Book picks similar to
Playing It by Heart: Taking Care of Yourself No Matter What by Melody Beattie
self-help
recovery
non-fiction
memoir
Eating With Your Anorexic: A Mother's Memoir
Laura Collins Lyster-Mensh - 2004
New foreword, updates, and reflections by the author on a decade of advocacy in the eating disorder world.
The Wounded Heart Workbook: A Companion Workbook for Personal or Group Use
Dan B. Allender - 1990
Dan Allender'sbook The WoundedHeart . This workbook continues the processof change as readers work their way step-by-step through thecomplex issues surrounding sexual abuse.Topics include:Facing the truth about past and present experiences andfeelingsUnderstanding fears and goalsWrestling with God, others, and yourselfFor group or individual useAlso available: The Wounded Heart
The Interventionist
Joani Gammill - 2011
Phil's leading interventionist and recovering addict Joani Gammill."Exuding the same passion and purpose as the author herself, Joani Gammill's The Interventionist is a heartfelt game changer and long overdue. You deserve to read it." --Dr. Phil McGraw, host of CBS's nationally syndicated show "Dr. Phil" Joani Gammill, an average suburban mom on the outside, was secretly addicted to multiple forms of opiates and amphetamine for years, and almost died as a result. Through the life-changing intervention staged by Dr. Phil on his show, Gammill not only committed to getting help for her addiction, but she also went on to become a professional interventionist, helping thousands of others in distress. In The Interventionist, she intertwines her experiences with depictions of her often harrowing and always inspiring interventions of the addicts and families she's worked with over the years. In each chapter she recounts details of a client's unique battle with addiction and the devastation that led to a loved one's request for her help. Gammill's intriguing story--and the equally captivating stories of the brave people who come to her for help--demonstrates how it is possible to emerge from the seemingly hopeless world of out-of-control drug use and not only regain one's sanity, but actually discover that life clean and sober can be more meaningful than it ever was before.
Unwasted: My Lush Sobriety
Sacha Zimmerman Scoblic - 2011
. .the cold beer on a hot day. . .the champagne flute raised in a toast. . . what I'd drink if Hunter S. Thompson wanted to get wasted with me. . .these are my fantasies lately. Too bad I've gone sober.When Sacha Z. Scoblic was drinking, she was a rock star; the days were rough and the nights filled with laughter and blackouts. Then she gave it up. She had to. Here are her adventures in an utterly and maddeningly sober world. . .and how she discovered that nothing is as odd and fantastic as life without a drink in hand. . ."Wildly entertaining. . .An unabashed account of getting clean and getting a life." --Steve GengSacha Z. Scoblic is a writer living in Washington, D.C. A former editor at The New Republic and Reader's Digest, she has written about everything from space camp to pulp fiction and was a contributor to The New York Times's online series "Proof: Alcohol and American Life." She currently blogs about addiction at TheFasterTimes.com. Her sobriety date is June 15, 2005.
New Self, New World: Recovering Our Senses in the Twenty-First Century
Philip Shepherd - 2010
Drawing on diverse sources and inspiration, New Self, New World reveals that our state of head-consciousness falsely teaches us to see the body as something we possess and to try to take care of it without ever really learning how to inhabit it. Shepherd articulates his vision of a world in which each of us enjoys a direct, unmediated experience of being alive. He petitions against the futile pursuit of the “known self” and instead reveals the simple grace of just being present. In compelling prose, Shepherd asks us to surrender to the reality of “what is” that enables us to reunite with our own being. Each chapter is accompanied by exercises meant to bring Shepherd’s vision into daily life, what the author calls a practice that “facilitates the voluntary sabotage of long-standing patterns.” New Self, New World is at once a philosophical primer, a spiritual handbook, and a roaming inquiry into human history.
Big Fat Lies Women Tell Themselves: Ditch Your Inner Critic and Wake Up Your Inner Superstar
Amy Ahlers - 2011
Amy Ahlers’s witty, wise, and cut-to-the-chase book will give you everything you need to take on those bullying Inner Mean Girls and Inner Critics — and win. You’ll learn how to rewire the self-sabotaging lies you tell yourself into affirming truths that will increase self-respect, self-love, and self-compassion, transforming your inner and outer lives.
Focusing
Eugene T. Gendlin - 1978
It consists of six easy-to-master steps that identify and change the way thoughts and emotions are held within the body. Focusing can be done virtually anywhere, at any time, and an entire “session” can take no longer than ten minutes, but its effects can be felt immediately–in the relief of bodily tension and psychological stress, as well as in dramatic shifts in understanding and insight.In this highly accessible guide, Dr. Eugene Gendlin, the award-winning psychologist who developed the focusing technique, explains the basic principles behind focusing and offers simple step-by-step instructions on how to utilize this powerful tool for tapping into greater self-awareness and inner wisdom. As you learn to develop your natural ability to “focus,” you’ll find yourself more in sync with both mind and body, filled with greater self-assurance, and better equipped to make the positive changes necessary to improve and enhance every aspect of your life.
