Running Is a Kind of Dreaming

A Memoir

De: J. M. Thompson

Narrado por: Samuel Roukin

A powerful, breathtaking memoir about a young man's descent into madness, and how running saved his life.

“Voluntary or involuntary?” asked the nurse who admitted J. M. Thompson to a San Francisco psychiatric hospital in January 2005. Following years of depression, ineffective medication, and therapy that went nowhere, Thompson feared he was falling into an inescapable darkness. He decided that death was his only exit route from the torture of his mind. After a suicide attempt, he spent weeks confined on the psych ward, feeling scared, alone, and trapped. One afternoon during an exercise break he experienced a sudden urge. “Run," I thought. "Run before it’s too late and you’re stuck down there. Right now. Run."

The impulse that starts with sprints across a hospital rooftop turns into all night runs in the mountains. Through motion and immersion in the beauty of nature, Thompson finds a way out of the hell of depression and drug addiction. Step by step, mile by mile, his body and mind heal. In this lyrical, vulnerable, and breathtaking memoir, J. M. Thompson, now a successful psychologist, retraces the path that led him from despair to wellness, detailing the chilling childhood trauma that caused his depression, and the unorthodox treatment that saved him. Running Is a Kind of Dreaming is a luminous literary testament to the universal human capacity to recover from our deepest wounds.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 J. M. Thompson (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

RAW. HEARTBREAKING. INSPIRING. BEAUTIFUL.

Thompson is so eloquent in the telling of his story, capturing the details in extraordinary detail and vivid imagery. That story, while absolutely heartbreaking at times, is instructive for so many of us in coming to terms with our own challenges and helping those around us who may be struggling. I particularly appreciate how Thompson addresses the need for professionals to see their patients as human beings, treat them fairly, and appropriately sharing their own story is part of that.

if I could give 10 stars, I would.

It is hard to find the rights words to describe how deeply this book resonated with me and my own life. All the words are so beautifully arranged in deeply philosophical sentences, authentically expressing the author's inner turmoil and his path to stability through ultra running, meditation and love.
This fellow middle-aged cPTSD survivor, ultra runner, and soon-to-be therapist (albeit physical) here wants to thank you, Dr. Thompson, for sharing your amazing story, from the bottom of her heart.

A true and vulnerable story about mental illness

Although the jumps between scenes were a little disjointed, I got the hang of it after awhile and really got into this book! The author courageously shares his struggle with his mom’s “madness” and his own depression. This book is beautifully written, with lots of little gems of unique insight. It also surprisingly made me want to run!