Standing At The Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear And Courage Meet

“Joan Halifax is a clearheaded and fearless traveler, and in this book… she offers us a map of how to travel courageously and fruitfully, for our own benefit and the benefit of all beings.”
— from the foreword by Rebecca Solnit

“This book is a must-read to help us navigate these turbulent times, regain our footing, and recognize the balance that is our true nature.”
— Richard J. Davidson,
New York Times bestselling author of The Emotional Life of Your Brain and Altered Traits

“Standing at the Edge is essential reading for our time.”
— Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global

Over many decades, Joan Halifax has collaborated with neuroscientists, clinicians, and psychologists to understand how contemplative practice can be a vehicle for social transformation. Halifax has identified five psychological territories she calls Edge States—altruism, empathy, integrity, respect, and engagement—that epitomize strength of character. Yet each of these states can also be the cause of personal and social suffering. In this way, these five psychological experiences form edges, and it is only when we stand at these edges that we become open to the full range of our human experience and discover who we really are.

Recounting the experiences of caregivers, activists, humanitarians, politicians, parents, and teachers; incorporating the wisdom of Zen traditions and mindfulness practices; and rooted in Halifax's groundbreaking research on compassion, Standing at the Edge is a powerful guide on how to find the freedom we seek for others and ourselves.