Summary of Curt Thompson's The Soul of Desire

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Curt Thompson's The Soul of Desire in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: In The Soul of Desire, psychiatrist Curt Thompson suggests that underneath all our longings is the desire to be known―and what's more, that this fundamental yearning manifests itself in our deep need to make things of beauty, revealing who we are to others. Desire and beauty go hand in hand.

But both our craving to be known and our ability to create beauty have been marred by trauma and shame, collapsing our imagination for what God has for us and blinding us to the possibility that beauty could ever emerge from our ashes. Drawing on his work in interpersonal neurobiology and clinical practice, Thompson presents a powerful picture of the capacity of the believing community to reshape our imaginations, hold our desires and griefs together, and invite us into the beauty of God’s presence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Dec 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669341482

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on Curt Thompson's The Soul of Desire

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

We are people of desire. We want things. We long for things. It is primal to our natures to yearn. As an example, when we are born, we want to breathe, to be fed, and to feel secure. These desires are hardwired into us and begin at birth.

#2

We are what we love. We are desiring creatures. We are created to love and to desire. Our behavior is primarily driven by the habits we form through our bodily movements rather than by what we think or believe.

#3

We want what other people want because we are mimicking them and trying to be like them. We desire things to make us feel better about ourselves, and we become envious of others when we see them having what we don’t.

#4

The author desires what every human desires: to love and be loved. But what he longs for is beautiful, good, true, and joyful. He longs for it in an embodied manner.

#5

We were created to want things that reflect the goodness and beauty of the world God created. We hunger and thirst for a physical engagement with our world that leaves us in awe.

#6

Sex is not the only form of desire. It is easy for our imaginations to atrophy if the end result of all desire is orgasm. Because once it's over, it's over. But we