Saturation
Jennifer Place - 2011
My withdrawal/delirium tremens (DTs) were terrifying and excruciating.My story takes the reader through my experiences of late stage alcoholism, two arrests by my new husband of three months and my subsequent adventures through and between five inpatient treatment centers for alcohol abuse.
The Next Happy: Let Go of the Life You Planned and Find a New Way Forward
Tracey Cleantis - 2015
This book offers grace for grieving the end of hoped-for deams, and guidance for moving towards future possibilities.When the best option is to let go of the life you planned for yourself and find a new path, a world of possibilities can surprisingly open up. Learn whether it is time to let go, and if so, how to move through your grief and find your way forward in The Next Happy. If you believe, you can do anything. Although well-meaning, these intended words of inspiration can make us feel like failures. The reality is that no matter how positive our outlook or how tenacious our approach, our dreams simply do not always come true--and there is nothing we can do about it. After multiple fertility treatments and years of hardship in her pursuit to have a child, Tracey Cleantis was forced to face this reality head-on. Yet, through this process and her work counseling hundreds of clients through the loss of their goals and aspirations, she discovered one simple truth: Sometimes there comes a time when the smartest, healthiest, and sanest thing to do is to let go of the original plan in order to find a new way forward toward happiness. And with this critical shift, a world of possibilities opens up to us. New, tangible dreams take shape. In The Next Happy, Cleantis offers a roadmap for that journey, teaching you how to: face the possibility of letting go of a dream that isn’t working; accept and face sadness, anger, and shame; understand the true reasons why you wanted what you wanted and the real-life causes for why you didn’t get it; and ask the questions that will let you move on and set realistic goals for finding a new way forward. With down-to-earth wisdom and humor, this enlightening counterpoint to the popular self-help notion to “follow your dream, no matter what it takes” provides the guidance and support to help you make the decision of whether it is time to give up an impossible dream, and if so, move through your grief, and discover the next happy.
Dancing with Elephants: Mindfulness Training For Those Living With Dementia, Chronic Illness or an Aging Brain (How to Die Smiling Book 1)
Jarem Sawatsky - 2017
Have you received a terminal or chronic diagnosis? Is your mind succumbing to age or illness? Can you ever find joy, peace, or fulfillment in these challenging conditions? The answer is a resounding YES. Author Jarem Sawatsky saw the countless guides out there for those caring for the ill and healing the curable, but when he was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease he found there was nothing for those living with incurable illness. He quit his job as a professor and devoted his life to exploring the possibilities of living with chronic conditions. Now he’s bringing his findings and insights to you. In Dancing With Elephants, you’ll discover:
Simple practices to bring healing to your heart and life to your new outlook
Humorous (and occasionally heart-wrenching) stories of Sawatsky’s own journey
Multiple ways to build confidence in yourself, even when you’ve been shaken to the core
A new perspective to cut some of the pain and renew your spirit
Practical tools to face your seemingly inescapable fears, and much, much more!
Based on the popular blog of the same name, Dancing With Elephants includes insightful interviews with chronic disease experts Toni Bernhard, Lucy Kalanithi, and Patch Adams. Sawatsky’s landmark book provides support that only a fellow traveler down this road can offer. If you like touching stories, mindful wisdom, and a touch of irreverent humor, then you’ll love Sawatsky’s life-changing book.
Buy Dancing With Elephants today to discover a new way to live!
