Psychotherapist and author Shannon Algeo will discuss and sign his book The Power in Your Hands: Liberate Yourself from Attachment to Technology at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena at 7 p.m. Thursday, in conversation with bestselling author Jennifer Pastiloff.
The evening event brings to Pasadena a book that, in the publisher’s account, examines the psychological roots of compulsive smartphone use — arguing that how people attach to their devices echoes how they attach in relationships — and lays out strategies for rebuilding creativity and human connection.
The Power in Your Hands, published June 2 by Broadleaf Books, invites readers to link compulsive smartphone behavior to their attachment style, according to the publisher, and is available in hardcover, e-book and audiobook.
In an interview with the Pacifica Graduate Institute, Algeo said “small changes can lead to big shifts in awareness and embodied experience.”
Algeo, a psychotherapist and meditation teacher on the faculty of the Esalen Institute and the Kripalu Center, is also the author of Trust Your Truth and co-founded the We Human podcast. He holds a master’s in counseling psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute and, according to his own biography, has spoken at the United Nations and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Publisher-provided endorsements accompany the book: author Johann Hari, who wrote Stolen Focus, called it “A moving and inspiring book about the most important topic facing all of us,” and clinical psychologist Alexandra H. Solomon wrote that “We are in a toxic relationship with our technology.”
Joining Algeo in conversation is Jennifer Pastiloff, a national bestselling author of On Being Human and Proof of Life who is deaf, reads lips and lives in Southern California. Speaking about her own work, Pastiloff has said, “I get to say who I am.” She has previously appeared in conversation with visiting authors at Vroman’s.
The discussion and signing are set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd. Vroman’s says buying the book from the store helps make its events possible. The store can be reached at (626) 449-5320.
