About the Author

Ellis Amdur grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. After graduating from Yale University, he moved to Japan for the purpose of studying East Asian martial arts, acquiring teaching licenses in two archaic Japanese martial traditions. He lived in Japan for 13 years, before moving to Seattle, Wash., where he raised two sons. After a number of years, working for various community mental health facilities in their emergency services departments, Amdur founded a company called Edgework, through which he offers psychotherapy, consultation and training concerned with people 'on the edge' of suicide, violence, or severe character disorder. This work was first published in different form as a 'reflection paper' towards graduation from the Masters Program in Existential Phenomenological Psychology at Seattle University. It represents the philosophical substrate that informs all his work. Amdur has published a number of other books in ad- dition to this one, as well as several instructional DVDs. They include books on the de-escalation of aggression as well as one for the training of hostage negotiators, books on the nature and history of traditional Japanese martial arts and several works of fiction.