The Author

Emmanuel S. John, MA, MSW, LCSW

About the Author

    The Pacification of Humanity was my third book.  The one thing that all my books have in common is that they all focus on major struggles facing humanity.  I’ve been working as a counselor, social worker and psychotherapist for nearly 40 years now.  I began my career in mental health while working in some of the most difficult schools and communities in the US.  While working in the addiction field I chose to give special attention to the family system and how it was affected by the social scourge of addiction.  I later expanded my mental health focus to the community as a whole, spending several years conducting public education about how to address addiction and many other public health issues and concerns.   

Book Preface

    I am very inquisitive.  I am that person in class who asks the hardest questions and challenges the most renowned experts.  I am the straight guy who will sit down with a group of gay men and lesbian women to talk about perspectives.  Not to challenge their beliefs but to challenge my own in order to see things more clearly and understand issues more deeply.

While working in the Baltimore City Public School system I was often the only “white guy” in the building.  I cut my clinical teeth on having open discussions about race with young black kids from difficult neighborhoods.  I conducted therapy groups with drug dealers talking about the real problems created by drug dealing while acknowledging that those enterprises were often the only methods available for them to earn income.

    I am the guy who will talk about greed with the rich or speak about entitlement with the poor.  I have talked about liberalism with the Liberals, the need for laws with Libertarians and about true values with Conservatives.  Being intellectually unafraid has bestowed upon me invaluable insights that could not have been attained any other way. The truth is out there but we have to work for it. Being open-minded has gifted me with; truth, clarity, insight and an enlightened mindset; gifts that I will treasure until my death.

    I love truth and I cherish clarity even more. I investigate improbability and inconsistency but still ponder possibilities. I am one of the most “out of the box” thinkers you may ever have contact with. I avoid being overly critical when I can, but I embrace critical thinking. Growing up very poor, I have experienced abuse, loss and despair to depths many people cannot imagine.  

    I am a psychotherapist who has spent nearly 40 years treating people with all types of emotional disorders. I have been court certified as an expert in addiction treatment and addiction forensics. I have testified in Senate Sub-committee hearings as an advocate/lobbyist for addiction treatment. I have participated in some of the most difficult discussions life can confront a person with and I have had some of the most contentious physical confrontations known to human existence.

    I embrace having my perspectives challenged but that means I will also challenge others. I have lived in the inner city and I have lived on several farms. I have raised a child and even a few farm animals along the way. I believe that the biggest obstacle in the lives of most human beings is their own limited thinking. I am grateful for the many great minds throughout history that did not shrink themselves down beneath their capacities but instead stood strong to challenge the world. I believe the world is a better place because I am here and I believe that it will be a better place if you all show up too!

If you are interested in my personal story please visit NelgectedDamagedGraced.com