerful it drives much of individual human behavior even today, when we don’t need to band together to fight off a lion or the neighboring tribe. It is a natural desire for all people to avoid feeling helpless and cast out. The “longing for belonging” can, however, lead to less-than-admirable behaviors. Because this urge is so elemental to us, the threat of social disconnection can trigger an automatic fear response. Our primal brain senses our survival is at stake and responds. Some researchers even use the phrase “social death” to describe the phenomenon – an indication of the power of exclusion. Feelings of isolation are toxic emotionally and even physically. Neuroscientists now know that the same part of the brain that evaluates physical pain, the anterior cingulate cortex, is also used to judge the emotional pain of social rejection. Conversely, the feeling of inclusion is physically healthy, bringing lower heart rates, improved sleep, and reduced stress hormones, according to numerous medical studies. Other research shows that married people have lower rates of illness and live longer. Feeling alone and excluded triggers feelings of fear, anger, and anxiety that result in physical symptoms, such as high blood pressure and heart disease. However, unbalanced people take the fear of being cast out to an extreme. It shows up in the nearly insatiable need for acceptance and the approval of others. While this need has its roots in a primal drive for survival, it has become a cause of most of our modern psychological and behavioral problems. People labeled by psychologists with many different diagnoses, including paranoid and depressed, are often hyper-alert to being emotionally victimized or rejected by others. In the past, I was eager to get along with others, but I took my submissiveness too far, subsuming my needs in the service of getting others to like me and accept me. In taking the primal need for cooperation to an unhealthy level, I cooperated with everyone – even those who wanted to harm me.

STORY TOPICS BASED ON "PACK LEADER PSYCHOLOGY" BY HARPER WEST GENERAL ____ ! 7 Habits of Human "Pack Leaders" ____ ! Are You a Human Pack Leader? ____ ! Lessons We Can Learn from Animals about Leadership ____ ! Strengthen Relationships at Work and Home Using Skills from the Animal World ____ ! Transform Yourself into a Pack Leader -- Effortlessly ____ ! How To Become the "Alpha" In Your Relationships, Career, and With Your Kids ____ ! What Would a Pack Leader Do? RELATIONSHIPS ____ ! 7 Unhealthy Relationship Patterns you can Break Now ____ ! You Can't Handle the Truth: Is Avoiding Conflict Damaging Your Relationships ! and Career? ____ ! Trust Your Intuition To Pick A Great Date or Mate ____ ! Dating: Learn Why You Keep Picking the Wrong Person ____ ! Dating: 5 Ways to Spot Controllers and Abusers ____ ! Are You Predator Or Prey? How To Spot And Stop These Behaviors In Yourself ! And Others ____ ! Dating Tip: Tricks Therapists Use To Get People to Talk About Themselves ____ ! Secrets from a Therapist on how to be a Better Mate ____ ! How to be a Pack Leader and Enhance your Relationship ____ ! Dominance and Submission: Unhealthy Relationship Patterns You Can Break ! Now ____ ! Assert Yourself to Halt Disrespect ____ ! Strengthen your Relationship with Assertiveness ____ ! Dating (Couples): Stop Asking Questions and be a Better Conversationalist ____ ! Are You Needy and Clingy? How to Stop Now ____ ! Are You Jealous and Controlling? How to Stop Now PARENTING ____ ! Are You a Pack Leader Parent? ____ ! How NOT to Raise a Child With Low Self-Esteem, Who is Lazy, Irresponsible, ! Entitled and Insecure ____ ! How NOT to Raise a Mass Murderer ____ ! Listen Your Way to Better Parenting ____ ! The Worst Parenting Conversation... That Millions of Moms and Dads Have ! Every Day ____ ! How Boosting Self-Esteem in Kids Backfires

____ ! Is Your Parenting Causing Your Child's ADHD? ____ ! Is Your Parenting Causing Your Child's Tantrums and !Arguing? ____ ! Really Listen to Your Kids (And Improve their Self-Esteem) ____ ! Become the "Big Dog" with Your Kids and Stop All the Arguing ____ ! Become a Pack Leader and a Better Parent BUSINESS/WORK/CAREER ____ ! Be a Pack Leader at Work and Gain Influence ____ ! How to Become the "Big Dog" at Work ____ ! Are you Leader or a Bully at Work? ____ ! Can Women be Pack Leaders at Work? ____ ! Is Fear of Criticism Sabotaging your Career? SELF-IMPROVEMENT ____ ! Fight or Flight: Which Do You Choose? ____ ! The Real Reason You Hate Criticism So Much and How to Change ____ ! Improve Your Self-Respect and Eliminate Anxiety, Depression, or Aggression ____ ! Is Low Self-Esteem Making You Prey to the Predators in Your Life? ____ ! Discover Your Authentic Self: The Power of Self-Respect and Self-Acceptance ____ ! Do You Cry Easily?: Why and How to Stop It ____ ! What's the Big Deal about Self-Acceptance? ____ ! Are You Afraid of People? Social Anxiety Explained and Solved ____ ! Approval Seeking: Natural Inclination or Unhealthy Neediness? MENTAL ILLNESS ____ ! Is Society Causing Sky High Rates of Anxiety and Depression? ____ ! How the Psychiatry Profession Gets It All Wrong ____ ! How the Mental Health Professions are Misdiagnosing Millions Of People ____ ! Don't Trust Psychiatrists: What Is Wrong With the Mental Health Profession ____ ! Debunking the Myths of Mental Illness ____ ! Before the Next Tragedy: How to Spot a Mass Murderer in Your Midst ____ ! There is No Such Thing as a Mental Disorder: What is ! Really Wrong with How We Diagnose Mental Illness WOMEN ____ ! Can Women Be Pack Leaders In Business, Relationships and As Parents? FRIENDS ____ ! How to Be a Better Friend by NOT Giving Advice CAREER

____ ! Reinventing Yourself at Midlife: Why Am I Stuck? ____ ! The Psychology of Career Choice ! SEASONAL ____ ! Singles: How to Stop Feeling Sorry For Yourself On Valentine's Day/Christmas/ ! New Year's/On Vacation