In his book, Just Listen, Mark Goulston shared his bestselling formula for getting through to the resistant people in your life. Now, in his breakthrough new book Talking to Crazy, he brings his communication magic to the most difficult group of all—the downright irrational.

As a psychiatrist, Goulston has seen his share of crazy and he knows from experience that you can’t simply argue it away. The key to handling irrational people is to learn to lean into the crazy—to empathize with it. That radically changes the dynamic and transforms you from a threat into an ally. Talking to Crazy explains this counterintuitive Sanity Cycle and reveals:

• Why people act the way they do

• How instinctive responses can exacerbate the situation—and what to do instead

• When to confront a problem and when to walk away

• How to use a range of proven techniques including Time Travel, the Fish-bowl, and the Belly Roll

• And much more

Dr. Mark Goulston has been described as a "people hacker."

Starting off as a clinical interventional psychiatrist and UCLA professor of psychiatry, he learned to "hack" into the minds of suicidal and potentially violent individuals to prevent acts of destruction to others or themselves. He next went on to train FBI and police hostage negotiators. He has since expanded his work to "Hacking Genius" and speaks and provides webinars internationally on: "Thinking Like Steve Jobs - How to Create 'Gotta Have It.'"

His company, The Goulston Group, is hired by Founders, CEO's and Boards of Directors to help them create a "gotta have it!" response to their services and products (which seamlessly translates into "gonna buy/hire it," a "gotta work there" response in outside talent they're recruiting, a "gonna get it done" response from employees and a "gotta invest there" response in investors.

Mark Goulston is a passionate social activist and is the White co-host on the weekly Black radio show, Zo What Morning Show, where he focuses on leveling the playing field and empowering the African American community. He has also launched a campaign to "Heal the World, One Conversation at a Time" at Patreon.

He contributes to the Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, Fast Company, Business Insider and writes the "Closing Bell" for C-Suite Quarterly Magazine. Frequently called upon to share his expertise with the media, he has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Newsweek, Time, and Reuters; has offered commentary on NPR, CNN, and Fox News; and has appeared on the Oprah and Today shows. He lives in Los Angeles, California.