Luskin, Fred 1954-

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LUSKIN, Fred 1954-

PERSONAL:

Born May 5, 1954, in New York, NY; son of Phillip (an accountant) and Barbara (a homemaker) Luskin; married (divorced); married Jan Krinsley, August, 1986; children: (second marriage) Anna Rose, Danny. Education: State University of New York, Binghamton, B.A., 1976; San Jose State University, M.S., 1987. Hofstra University, certificate in educational administration, 1993; Stanford University, Ph.D., 1999.

ADDRESSES:

Office—1069 East Meadow Dr., Palo Alto, CA 94303. E-mail—fredl@stanford.edu.

CAREER:

School psychologist, marriage, family, and child counselor, and author. School psychologist for San Benito High School, Holister, CA, 1988-89, Northport, NY, school district, 1989-92, Milbrae, CA, school district, 1992-93, and San Mateo/Holister/Woodside, CA, school districts, 1994—; California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, adjunct professor of integral health studies, 1995-96; Stanford University, Stanford, CA, senior fellow, Center on Conflict and Negotiation, 1999—, postdoctoral research fellow in preventive cardiology, 1998-2001, research associate, 2001—. San Benito County Mental Health, Holister, mental-health crisis worker, 1988-89. Formerly owner of natural-foods restaurant. Has appeared on radio and television programs.

MEMBER:

American Psychological Association, American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Society for Behavioral Medicine, Heart Failure Society of America, Association of Transpersonal Psychology (member, board of directors, 2001).

WRITINGS:

Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness, HarperSanFrancisco (San Francisco, CA), 2002.

Contributor to books, including Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach, 1998; Encyclopedia of Complementary Health Practices, Springer, 1999; Dimensions of Forgiveness: Psychological Research and Theological Perspectives, Templeton Foundation Press, 1999; and Cancer Supportive Care: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Their Families, Somerville Press, 2001. Contributor to periodicals, including Stanford Medicine, Mothering, and California Lawyer.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

(With Ken Pelletir) Stressbusters: Ten Proven Life Skills to Take Charge of Your Life, for Harper San Francisco, publication expected in 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Fred Luskin, a California-based marriage, family, and school counselor, is the author of Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness. In this book, an outgrowth of the forgiveness-training seminars he runs near his Palo Alto office, Luskin shows that carrying around grudges and hurt creates problems and solves nothing. Stress, high cholesterol, elevated pulse rates, and assorted other aches and pains are all physical manifestations of the stress of hurt, and while Luskin argues that a certain period of anger is normal when one has been wronged, carrying on too long only hurts oneself. As he writes in his book: "Life does not always seem fair. I witness needless suffering because people do not recognize that making peace with this fact is an unavoidable life task." In a review for Natural Health David Plunkett praised Forgive for Good as "wise as well as practical," and noted that the book rewards readers with the "possibility of escape from the prison of the past." In Publishers Weekly a contributor also found favor with Luskin's advice, and dubbed his book "solidly researched" and "convincing."