Reviews In Dancing with Elephants, Sawatsky beautifully models a way to dance in the gale of full catastrophe, to celebrate life, to laugh with it and at himself, even in the face of personal failure and defeat. - JON KABAT-ZINN, national bestselling author of Full Catastrophe Living In Dancing with Elephants, Jarem Sawatsky offers a powerful example of the art of real happiness. This inspiring story reminds us just how essential it is to bring lovingkindness into every step of life, no matter how difficult the path -SHARON SALZBERG, New York Times bestselling author of Real Happiness … forthright and inspiring… people facing a chronic illness in themselves or in a loved one will learn from his honesty and openness. -PETER V RABINS, co-author of The 36-Hour Day Life can be tough and it's even tougher without the ability to find humor. You're either going to laugh or cry, so you might as well laugh. When life seems to be falling apart, Jarem Sawatsky's interesting and entertaining book reminds us that laughter is what we need to not take ourselves too seriously. -JEN MANN, New York Times bestselling author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat This is a beautiful and inspiring book. It is full of humor and wisdom about the pain of loss in our life, by a man who is living the severe loss of a debilitating disease. It is a book that we should all read so that loss be not transformed into anger or depression, but into love and radical acceptance. -JEAN VANIER, national bestselling author of Becoming Human
Facing the Shadow: Starting Sexual and Relationship Recovery: A Gentle Path to Beginning Recovery from Sex Addiction
Patrick J. Carnes - 2001
Carnes broke new ground with Out of the Shadows. Facing the Shadows continued that pioneering spirit as the first book to take techniques used by thousands of people recovering from sex addiction and show, step by step, how to break free of this disease and live a healthier, more fulfilling life. This second edition adds timely material on cybersex and new science about arousal. This work sets the stage for recovery tasks at hand, and then provides practical, easy-to-follow exercises specifically designed to help understand and address them. You'll learn: Why denial is so powerful and what can be done to break through it. How to face the consequences of your behaviors using recovery principles. How to respond to change and crisis due to addiction How to manage life without dysfunctional behavior How spirituality affects recovery What to disclose and to whom How does sex addiction start and what does an addict need to know
Getting Past What You'll Never Get Over: Help for Dealing with Life's Hurts
John F. Westfall - 2012
This is a difficult--often impossible--road to travel. There are some things in life that we must learn to live with because they will never truly go away for good. Despite that truth, there is life--rewarding and abundant life--after heartache and pain.John F. Westfall leads readers beyond their hurts and into a life of confidence, freedom, and secure joy. Sharing stories with wisdom, humor, and vulnerability, he shows how to move forward beyond fear, regret, guilt, anger, and bitterness into a life worth living.
Under the Influence: A Guide to the Myths and Realities of Alcoholism
James R. Milam - 1981
Based on groundbreaking scientific research, Under The Influence examine the physical factors that set alcoholics and non-alcoholics apart, and suggests a bold, stigma-free way of understanding and treating the alcoholic.How to tell if someone you know is an alcoholic.The progressive stages of alcoholism.How to get an alcoholic into treatment -- and how to choose a treatment program.Why frequently prescribed drugs can be dangerous -- even fatal -- for alcoholics.How to ensure a lasting recovery.
Black Tar: For the Love of Heroin
Stephen E. Crockett - 2012
Please understand one critical feature of this book. It is a biography, hand written by the junkie in question about his life and his alone. As such it is not a piece of literary perfection. It has not been polished to perfection by a team of editors, nor was it published by a major publishing company. Black Tar: For The Love of Heroin was originally written on a legal pad as part of a twelve step program. It made its way to me, its ultimate editor, and I was amazed by the details Stephen was able to remember and capture on paper. Once I got to know him I asked him if he would work with me on his life story and he reluctantly agreed. Sensing his hesitancy I told him we would not use his name and focus on the day to day existence of a junkie as he experienced it living from fix to fix. But Stephen could be a hard person to track down and his never ending thirst for the needle made his story a hard one to tell. I spent days upon weeks crawling the downtown streets looking for him and a lot of times when I did find him I would have to buy him heroin just to get him to work with me. So, I made a deal with him, like making a deal with the devil, that if he would help me drag his biography into existence, I would buy him enough heroin to get through each and every day we worked together.One day's worth of heroin for one day's worth of storytelling. This made it easy for him to make himself available for the writing of his biography. By the time I met Stephen he was almost fifty years old and in full blown heroin psychosis. How he managed to live as long as he had was always a miracle to me. Over the course of a year and several months I pulled every story Stephen could remember from his heroin-addled brain and preserved them on paper. But I never wanted this story to be an autobiography. I wanted it to be Stephen telling his story, in his words, no matter how it might look like in the end.With these rules in place I gave him his first computer and at first he slaved over his 'hunt and peak' computer skills. But the more he wrote the more he remembered and slowly, after three long years of exchanging one day of heroin to entice him to work one day of writing, Stephen declared himself finished with the project. I read what he had written and quickly realized that active heroin junkies make terrible writers. What he had produced was basically unusable. To make a three-year writing stint something of literary value I set myself to editing what he had written. I didn't want to strip it of the style of writing that made it junkie. More than anything else I wanted to preserve his perspective, sense of pain, his defeat, his single-minded approach to heroin and to the fact he knew it was going to kill him. I think that fatalistic view of life is what hit me the hardest.To make the book easy to digest I divided it into five segments and then spread his life between the points. And that is what we ended up with. The biography of a drug addict; barely touched by an editor's pen, and filled with the dirt, muck and blood that is a junkies life.
You Are What You Think
David Stoop - 2003
And it's easy to see-in other people. It's not as easy to recognize when our own attitude needs adjustment, or to know how to change it. In You Are What You Think, David Stoop shows readers how to use self-talk to make positive changes in their attitudes and beliefs. Self-talk can be private speech, thoughts, or external speech, all of which shape emotions and behavior for good or bad. This popular book, previously published as Self-Talk, will help readers overcome stress, guilt, depression, anxiety, and anger; release the power of faith; choose healthy, positive thoughts; and more.