In this riveting memoir, an ER doctor reveals how his high-stress career of helping others led to a struggle to save himself. "It turns out there are all kinds of things about working in an ER that most of us haven't learned from TV or having sat in one. In Something for the Pain, Paul Austin―the ER doc you'd hope to get if something really bad happened―tells us, vividly and with uncommon candor, how, if you aren't careful, saving people's lives can make you sick."―Ted Conover, author of NewjackIn this eye-opening account of life in the ER, Paul Austin recalls how the daily grind of long, erratic shifts and endless hordes of patients with sad stories sent him down a path of bitterness and cynicism. His own life becomes Exhibit A, as he details the emotional detachment that estranges him from himself and his family. Gritty, powerful, and ultimately redemptive, Austin's memoir is a revealing glimpse into the fragility of compassion and sanity in the industrial setting of today's hospitals.

Something for the Pain: One Doctor's Account of Life and Death in the ER

Biographies & Memoirs

Austin, Paul

Professionals & Academics

W.W.Norton&Company

Through parenting a child with a disability, a father discovers patience, acceptance, and unconditional love. In 1987, Paul Austin and his wife Sally were newlyweds, excited about their future together and happily anticipating the birth of their first child. He was a medical student and she was a nurse. Everything changed the moment the doctor rushed their infant daughter from the room just after her birth, knowing instantly that something was wrong. Sarah had almond-shaped eyes, a single crease across her palm instead of three, and low-set ears―all of which suggested that the baby had Down syndrome.
Beginning on the day Sarah is born and ending when she is a young adult living in a group home, Beautiful Eyes is the story of a father's journey toward acceptance of a child who is different. In a voice that is unflinchingly honest and unerringly compassionate, Austin chronicles his life with his daughter: watching her learn to walk and talk and form her own opinions, making decisions about her future, and navigating cultural assumptions and prejudices―all the while confronting, with poignancy and moving candor, his own limitations as her father.
It is Sarah herself, who, in her own coming of age and her own reconciling with her difference, teaches her father to understand her. Time and again, she surprises him: performing Lady Gaga’s "Poker Face" at a talent show; explaining how the word "retarded" is hurtful; reacting to the events of her life with a mixture of love, pain, and humor; and insisting on her own humanity in a world that questions it. As Sarah begins to blossom into herself, her father learns to look past his daughter’s disability and see her as the spirited, warmhearted, and uniquely wise person she is.

Beautiful Eyes: A Father Transformed

Community & Culture

"A stunning account of the chaos of the emergency room." ―Boston Globe
In this eye-opening account of life in the ER, Paul Austin recalls how the daily grind of long, erratic shifts and endless hordes of patients with sad stories sent him down a path of bitterness and cynicism. Gritty, powerful, and ultimately redemptive, Something for the Pain is a revealing glimpse into the fragility of compassion and sanity in the industrial setting of today’s hospitals.

Something for the Pain: Compassion and Burnout in the ER

Review\nAfter decades of teaching acting with his unique and successful emphasis on layers of preparation at the same time as he emphasizes freedom of the moment, Paul Austin has gathered his teaching into a comprehensive why-to, how-to, what-to-do. At some early point while reading Spontaneous Behavior, you will experience what his students like myself felt and would carry within them going forward. Pursuing acting can be a conduit to resources inside yourself that will draw you deeper into the guidance of good literature and the joy of discovering the layered nuances of behavior. 
-Bill Pullman 
﻿﻿ 
As insightful and inspiring as it is practical, Paul Austin's Spontaneous Behavior should be required reading for any actor interested in creating a character, shaping a performance and navigating a dramatic text. But don't be fooled, Spontaneous Behavior isn't just for actors. It's also an invaluable resource for artists and storyteller of all stripes - playwrights, educators, directors and anyone else hoping to create, interpret or embody authentic and dimensional characters. Paul Austin looks at the art and craft of acting from several different angles, integrating and articulating everything he's learned in a way that's both accessible and illuminating to anyone lucky enough to read his wondrous book. - David Lindsay-Abaire, playwright, Pulitzer Prize for Rabbit Hole\nA unique exploration of the craft of acting with creative exercises that guide the actor from preparation to performance. A must for the dedicated actor." 
-Rob Decina, VP Casting, NY, CBS Studios\nSpontaneous Behavior lays out for actors at all levels, beginning to professional, how to shape a spontaneous performance unmistakably their own. Paul Austin draws on years of experience in his professional career as actor and director on stage, film and TV, and teaching at the Image Theatre in New York, to investigate the art and craft of acting. The workbook of detailed exercises offers techniques for creating character from pre-rehearsal to opening night.

Spontaneous Behavior: The Art and Craft of Acting

Arts & Photography

Performing Arts

Turning Plow Press

Microdosing Psychedelics: A Practical Guide to Upgrade Your Life by Paul Austin is a comprehensive guide to all the necessary information on the practice of microdosing – including protocols, benefits, drawbacks, and sourcing. Weaving together anecdotal narratives and preliminary research on the use of small amounts of psychedelics, Microdosing Psychedelics is oriented toward anyone interested in microdosing to improve their general well-being, particularly those in leadership and creative positions.Over the last few years, microdosing has entered the cultural zeitgeist. From bio-hackers in Silicon Valley seeking to improve their focus, to writers and artists looking for a creative edge, to suburban moms struggling with depression, to everyday people who want to achieve emotional balance, microdosing has led the way in mainstreaming and normalizing psychedelics. In the most comprehensive book of its kind, author, public speaker, and microdosing expert Paul Austin provides a thorough overview of how just about anyone can benefit from an intentional, structured microdosing protocol. In Microdosing Psychedelics, Austin provides readers with everything they need to know about microdosing, including:•What exactly is microdosing and how did it become a “thing?”•How to set up a weekly schedule if you want to experiment with microdosing•Three ways microdosing can benefit your professional career•The safest and easiest ways to obtain psychedelics if you wish to experiment with microdosing

Microdosing Psychedelics: A Practical Guide to Upgrade Your Life

Religion & Spirituality

Independently published