For most of us the unknown is both friend and foe. At times it can be a source of par­a­lyz­ing fear and uncer­tain­ty, and at oth­er times it can be a start­ing point for trans­for­ma­tion, cre­ativ­i­ty, and growth. The unknown is a deep cur­rent that runs through­out all reli­gions and mys­ti­cal tra­di­tions, and it is also the nexus of con­tem­po­rary psy­chother­a­peu­tic thought and prac­tice and a key ele­ment in all per­son­al growth and heal­ing. In The Wis­dom of Not Know­ing, psy­chother­a­pist Estelle Frankel shows us that our psy­cho­log­i­cal, emo­tion­al, and spir­i­tu­al health is rad­i­cal­ly influ­enced by how com­fort­able we are at nav­i­gat­ing the unknown and uncer­tain dimen­sions of our lives.

Draw­ing on insights from Kab­bal­ah, depth psy­chol­o­gy, Bud­dhism, Chris­tian­i­ty, Hin­duism, and ancient myth, Frankel explores how we can grow our souls by tap­ping into the wis­dom of not know­ing. She also includes case stud­ies of indi­vid­u­als who have grap­pled with their fears of the unknown and, as a result, have come out wis­er, stronger, and more resilient. Each chap­ter includes expe­ri­en­tial exer­cis­es and/​or med­i­ta­tions for befriend­ing the unknown. These exer­cis­es help con­vey how we must be will­ing to ​“not know” in order to gain knowl­edge and be able to bear uncer­tain­ty so we can be free to enjoy a healthy sense of adven­ture and curiosity.